Exploring the Elicitors of Happiness in India

Happiness in the Indian context is a multidimensional construct. It goes beyond the mainstream understanding of hedonism and eudaimonia, encompassing concepts like spirituality/religiosity and righteousness. Research shows that globalization and traditions both have influenced the notion of happiness. In this study, we conducted a content analysis of qualitative responses to the Cantril Ladder of Life scale by rural women in India (data collected as part of Singh et al., 2020 study) to identify 15 areas of life (or elicitors) which may contribute to happiness. Subsequently, a diverse community sample (N = 359) rated each of the 15 areas on a 4-point Likert scale indicating how much each area contributed to their happiness. Principal components analysis revealed a three-factor model: achievement, interpersonal, religious/spiritual. All factors were correlated with mental/physical health, social support, quality of life, spiritual well-being, and both independent and interdependent self-construal. In India, elicitors of happiness present a tri-factor model with the orthogonal factors representing collective, spiritual, and agentic factors, representing pluralism in Indian perspective of happiness which comprises of both traditional and western values. All three dimensions of happiness are related to better health and quality of life.