The chapter concludes with some considerations of the overall significance of balance/harmony. Third, we examine whether balance/harmony matter for happiness - and specifically life evaluation, the construct at the centre of this report - and then test for regional heterogeneity in the associations.

We next introduce several new questions used to measure balance/harmony which were added to the Gallup World Poll in 2020 and look at their global distribution of responses. This introductory section discusses what balance/harmony are in themselves, as well as the related phenomenon of low arousal positive states (e.g., peace and calm). As will be seen, both hypotheses were corroborated to some extent. Based on our reading of the literature, we approached the analysis guided by two interlinked hypotheses: (1) balance/harmony matter to all people, and (2) balance/harmony are dynamics at the heart of well-being. This chapter redresses this lacuna by reporting on a unique data set collected as part of the 2020 Gallup World Poll, constituting the most thorough global approach thus far to these topics. However, empirical insight into how balance/harmony are linked with happiness around the globe is rare and under-studied, mainly due to a lack of data. But does that mean they are overlooked or undervalued in the rest of the world? Possibly not. īalance/harmony have been particularly associated with Eastern cultures, historically and currently. Moreover, balance/harmony have salience among the public at large: a survey of lay perceptions of happiness across seven Western nations found participants primarily defined happiness as a condition of “psychological balance and harmony,” while a more extensive follow-up study similarly observed that the most prominent psychological definition was one of “inner harmony” (featuring themes of inner peace, contentment, and balance). In addition, two key well-being related domains in which balance/harmony apply, “work-life balance” and a “balanced diet,” have received considerable attention in the literature. There are significant ideas and traditions around balance/harmony in the West, such as Aristotle’s ideal of the “golden mean.” But does that mean they have been overlooked or undervalued in the rest of the world? Possibly not. Furthermore, in the present day, balance/harmony are particularly associated with Eastern cultures. We shall delve into their meaning in the first subsection below, but we can note here that across academic fields, they are invoked as important principles in the context of phenomena as varied as emotions, attention, motivation, character, diet, sleep, exercise, work-life patterns, relationships, society, politics, and nature. By contrast, other well-being related topics are only beginning to receive due recognition and attention, including balance and harmony.īalance and harmony - concepts that are closely linked but not synonymous - are used and defined in myriad ways, each having “fuzzy” conceptual boundaries.

Cantril’s “ladder” item on life evaluation, for example - the question in the Gallup World Poll upon which this report is based - was created in 1965. Some constructs, like life evaluation, have been established for decades, generating extensive research. Scholarly understanding of happiness continues to advance with every passing year, with new ideas and insights constantly emerging. The Relationship between Life Evaluation and Balance / Harmony.

Harmony definition