Keys to happy teenagers

In the present straitened economic circumstances the government has become interested in factors other than money which make for well-being. Alongside this, parents have always pondered the question, ‘How can I help my teenage son / daughter to be more cheerful?’

The results of a recent survey for the Department of Education have thrown up some interesting possible answers. As part of the Tellus4 Survey, over 32,000 school children between the ages of ten and 15 years were asked to rate how they felt about the statement, ‘I feel happy about life at the moment’. Through analysis of their responses and how these relate to the way they as individuals answered other questions, indications emerged as to how various aspects of their life affect their happiness.

Main findings

The top ten things associated with increased chances of feeling happy were as follows in order.

1. Being able to talk to parents when worried.

2. Having one or more good friends.

3. Not being bullied.

4. Not often feeling worried about parents or family.

5. Often sitting down to have a meal with people at home.

6. Being able to talk to friends when worried.

7. Not often feeling worried about the way they look.

8. Being a boy.

9. Being pre-teenage.

10. Eating fruit and vegetables.

Overall 67% of the young people surveyed reported ‘feeling happy’ at the moment. Having allowed for other factors, girls were less likely than boys of the same age to say they felt happy and young people generally became less likely to state that they felt happy as they got older. Having a disability was associated with a slightly decreased chance of stating that they felt happy.

One aspect of a child’s life which surprisingly did not affect their happiness was poverty, where, once other influences were taken into account, no significant association was found. Poverty was measured by eligibility for free school meals or by the level of deprivation in the areas where young people live.

Eating together

The relationship between feeling happy and particular types of interaction within the home were explored. These were how often they sat down with people at home to eat a meal, how often they talked with them about their day at school and how often they got help with homework. All three of these things correlated strongly with happiness, but it is the strength of these correlations which is surprisingly large. In particular it was found that the eating together as a family which had most effect.

The research seems to chime in with many principles we would draw from Scripture about human beings and the importance of family. Made in the image of God (who exists in Trinitarian relationship), interpersonal relationships are of great importance for happy youngsters. A deduction might be that too much isolation associated with long periods playing computer games would tend to be detrimental. The difference between happiness in boys and girls is not explicable in terms of the survey, but may be related to the emphasis on glamour and ‘body image’ for girls in modern society.

For many families, eating together is not easy. When children are young and still learning table manners, it can be quite stressful. In the teenaged years there is a tendency for youngsters to want to eat in front of the TV or in the isolation of their own room. But this research would indicate that, despite difficulties, it is worth persevering with the regular family meal table.

The research was carried out by Dr. Tom Benton of The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and the full press release concerning the research may be found online by Googling ‘Reasons to be cheerful — being a 12-year-old boy who eats dinner with his family’.