Participation: The Happiness Connection

Participation in decision-making has the potential to contribute to greater happiness. To ex-plore this connection, we examine three areas: the family, the workplace and politics. In each ofthese areas, happiness research suggests that greater participation should increase happiness, mostdirectly via the channels of personal relationships and helping others. There is some empiricalresearch suggesting that participation contributes to happiness. It is useful to consider the connec-tions between the three areas. In particular, examination of participation-happiness connectionswithin families and workplaces can provide some insights for promoting a stronger connection atthe level of politics.KEYWORDS: happiness, participation, emotional democracy, families, work, citizenship

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