Racial identity linked to happiness: Study
March 5th, 2011 - 5:26 pm ICT by ANIWashington, March 05 (ANI): A new study has shown that black people who identify more strongly with their racial identity are generally happier.
Psychology researchers at Michigan State University led the study.
“This is the first empirical study we know of that shows a relationship between racial identity and happiness,” said Stevie C.Y. Yap, doctoral candidate in psychology at MSU and lead researcher on the project.
For the study, the researchers surveyed black adults in Michigan. The results suggest the more the participants identified with being black - or the more being black was an important part of who they are - the more happy they were with life as a whole, Yap said.
The study also explored the reasons behind the connection. Yap said it may be fueled by a sense of belongingness - that is, blacks with a strong sense of racial identity may feel more connected to their racial group, which in turn makes them happy.
This sense of belongingness is especially important for happiness in women, Yap said.
“For men, the potential factors relating identity to happiness is still an open question,” he said.
The study appears in the current issue of Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, a research journal published by the American Psychological Association.(ANI)
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Tags: adults, american psychological association, cultural diversity, current issue, doctoral candidate, empirical study, ethnic minority psychology, happiness, michigan state university, msu, open question, participants, psychology researchers, racial group, racial identity, relationship, researcher, sense of belongingness