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Adulthood and Aging MODULE 12 203Social Changes and Transitions12-4 What are the likely effects of significant life events (such as marriage, meaningful employment, and the aging process) on happiness and life satisfaction?Many transitions of adulthood hinge on significant life events, rather than physical or cognitive changes. Family and work-related events often bring major lifestyle alterations. For instance, marriage brings both the happiness of a close relationship and the challenge of blending two lives together. Starting a new job creates new friends, expectations, and demands. The birth of a child starts a series of new responsibilities that last a lifetime. All of these life events involve social transitions. Next, we discuss two major parts of adulthood%u2014work and love.College Majors, Work, and HappinessDeciding on a career path is an important and difficult decision. You may have a twinge of envy for a classmate who already knows they are going to be an engineer and who will declare a major in the first month of college. But you can takeheart in knowing that your classmate is the exception, not the rule. Most first- or second-year college students1. don%u2019t stick with their initial major field of study.2. cannot accurately predict the careers they will have later in life.3. change careers after entering the workforce.Keep in mind that postcollege employment is often unrelated to a college major.Many people think that a career should make someone feel self-fulfilled and satisfied with life. One study addressing the work%u2013happiness connection compared women who were employed and those who were not employed (by choice). The researchers concluded that it%u2019s the quality of the experience, as a paid worker or as a stay-at-home mother, that most influences happiness. At the end of the day, happiness is about having work that is challenging, provides a sense of accomplishment, and fits your interests.47,48M Stocker/Shutterstock Thomas Barwick/Getty Images ShutterOK/ShutterstockChallenge, Accomplishment, and HappinessHappiness at work depends on whether you feel good about what you%u2019ve accomplished at the end of the day and whether you felt challenged while doing it.%u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Do not distribute.