How People Are Doing, Right Now

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If someone were to ask you how you think you’re doing in your life, what would you say? Your answer would likely depend, at least to a degree, on how you thought about the question. For instance, would you consider your life overall, or would you look at parts of it? And if you looked at parts of your life, which elements would you name and contemplate?

The topic of how people feel across various spheres of life is one that a researcher, Mohsen Joshanloo, explored in a recent study. He noted that previous research has examined meaningful elements of the human experience. At the same time, he also pointed out that there have been other significant components of people’s lives that have not been included in prior investigations. Joshanloo drew from other scholars who proposed aspects of life that were evolutionarily meaningful, then studied how residents of multiple countries felt about 15 parts of their lives. More specifically, he asked people how they were faring in terms of:

1. Whether their hunger and thirst needs were being met
2. The kind of sex life they want
3. Their comfort level within their body and their surroundings
4. Their ability to have a clean living environment
5. A sense of security and protection from danger
6. Feeling physically appealing
7. Their ability to have the kind of romantic relationship(s) they want
8. Supporting others
9. Acquiring assets such as income, property, and products
10. Managing their surroundings, such as a home
11. Having the level of relatedness, partnership, and goodwill they want
12. Gaining a certain level of social standing and respect
13. An atmosphere based on equity and integrity
14. Being able to explore and learn
15. Being able to enjoy the types of leisure opportunities they want

The research revealed that people are most content with how things are going for them in terms of their ability to satisfy their hunger and thirst, to have a clean environment, and to feel secure and protected from danger. In comparison, people said they were unhappy with their assets, their social standing, and their ability to have the type of romantic relationship they wanted. Notably, of all of the 15 aspects of life, people felt the most discontent with their sex life, which is consistent with other research, as Joshanloo pointed out.

Of course, no study is perfect, and Joshanloo rightly commented on the need for this research to be replicated across a wider spectrum of countries. At the same time, he’s also absolutely correct that this study spotlights vital elements of life that deserve more consideration and intervention.

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