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October 2, 2008 10:53 AM
by Miral Fahmy
SYDNEY - For men, bliss is often just a mouse-click away while quality time with family is guaranteed to put a smile on women's faces, according to an Australian study of what makes people happy.
The Happiness Index study, which polled more than 8500 Australians aged 18-64 years, showed rest and relaxation were the most enjoyable activities while physical exercise was least likely to make people happy.
"Australians are made happy on a week-to-week basis, not by possessions and achievements, but by entertaining experiences and by meaningful interactions with others," said Karen Phillips, managing director of The Leading Edge, the business consultancy that conducted the survey over a week in August.
"This index gives insight into the way we tick, with the
results being useful to Australian businesses who want
to better communicate with their customers," she added.
Both men and women -- or 63 percent of overall respondents -
picked relaxation as the activity that made them happiest, but
that is where the similarity between the sexes ends.
Just over half of men said happiness meant surfing the
Internet, playing online games or accessing social network
sites such as Facebook, compared with only 39 per cent of women.
Fifty-five per cent of women said having meals and spending
time together as a family made them happiest, compared to
45 per cent of men. Women are also more likely than men to
have been made happy by their pets.
More men than women, 48 per cent versus 40 per cent, found
happiness being intimate with another person while 38 per cent
of men, and only 28 per cent of women, said drinking with friends
brought them joy.
More women than men said reading a good book, eating comfort
food or buying gifts made them happy.
But Phillips said the survey also debunked several gender
stereotypes, finding that shopping for new clothes and shoes
made only 30 per cent of women happy and that more men and
women with children cited sex and romance as making them
happy than singles.
"It's important to not make assumptions but to do your
research when utilising happiness drivers to improve your
brand's performance," she added.
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