Is it better to be a Chinese student or an abused woman?
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Abused women score notably higher (21/35) on tests of happiness than Chinese or Eastern European students (16-19/35).
Via Martin Seligman’s Authentic Happiness:
Tens of thousands of individuals across several cultures have taken the test. Here are some representative norms: Among older American adults, men score 28 on average and women score 26. The average North American college student scores between 23 and 25; eastern European and Chinese students on average score between 16 and 19. Male prison inmates score about 12 on average, as do hospital inpatients. Psychological outpatients score between 14 and 18 on average, and abused women and elderly caregivers (both surprisingly) score about 21 on average.
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