One IUS student and professor are working hard to find out if you are happy or not.
Jeffrey Clarke, general studies senior, and Bernardo Carducci, professor of psychology, are currently conducting research on the topic of happiness among the student population.
The Happiness Project, as it is known, is a simple, confidential online survey that asks a series of questions to determine if the person taking the survey is happy and what makes them happy.
“We want to see if there is a relationship between successful students and happiness,” Carducci said.
Clarke and Carducci’s goal is to collect a large enough pool of surveys, at least 1,000, to compare information given by students and develop ways to improve campus life.
“We want to look at what students do to make themselves happy in comparison to what we know works,” Carducci said.
“Psychological research shows that becoming involved in the lives of other people improves one’s overall happiness,” Carducci said.
Clarke said he is typically not an outgoing person.
“I am introverted, and extroverted people are statistically happier,” Clarke said.
Through personal research, Clarke discovered that forcing himself to be extroverted made him genuinely happier.
“When I forced myself to start conversations and approach people, I felt better,” Clarke said.
For Clarke and Carducci, this natural high Clarke experienced was not a coincidence.
“Its no coincidence that people go to Starbucks, a semi-social environment, for a $4 cup of coffee when they could pay 12 cents by staying at home—they want to connect with other people,” Carducci said.
The problem for some students is finding people who share their same interests and being able to connect with them in a safe environment.
“They are afraid of not being accepted,” Carducci said.
Carducci said he believes student organizations play a critical role in bringing like-minded students together, but IU Southeast needs to do a better job getting those students to connect with each other.
“Were great at organizing, but we don’t facilitate,” Carducci said.
He said all students are encouraged to attend school-sponsored events, but some may have trouble starting conversations and meeting new people if they can’t overcome their shyness and anxiety.
“Shy people and unhappy people have the same issues; the crossroad between shyness and happiness is connectedness,” Carducci said.
Carducci has several books published on the study of shyness, and he is considered to be one of psychology’s experts on the subject.
The survey also gives you the ability to express what makes you unhappy.
Clarke said some people confuse unhappiness with simply being mad.
“Bad days are part of life, but just because you’re having a bad day doesn’t necessarily mean you’re an unhappy person,” Clarke said.
“Surprisingly, happy and less happy people generally report having the same number of unhappy experiences. The difference between happy and less happy people is that happy people have more frequent and intense positive experiences, so they definitely differ in the ways that they interpret and adapt to situations,” Clarke said.
He said a common misconception about happiness is that it can be purchased or consumed.
“There is no relationship at all between having excessive amounts of money and happiness,” Carducci said.
“People try to find happiness through food, alcohol, drugs and shopping, but what they find out is that it usually makes them less happy,” Clarke said.
“We adapt to good things, and if every day were Christmas we would become numb to the excitement,” Clarke said.
Clarke said aside from providing crucial data that will help others, taking the survey could help students express feelings and experiences they may be uncomfortable talking about.
“Most people don’t take the time to think deeply about what truly makes them happy, but this survey provides a great opportunity to do just that,” Clarke said.
The survey includes questions that allow students to express what is bothering them in as many words as they like.
“The open-ended questions give the participants the freedom to express whatever comes to mind about their happiness and their experiences here at IU Southeast,” Clarke said.
“There is no one way to be happy, but by analyzing the questions and the data we hope to develop several strategies and interventions,” Clarke said.
Specific plans, strategies and programs will be developed once Clarke and Carducci have enough data to make their determinations and present recommendations to the university.
“By taking the survey and participating in the project’s initial research, students will provide critical data that will benefit them and future students,” Carducci said.
“We want to hear, and we care about, what makes you happy,” Carducci said.
All information given to the Happiness Project is confidential.
The Happiness Project began when, in Carducci’s 2006 psychology class, Clarke was assigned a research paper.
He was allowed to pick the topic of the paper, and he chose happiness.
“I didn’t know much about Psychology at the time. It was only my third class.”Clarke said. “I thought I would enjoy researching happiness, and I have been hooked ever since.”
Carducci was impressed by Clarke’s interest in happiness and encouraged him to pursue it past the term paper.
“His paper was head and shoulders above what I read from most students,” Carducci said.
“I proposed to take it further with him, and now we are working on a happiness workbook,” Carducci said.
Carducci credited Clarke with the project’s inception.
“The Happiness Project truly came into existence because of Jeff’s interest,” Carducci said. “He got me excited and it is my job, as a professor, to help students find their passion and pursue it.”
The survey can be taken at: http://homepages.ius.edu/bcarducc/
By MICHAEL MARCELL
Staff Writer
mdmarcel@ius.edu