title: What things make people with a learning disability happy and satisfied with their lives: an inclusive research project.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We looked at the research that other people have done about what makes people with a learning disability happy and satisfied with their lives. Researchers call being happy and satisfied with your life 'subjective well-being'. They found out that having things like money and good health does not always mean people are happy. They also found that some people are really happy, even if there are things in their lives they would like to change. None of the people who have done research about 'subjective well-being' have interviewed people with a learning disability about what makes them happy with their lives.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have carried out a study about what makes people with a learning disability happy and satisfied with their lives. This report talks about the research that we did, and what we found out. We interviewed 20 people with a learning disability who said they were very happy and satisfied. We asked them about what things helped them feel like this.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The people we spoke to said things like relationships, choice and independence, activities and valuable social roles made them feel satisfied with their lives. They told us about the things that enable them to lead happy lives, and the things that disable them. We also found out about the importance of personal characteristics. These are things like looking on the bright side of life or having ways to manage difficult emotions like sadness or anger.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found out that it is important for people with a learning disability to have good things in their lives, but it is also important to be enabled to access these good things.
authors.affiliation: Cornwall Foundation Trust, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. Anna.haigh@cft.cornwall.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haigh
authors.forename: Darren
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hawthorne
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chamberlain
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: Zara
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Nigel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Beail
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000523:psychology*; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009040:Motion Pictures; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D019989:Persons with Intellectual Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D055815:Young Adult