The Happiness of Men and Women

I'm a happy man too.

I'm also a 'chronic' overthinker. Have been told that my whole life. Heck, that's even my job - to analyze.

So, the claim the women 'overthink' too much, and men are just blissful, nonthinking animals, doesn't jibe with me.

As to my teasing earlier, well, I do beleive that there are many societal factors and other commenters mentioned. :)

ahum... too much thinking here...

I'm just a happy man.

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

um sorry about that repost, my last comment didnt show up hours later!?!

but men and women think just as much as each other.
what we focus on is the point. it seems that this is just a recent trend though, so perhaps we're all generally predisposed to be at a neutral state of happiness. it could be stress related, or just chance, i mean you wouldnt expect them to be exactly equal in happiness in a study would you

I think one reason women may have been happier in the 70s was that in the dawn of "women's lib" women were basking in the "you've come a long way baby" mindset. However women gradually realized that while job and career opportunities did in fact open up for them they found that they still were expected to bear the burden of all (or 90 percent of) the responsibilities that "housewives" had -- not just housework and childcare but maintaining social relationships with parents and in-laws, brainstorming and buying all gifts for birthdays and holidays, and, if they're like me, pretty much all the responsibilities for house maintenance as well. (Not to mention kids' doctors and dentist appointments and fulfilling the expectation of benefitting their children by shuttling them to numerous enriching or sports activities.) Oh, and since we'd "won" the sexual revolution, women were simultaneously expected to be sexual playmates at the drop of a hat. That's a lot of pressure.