Power, unemployment, and the pursuit of happiness

Three recent discoveries in the world of science.

Scientific innovation moves at the speed of light. It would move faster, but science hasn’t invented anything faster than light . . . yet. So what’s new in the real world of science? Read on for our favourites.

The Power Paradox

“Power is always dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best,” said Edward Abbey, American author and essayist. In support of this idea, Dacher Keltner, a professor of psychology at University of California, Berkeley, and director of the Greater Good Science Center, has found that those with power tend to behave like individuals with brain damage; specifically within the orbitofrontal lobes (located in the frontal lobes, directly behind the eye sockets).

This condition has been associated with extreme impulsive and uncaring behavior. Essentially, Keltner’s research suggests that the experience of social power interferes with empathy and general social skills. This isn’t entirely surprising, as previous studies have discovered that participants in positions of power often rely on stereotypes and pay little attention to individual characteristics—in effect, perceiving others as objects. Hence, the power paradox.

Ideally, power is given to leaders in order to advance the social well-being of a given group. Unfortunately, it is likely these same leaders will experience impaired social intelligence, caused by the acquisition power. Ain’t life funny?

Unemployment and Personality

According to Statistics Canada, the country’s unemployment rate hovered around 6.6 per cent in January 2015. These statistics are especially frightening as unemployment has recently been correlated with unpleasant, yet significant, personality changes.

In a longitudinal study involving over 6,000 participants, researchers from the University of Stirling in the United Kingdom examined the role of joblessness on the “Big Five” personality traits—conscientiousness, neuroticism, agreeableness, extraversion and openness. The results suggest that unemployment can negatively impact our basic personality, particularly in terms of agreeableness. In the words of Christopher J. Boyce, PhD, “[T]his indicates that unemployment has wider psychological implications than previously thought.”

In addition, the results work to dispel the common belief that personalities traits are fixed, “And show that the effects of external factors such as unemployment can have large impacts on our basic personality,” he said.

If only someone would look into the long-term effects of underpaid part-time/temporary positions, says my generation.

Living in a Material World

Humans are notorious for not knowing what makes us happy. In fact, it could be said that the pursuit of happiness is the human equivalent of chasing your tail—often biting it off in the process. Well, science is beginning to estimate the price tag of our misguided hedonism.

Researchers from the University of Essex have shown that U.K. lifestyles are costing the economy £180-billion annually. In order to come up with this figure, the team calculated the direct cost of modern ailments such as: “mental ill-health, dementias, obesity, physical inactivity, diabetes, loneliness and cardiovascular disease (including strokes),” in addition to environmental factors. Well-being, as it turns out, has not been increasing–even in prosperous countries. More so, it appears happiness and the GDP are negatively correlated.

The same scientists have thankfully provided solutions. There are six (painfully obvious) factors which can benefit our overall health and happiness: healthy food, physical activity, mental wellness, strong community and family ties, time spent in nature, and meaningful possessions.

Dear humans: we’ve been doing it all wrong.