Poles are happy
At the beginning of the year, the European Statistical Office published data in which residents of EU countries rated their overall life satisfaction. On a 10-point scale, the average rating was 7.1 points, where “0” means the highest level of dissatisfaction. The highest score was given to Austria (7.9 points). In second place were Finland, Poland and Romania (7.7 points), followed by Belgium and the Netherlands (7.6 points). [1] This study took into account a large number of factors, such as age, level of education, financial and family situation. Eurostat focuses on the fact that some countries associated with low income levels in the recent past, such as Romania and Poland, are among the countries where life satisfaction is the highest. This indicates the complexity of the relationship between subjective well-being and economic prosperity.
Optimistic conclusions also come from the latest edition of the “” report – another edition of the research project initiated by Otodom in cooperation with Polityka Insight and SWPS University. Despite the potentially worse economic and social situation compared to the results of a similar study from two years ago, Polish residents declare that their sense of happiness has increased. It is 7.08 points on a 10-point scale. The survey results also show us what influences the high level of satisfaction.
Happy where we live
Issues related to where you live affect your happiness. In spring 2023, this was confirmed by as many as 40% of satisfied respondents and 34% of neutral responses. This is quite surprising, because at that time the situation on the real estate market was difficult and the prices of apartments/houses were growing faster than wages. The sense of well-being could also be disturbed by the fact that there is a war going on on the eastern border of the country. Additionally, many people may have experienced health problems related, for example, to a sense of loneliness after the pandemic. Meanwhile, the results of a study commissioned by Otodom show that we try to work on our own happiness and “produce” it ourselves.
Happiness leaders are people who mostly live in their own apartments or houses. This is over 80% of respondents. Over 60% of them declared that they feel very good where they live. In turn, owners are the least unhappy among them. Every fifth of them rents an apartment or house.
– 89% of Polish residents prefer to live in their own apartment rather than rent. This attachment to property makes us feel less happy when we are unable to buy our own apartment due to financial reasons, explains Dr. Adam Czerniak, Polityka Insight.
It also shows what owning a flat or house means for many of us and how this need is strongly anchored in the consciousness of Poles. Your own property not only gives you a sense of security and roots. It is also a kind of legacy, i.e. something valuable that can be left behind and passed on to your loved ones.
A recipe for happiness in your own home
In our daily rush, we do not always remember how important our place of residence is for our health and mental and physical comfort. It is at home that we rest, regenerate after work, and spend time with our loved ones. We feel confident and safe there. Families representing the highest level of happiness engage in activities aimed at taking care of their places of residence much more often than unhappy families. In the period from January 2022, as many as 65% of happiness leaders have changed or supplemented the furniture in their homes, and only 45% of people classified as unhappy have undertaken such action. A similar situation is in the case of furnishing the house with interior decoration elements – as many as 74% of the leaders of happiness have made such changes, among unhappy families only 47%. These types of activities influence the appearance of the houses we live in every day. Happiness leaders rate their lives better than unhappy people. In their opinion, the apartments are: well-kept, cozy, bright, unique and practical. Fabrics, decorations, wall colors, type of lighting, and even the smells and sounds we surround ourselves with are factors that significantly influence our mood and quality of life.
From the Otodom report we also learn that those who declare the highest level of well-being love spending time in their homes, and most like to relax (71%), watch movies (56%), listen to music (54%), read (44%), meet friends and family (42%), engage in hobbies (33%), play board games (29%).
According to the co-author of the report, Ewa Jarczewska-Gerc, a SWPS psychologist, the results obtained in the study also fit into the concept of happiness developed by Dan Gilbert, called synthesizing happiness. According to this theory, there are two types of happiness: natural and synthetic.
– Most often, people understand the concept of happiness to mean that it is natural: something good or pleasant – happens on its own – e.g. we win a large sum of money in the lottery or we meet our dream partner by accident. Synthetic happiness is happiness that a person creates and develops through everyday activities, habits and rituals. Thanks to the ability to think, plan actions and effectively implement intentions, a person organizes life in such a way as to have more satisfaction, joy and, consequently, happiness, adds Jarczewska-Gerc.
Consciously organizing space to meet the needs of household members, changing small things in the interior design, tidiness and taking care of the presence of plants are associated with a significantly higher level of happiness. These activities do not require much effort, just some regularity. Regardless of where we live, we can synthesize our happiness. And synthetic happiness, which we consciously care for, is permanent and, above all, independent of the environment.
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“Happy House” is an Otodom project launched in 2021. Its aim is to strengthen people’s confidence in making informed and accurate decisions on the real estate market, and the effect is to increase the well-being of Polish residents related to housing issues. The first edition of the report (2021) “” outlined a psychological and sociological picture of society, which has redefined the approach to the place of residence during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the second edition of the project (2022), the aim of the study was to understand what influences the subjective sense of happiness in the city and its immediate surroundings. The third edition is a return to the basic assumptions of the project. The question was raised again about the well-being of Poland’s inhabitants in the context of the difficult geopolitical and macroeconomic situation. Otodom, in cooperation with and, took up the challenge to answer the question “How do Poles build happiness in difficult times?”.
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Promotional material for the Otodom brand.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
