April_2012_Gazeley_%2B_Langhamer_(1).pdf (660.83 kB)
The meanings of happiness in Mass Observation's Bolton
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-15, 13:55 authored by Ian Gazeley, Claire LanghamerIn April 1938, the social investigative organization, Mass Observation conducted an inquiry into the happiness of Bolton people. In this article we analyse the letters and questionnaire responses generated through a competition that asked, ‘What is happiness?’ We examine the extent to which these competition entrants were representative of Bolton population and conclude that they were broadly representative in terms of occupation and sex, but less so in terms of social class. We describe the factors which according to competition entrants determined individual happiness. These were remarkably stable across age groups and gender. Economic security emerged as the dominant consideration, whilst personal pleasure was represented as playing little part in generating happiness. A detailed analysis of the happiness letters and questionnaires suggests that introspective and relational factors were also important determinants of well-being. We demonstrate that these introspective factors were framed by an individual’s personal moral framework and that relational factors were under-pinned by gendered conceptions of domestic happiness.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
History Workshop JournalISSN
1477-4569Publisher
Oxford University PressExternal DOI
Issue
1Volume
75Page range
159-189Department affiliated with
- History Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2012-10-18First Open Access (FOA) Date
2014-08-12First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2012-10-17Usage metrics
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