Sandie McHugh

This study has examined happiness using data from self-reported perceptions from residents of the northern town of Bolton. The aim was to replicate the 1938 Mass Observation Worktown Happiness questionnaire in Bolton, in 2014. The data collected from the replication was compared with that from 1938 to examine if, and how, happiness perceptions had changed during a time of considerable economic and social change? Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyse the data. The key findings from 2014, were that Boltonians were not happier than residents some 76 years earlier and that the majority of respondents were happier away from the town and found it easier to be happy at weekends, in contrast to their predecessors. In ranking Ten Aspects of Happiness, Boltonians valued Good Humour and Leisure more favourably than Worktowners and Religion which had been in the top 3 in 1938, moved down to 10th place. Economic Security was the only aspect of happiness to remain in the top three. There was no change in the proportion of participants who regarded Luck as important for happiness. A qualitative analysis of letters from1938 and comments from 2014, revealed that ‘peace of mind and contentment,’ paramount in 1938, did not feature in 2014, when people were happiest undertaking chosen ‘activities’ in their free time. Personal relationships were important in both periods, expressed as ‘family and friends’ in 2014 and ‘family and home’, and ‘giving to and helping others’ in 1938. Since the days of Worktown, leisure has become more individualised and centred in the home rather than in the town’s community.
These findings are a snapshot of happiness in one town from the late 1930s and 2010s.
This unique study adds to existing knowledge on happiness perceptions by highlighting similarities and differences across a 76-year period. This is unique in the world research literature on happiness. As self-reported happiness had not increased in the town despite improvements in standards of living, it lends some support to the Easterlin Paradox, that as countries become richer, their citizens do not necessarily experience enhanced happiness.
The high frequency of personal and family ‘activities’ in 2014 to generate happiness, provides information for the study of leisure developments. The replication of the Mass Observation questionnaire in 2014 and its use in other later studies demonstrate that there is now an additional tool, a template questionnaire for happiness research. The values of Worktown, ‘contentment and peace of mind’ could contribute to well-being and to contemporary Positive Psychology material. The research process, the analysis, publications and contribution to knowledge are discussed within the commentary and in the conclusions, to justify the award of a doctorate by publication.

The current researchers carried out a large online survey on 18 March 2020 and unintentionally provided a ‘snap shot’ of how the British population was responding in the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. This paper aims to investigate the relationship between loneliness and mental health at the early stages of the global crisis. This cross-sectional study was carried out using Prolific, an online participant recruitment platform that allowed 1608 responses in just 2 hr. Participants completed measures of Personal Well-being, Psychological Distress, Flourishing and Loneliness. Numerous associations between loneliness and mental health were found. A multiple regression found that 43% of the variance in loneliness can be accounted for by age, psychological distress and flourishing. Responses were also categorised into three groups: the non-lonely (n = 311), averagely lonely (n = 1054) and the severely lonely (n = 243), with analysis indicating that poorer well-being was associated with increased loneliness. Due to the cross sectional nature of this research, determining the direction of causality is not possible. It remains uncertain whether increased loneliness negatively impacted on mental health, whether poor mental health lead to increased loneliness, or both in fact. Current findings suggest that severely lonely individuals may be particularly vulnerable to psychological distress and that individuals with poor mental health may be especially prone to loneliness. Individuals experiencing loneliness and/ or poor mental health will almost certainly need additional support during and beyond the pandemic

We all aspire to happiness, but happiness in Bolton? In the 1930s, the Mass Observation Happiness Project researched Bolton (anonymised as Worktown). The extensive papers from this exercise provide a vivid insight into the joys and disappointments of ordinary people in pre-War Bolton. This book looks at how have the dramatic changes since then have affected the aspirations of Boltonians and their perception of the good life. The Editors (themselves Boltonians) have assembled 15 chapters from 19 authors all active in the Bolton of today. These authors offer a diversity of insights into happiness. They look at the importance of exercise and fitness, the role of leisure and the part music plays in happiness. Art can enable happiness through expression of creativity. Religion can be a pathway to happiness, and forgiveness can aid recovery from despair. Addiction – often a barrier to happiness – can be conquered. Happiness matters at all stages in life. Two chapters outline programmes for schools. Social factors are shown to be important for adults in community groups. The northern theme is reinforced with details of the character and culture of ‘Northerners’. Results from a recent research study on the differences between the North and South are revealed. A repetition of the 1930s Mass Observation study highlights changes in aspirations since then. Suggestions on the way forward for the experience of happiness round off the book. Happiness in a Northern Town is a collection of different perspectives into happiness and wellbeing. It offers hope in overcoming barriers to happiness not only in Bolton but beyond.

To demonstrate early psychological concomitants of the Covid-19 pandemic in England on a sample of younger and older people.
A cross sectional quantitative questionnaire (n = 1608), was conducted on the Prolific website. Participants completed the PERMA Scale (Flourishing), the four Office of National Statistics (ONS4) Wellbeing Questions, the Clinical Outcomes Measure in Routine Evaluation (CORE-10) and the short University of California Los Angeles Brief Loneliness Scale.
Data were gathered on March 18th, 2020, near the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. This study looks at the effects of the developing pandemic on younger participants (age 18 to 25, n = 391) and older participants (aged 60 to 80, n = 104). Flourishing levels for older participants were significantly higher (M=107.96), than for younger participants (M=97.80). Younger participants scored significantly higher on the ONS4 for anxiety and lower than the older participants for happiness, life satisfaction and having a worthwhile life. Levels of psychological distress (CORE-10) were also significantly lower for older participants (M=9.06) than for younger participants (M=14.61). Finally, younger participants scored significantly higher on the Brief UCLA Loneliness Scale (M= 6.05), than older participants (M=4.64).
From these findings, the Covid-19 pandemic was having a significantly greater effect on younger people in England, less than one week before the UK went into “lockdown.” Scores for both the Younger and Older groups on all the study measures were worse than normative comparisons. The study had no specific measure of Covid-19 anxiety, but nor was one available at the time of the survey.
This study suggests that younger people (18 to 25) may be a more vulnerable group during the Covid-19 pandemic than many may have realised.
As a recent British Psychological Society report concluded, there is a lot of untapped wisdom amongst older groups in our society.
This is one of the earliest studies to look at psychological distress before England went into "lockdown."

This book shines a light on the meaning of happiness and how public perceptions of it have changed over time. A question that has engaged philosophers from the days of Aristotle, happiness is a subject of growing academic interest, and its recent integration into government policy is provoking increased debate into its definition and nature. Sandie McHugh and her associates build on the work of social anthropologist Tom Harrison’s ‘Worktown’ Mass Observation study from 1938, repeating the original study today. Together these accounts show how perceptions of happiness have changed over the years for the people of Bolton, UK, and reveal major difference between its definition then and now. This unique study is a useful tool in the understanding and study of happiness, offering invaluable insights for scholars and practitioners working in the fields of social psychology, positive psychology, health psychology and wellbeing.

This chapter first reviews research on the psychology of borrowing, beginning with an outline of changes in borrowing over the years. It then draws on Kamleitner and Kirchler's three‐stage model of the borrowing process, and presents theory and research on the determinants of personal borrowing (stage 1), credit choice processes (stage 2), and subsequent repayment strategies (stage 3). The chapter examines the causes and psychological consequences of over‐indebtedness, and also considers the policy implications of the research reviewed. A growing body of research has shown that being in debt can lead to significant psychological detriment, including depression, stress and anxiety. The reviewed research suggests that helping students to understand credit cost measures such as annual percentage rate of interest (APR) may be particularly important. One way to do this would be via the teaching and learning of an approximate APR formula, essentially drawing attention to APR's relation to the average, rather than the initial loan.