Small but Certain Happiness in Daily Life: Structure and Relation with Well-Being

Abstract We refer to small but certain happiness that emerges in our daily life as micro-happiness. Study 1 extracted a six-factor structure of such micro-happiness that includes contact with nature, time spent with close people, engagement with amusement media, personal relaxation, daily chores, and drinking (alcohol consumption). Such micro-happiness is driven by daily events that occur frequently and repeatedly. Study 2 examined the relationship between daily events that represent six types of micro-happiness and hedonic well-being, such as life satisfaction and emotional well-being, by comparing it to the relationship between major life events and well-being. The results showed that daily events had a stronger relationship with life satisfaction and positive emotions but a similar or weaker relationship with negative emotions.