A prosperous family is the key to happiness, says study

Our own happiness is associated with the welfare of our loved ones, a new study has found.

The research, conducted at Cambridge University, found that people's happiness is bound up with that of their 'significant others.'

In the study, researchers found that, although men and women gave different answers when asked about what affected their quality of life, many in fact associated personal happiness with the welfare of families and loved ones.

The study, which compiled the views of more than 10,000 people, found that more women were concerned with health than men, while more men associated finance with well-being than women.

The difference was particularly strong in the case of family, which was singled out by 49 per cent of women, but only 38% of men.

The researchers also found that many respondents were linking their own happiness with that of the people closest to them but phrasing that link in gender-specific terms.

For instance, men often linked financial security to well being because they saw themselves as 'bread-winners'.

Similarly, women were more likely to mention the family itself, because they still perceive themselves as the principal carers of children or elderly relatives.

"Most policy-making on happiness has focused on improving conditions for individuals. Our research suggests that more should be done to support the actions of both men and women in caring for others, because that will have benefits for everybody's quality of life," the Independent quoted Professor Jacqueline Scott, who led the study, as saying.

The study appears in a new book, Gender Inequalities in the 21st Century.