Question:
Essay Topic: Happiness in the Environment
What do urban living conditions (the built environment) have to do with our happiness?
Refer to research that examines the relationship between happiness, walkable cities, and happiness and mobility and access options.
Please refer to research that began in 2005.
Answer:
Happiness and Mobility
Your mental well-being and happiness will be determined by your lifestyle choices and the environment you live in.
The environment we live in has a significant impact on our mental well-being.
The association between city structure and physical health is now getting more attention.
Mental health is affected by the layout of the community and its surrounding areas.
A well-designed transport network to all the cultural and leisure places in a city can help you create a happy environment.
A person’s happiness is dependent on their social interactions.
Mobility is essential to find happiness and eliminate loneliness.
Societies with greater mobility are thought to offer more opportunities, less differentiation, and lower social conflict.
Loneliness is a reason why people feel sad. However, there are many causes of loneliness.
People who live in areas that are not densely populated or where they don’t have many good neighbors are more likely to be unhappy.
It is known that people who are always engaged in one or more activities have a higher level of happiness than those who are relatively free.
Mobility and travel play a significant role in ensuring that a person is always engaged (Berg, et.al.
This philosophy has sparked a growing interest in studying the relationship between well-being and mobility patterns.
Although the meanings of the words may differ, they are still closely related.
There are fewer studies that show happiness and transportation are closely related.
The more objective activities of social activity have been favored over the travel-based curiosity.
The social satisfaction of an individual is directly related to their happiness.
A separate vehicle for yourself increases mobility and social satisfaction.
The simple reason is that car ownership can increase mobility, even though the social network may be dispersed.
If a person lives in an area with good public transport connectivity, it is believed that their living habits have a positive effect on their health (Polydoropoulou and.al.
A study was recently conducted that examined the personal relationships, neighbourhoods, behavior of people when they travel, their interaction with society and the satisfaction he experiences with this interaction.
Participants were asked to rate their loneliness using a three-item Loneliness Scale.
It was discovered that car-owners feel most isolated, which has a negative effect on social satisfaction (Litman 2011, Litman).
People who walk or cycle have the highest levels of social satisfaction. They also have greater interaction, which results in a higher level of social contentment.
The happier someone is, the more social contentment they have.
This study highlights how mobility is an important factor in determining whether someone is lonely.
It is now understood that happiness is the most important thing in society.
People, in addition to trying to make themselves happy, should also strive to make others happy. This has a positive effect on the environment.
These four qualities can make someone happy with their life.
The quality and well-being of the environment where a person lives determines how content they are with their life.
Even though one may live in the best environment possible, he or she can still feel unhappy if it restricts their movement.
A person can’t live a full life if they are restricted within four walls.
The second is the person’s ability to deal with all the challenges that life throws at him.
A person’s physical health does not necessarily mean he or she is happy. However, if they are unable to deal with the many mental and emotional problems in their lives successfully, the environment plays a significant role.
A person who does not have a goal or a purpose in life can become unhappy and dissatisfied again (Banister, et.al.
The summation all three of the above qualities is self-satisfaction. It is also known as wellbeing.
Jason Cao, a University of Minnesota transport policy scholar, had done a brief study about what a well-connected transport system means to individuals. He found that commuters who used the Hiawatha lightrail line to get to their destinations were very satisfied with the experience.
Easy access to public transport can bring happiness and satisfaction.
Eric Morris, a transport scholar, also conducted research in 2011. He concluded that living within one mile of a rail line had a negative impact on their quality of life.
They didn’t care if they owned a car, but they found happiness in the fact they lived near a railway line (Jaffe 2013,).
People believe that public transport allows them to travel more easily and is less restrictive than private cars.
These interesting pieces of research by different scholars point to the fact that well-planned and simulated transportation systems can help people feel more optimistic.
According to Stanley et.al., happiness is defined as a person who is content with his or her emotional quotient.
Although happiness is not limited to one aspect of the environment, it also includes other elements such as good mobility and unity with neighbors.
Mobility is essentially about removing the problems of isolation and difficulty in socializing due to limitations in movement. It also aims to maintain relations across all borders through a well-built system of transport that would bring happiness to a person.
This study showed that mobility can reduce loneliness.
A happy life is defined by a good transport system. Social networks allow for easy communication across borders.
Only if an environment is created in a way that promotes happiness in its inhabitants, can it bring about happiness.
It is not enough to ensure that all facilities are available. People cannot enjoy happiness and pleasure if they are not satisfied with the performance of those facilities.
Refer to
Transport and the environment.
Annual Review of Environment and Resources.
Mobility and the built environment are key factors in preventing loneliness and ageing.
Travel Behavior and Society.
Living near good transit may make you happier.
Measurement of Subjective Wellbeing: Recent Developments
Journal of Economic Perspectives.
Mobility as a positional good: Implications on Transport Policy and Planning
(2010).
Exploring the links between mobility, social exclusion, and well-being.
Transportation Research Part A.