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The Concepts of Quality of Life and Happiness – Correlation and Differences

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The Concepts of Quality of Life and Happiness – Correlation and Differences ISSN 1392 – 2785 Inzinerine Ekonomika-Engineering Economics(3). 2009 WORK HUMANISM The Concepts of Quality of Life and Happiness – Correlation and Differences Dalia Susniene, Algirdas Jurkauskas Kaunas University of Technology, Panevezys Institute Klaipedos str. 1, LT-35209 Panevezys, [email protected], [email protected] Concern about the quality of life is to a great extent Quality of life, which has gained prominence in social learned and rational. It arises from what humans learn research study since 1970s, is a broad concept concerned about life, death, incapacitation, suffering, health, and with overall well-being within society. This is not an success and from the realization that they need to know episodic case as the world is becoming more alike more about the quality of life to make decisions. And therefore necessity occurs to compare the life in our own although during the decision-making process they may be country with the life in other countries or walks of life. prompted by instinctive impulses, in the main, quality of Though the quality of life is intensively under research life decisions are arrived at through deliberating alternatives, over the last four decades but “good life” concept can be predicting the consequences of following. Happiness, life found in Plato or his student Aristotle works (McLeish, satisfaction and subjective well-being are mutually 1999; Taylor, 2001). Plato’s superior value of life was interrelated – and indeed they are all closely connected thinking based on logics that excel human feelings. with the notion of quality of life – but they are also highly Aristotle had different point of view and claimed that life contested constructs. without feelings, even if it can bring risk, is worthless. ‘Happiness’ is perhaps the most contested; indeed, the However, on the concept of happiness and quality of life disagreement about happiness is at an absolutely basic they had similar viewpoints. Plato’s considerations level. One of the leading figures in the study of quality of correspond more to modern quality of life criteria and life and a Nobel Laureate, Daniel Kahneman does not trust Aristotle’s – to happiness, which not necessarily depend on people’s own statements and beliefs on this topic. Indeed, economic or social living conditions. In the last century, he goes further than this and claims: ‘they do not generally quality of life was understood as material well-being and know how happy they are, and they must construct an money. Later, after the shift in understanding of meaning answer to that question whenever it is raised’ (Kahneman, of life and values, there was a shift in the concept of 1999). He claims that the starting point should not be quality of life and its constituencies, one of which is people’s subjective views about how happy they are but happiness (Juozulynas et. al., 2006). instead objective measures of those sensations that are Research problem: to identify how different are the associated with the real-time feeling of happiness – in concepts quality of life and happiness and how they are other words, objective happiness. influenced by each other. Perhaps the greatest strength of any approach to Research goal: to analyze Lithuanians’ understands subjective well-being is that it pays serious attention to and preferences describing quality of life and one of its people’s happiness and life satisfaction. Happiness may indicators – happiness. not be enough as a measure of quality of life as can be Research objectives: to analyze the concepts of quality seen from the case of the ‘happy poor’. But even though it of life and happiness, their understanding as well as the role cannot be a sufficient criterion of quality of life, any of happiness in quality of life; to identify the most important measure of quality of life that took no account at all of factors for Lithuanians in understanding quality of life. whether a person was miserable or dissatisfied would Research methods: comparative analysis of academic surely be lacking an important dimension. It is clear, literature, review of published researches, empirical though, that there is more to quality of life than just research, formulation of conclusions. subjective attributes such as happiness or satisfaction. There are objective qualities too, and some of these, such The concept of quality of life as sufficient nutrition, a non-hazardous environment, and a long and healthy life are universally, or virtually universally Today the issues on quality of life are discussed uncontroversial as components of quality of life. widely in different scientific fields. In sociology quality of life is understood as subjective understanding of well-being Keywords: quality of life, happiness, assessment, objective taking into account individual needs and understanding. In and subjective criteria. economics it is the standard of living, in medicine it is ratio of health and illness with the factors influencing healthy Introduction lifestyle. Health factor is often given a priority in quality of life though the quality of life concept must be understood Lately the concepts quality of life, happiness experience more widely. great attention from public as well as from academic sphere. - 58 - There is no universally accepted definition of quality support, stress and crisis, condition of health, prospects of of life. Usually it is referred to the definition of World health care, relationship with the environment, ecologic health organization introduced in 1995 – [Quality of life] is factors, etc. (Juozulynas and Čemerych, 2005; Rugiene, an individual’s perception of their position in life in the 2005; Phillips, 2006). context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, values and The assessment of quality of life concerns incorporating physical health, psychological state, level of independence, social relations, personal Quality of life is assessed with the help of both beliefs and their relationship to salient features of the objective and subjective indicators. In quality of life environment quality of life refers to a subjective evaluation research, one often distinguishes between the subjective which is embedded in a cultural, social and environmental and objective quality of life. Subjective quality of life is context. (World Health Organization Quality of Life about feeling good and being satisfied with things in (WHOQOL Group, 1995). general. Objective quality of life is about fulfilling the Many factors influence quality of life, i.e. physical, societal and cultural demands for material wealth, social spiritual and health state, independence level, social status and physical well-being (Quality-of-Life Research relationship with the environment and others (Ruzevicius, Center, 2005). Accordingly, objective indicators exist in 2006; Shin, 1979; Bagdoniene, 2000). To put it in other the society and they can be monitored and assessed by words quality of life can be defined as satisfaction of a their amount and frequency rate. Whereas subjective person with t current life dimensions in comparison with indicators exist in the consciousness of an individual and the pursued or ideal quality of life. Also the assessment of they can be identified only from the person’s answers to quality of life depends on person‘s value system as well as important subjects to her/him. Comprehensive quality of cultural environment to which he/she belongs to (Gilgeous, life survey must include both types of indicators (Juniper 1998; Suber, 1996; Fitzpatrick, 1996), when describing the et. al., 2005; European Foundation for the Improvement of quality of life concept, claims that it depend on external Living and Working Conditions, 2007; Eurofound. Quality circumstances. Life conditions can determine high life of life, 2008). value though after even a slight change of the latter a shift This spectrum, from the subjective to the objective in understanding and assessment of quality of life occurs quality of life via the quality of life in the existential too. Quality of life is determined by a lot of factors and depths, incorporates a number of existing quality-of-life conditions: dwelling, employment, income and material theories. Therefore this spectrum is called the integrative well-being, moral attitudes, personal and family life, social quality-of-life (IQOL) theory (Ventegodt et.al., 2003). SUBJECTIVE QUALITY OF LIFE OBJECTIVE QUALITY OF LIFE Well-being Objective factors (such as cultural norms) Satisfaction with EXISTENTIAL Fulfilment of needs QUALITY OF the life LIFE Happiness Realization of the potential Meaning in life Biological order Figure 1. The integrative theory of the quality of life. The individual can best be compared to a green apple with red patches (a subjective and an objective quality of life, respectively, at the surface of an individual’s existence) with a hidden nucleus (humanity’s inner depth). When this picture is combined with the picture of humanity as an onion with a number of layers between the surface and the nucleus, the taxonomy underlying the quality-of-life analysis is achieved. Between life’s surface and its inexpressible depth lie well being, satisfaction, harmony, and meaning and deep concord. - 59 - Quality of life is often assessed by the following Organization’s role in quality of life. Organizations spillover theory, which maintains that person’s satisfaction play an important role in society, impacting on communities in one sphere of quality of life influences the level of and regions as well as individual employees. When satisfaction in other spheres. There is a certain hierarchy of speaking about quality of life, it is necessary to take into life spheres in human consciousness: the highest is account that it is closely related to economics, generally perceived as quality of life then depending on organizational management because some of quality of life person itself follow other parts of quality of life (family, criteria according to EurLIFE (an interactive database on work, health, leisure, etc.) (Sirgy, et al, 2003).
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