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The assessment of subjective well-being (issues raised by the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire)
Abstract
This commentary raises conceptual issues related to recent efforts to develop measures of subjective well-being (SWB). Specifically, Hills’ and Argyle's (2002) article on the development of the 29-item Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), and its predecessor, the 20-item Oxford Happiness Inventory (Argyle, Martin & Crossland, 1989). Instead of assessing the structure of subjective well-being (SWB), items of the OHQ tap into self-esteem, sense of purpose, social interest and kindness, sense of humor, and aesthetic appreciation. The item content of the OHQ fails to differentiate the assessment of SWB from the predictors, correlates, and consequences of SWB. In contrast to published SWB findings with other measures, data are presented suggesting that the OHQ has artificially inflated correlations with those constructs tapped by the OHQ: self-esteem, sense of purpose, and social interest/extraversion. The operationalization of SWB by the OHQ is not based on relevant definition and theory and appears to invite nonrandom error into the study of SWB. The article concludes with an appeal for the use of more stringent conceptual and analytic approaches.
... Some studies have sought to analyze health from a subjective perspective by way of general personal happiness, self-rated wellbeing, positive moods and emotions, agony, hopelessness, depression, and other psychosocial indicators [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Despite the importance of quality of life (or wellbeing) to the existence of humans, few scholars in the Caribbean have written on this pivotal issue, such as Powell, Bourne, & Waller [8], Hambleton et al. [9], and Bourne [10]. ...
... Thus, this study fills this gap by modeling subjective psychosocial wellbeing of Jamaicans. The purposes of the current work are (1) to examine the correlates among some predisposed variables and subjective psychosocial wellbeing (SWB) of Jamaicans, (2) to model factors that influence SWB, (3) to determine the predictability of those selected predisposing conditions on SWB, and (4) to ascertain whether SWB is better proxy of wellbeing than Bourne's Model. Bourne developed a wellbeing model that operationalize wellbeing from economic resources and health conditions [10]. ...
... The current study examines subjective quality of life by way of using Maslow's Need Satisfaction. Some scholars argue that the use of psychosocial needs satisfaction to evaluate quality of life (or wellbeing) should be preferred to any other cosmology as it encapsulates fundamentally all elements of human's existence, and so is closer proximity of quality of life than GDP per capita, self-reported health or happiness [1][2][3][4][5]. ...
Introduction: Since the World Health Organization's definition of health in 1948, researchers have continued to search for an Operationalization that is keeping with the holistic definition of health, wellbeing. Objective. The purposes of the current work are (1) to examine the correlates among some predisposed variables and subjective psychosocial wellbeing (SWB) of Jamaicans, (2) to model factors that influence SWB, (3) to determine the predictability of those selected predisposing conditions on SWB, and (4) to ascertain whether SWB is better proxy of wellbeing than Bourne's Model. Method. Analysis of the data is by bivariate and multivariate analyses, and it is taken from a nationally representative survey of 1,338 Jamaican adults who are 18 years or over. The survey was conducted between July and August 2006 by the Centre of Leadership and Governance, department of Government, the University of the West Indies, Mona-Jamaica. Findings. The findings indicate that religiosity is positively correlated with SWB as well as ethnicity, education and social class, with gender being negatively related to SWB. It can be generalized, using multiple regressions, that religiosity, race, gender, education and social class can explain 7.7% of the variance in SWB of Jamaicans. Religiosity is found to be a weak predictor of subjective wellbeing (SWB), (1%), with race contributing 0.4% and gender 0.3% being among the least suppliers to the model. Conclusion. The utilization of subjective psychosocial wellbeing is not a good evaluation of wellbeing compared to Bourne's Model, which offers an insight into how health must be defined.
... Authentic happiness theory holds that happiness or high SWB is derived from three sources: positive emotions (i.e., love, interest, and joy); a sense of meaning in life; and engagement (i.e., a sense of involvement in activities) (Seligman et al., 2005). In addition, most definitions of SWB describe the concept as a person's subjective, positive evaluation of their overall life, including work life and leisure life (Diener & Lucas, 2004;Kashdan, 2004). Tourism, especially a leisure trip, can significantly enhance one's life satisfaction (Chen & Petrick, 2013). ...
... Most definitions of SWB describe the concept as a person's subjective, positive evaluation of their overall life, including work life and leisure life (Diener & Lucas, 2004;Kashdan, 2004). As noted, the bottom-up theory of well-being posits that participation or satisfaction with a leisure trip can improve one's well-being cumulatively (Diener, 1984). ...
Although customer engagement’s (CE) effects on marketing-related outcomes are well documented, its broader impacts on life domain constructs (e.g., subjective well-being [SWB]) have received less attention. We propose CE as a viable mechanism for prolonging travel’s positive effects on SWB. Specifically, this study adopts a three-wave design to investigate the linkages between destination brand experience (DBE), CE, and SWB over time. Our results indicate that sensory destination experience ( t1) and affective destination experience ( t1) stimulated CE with a destination ( t2), which contributed significantly to SWB ( t3). Findings from this longitudinal study contribute to the literature by demonstrating that CE significantly mediates the effects of the sensory and affective dimensions of DBE on tourists’ SWB over time. The study highlights the importance of CE beyond key marketing performance indicators.
... Further, our results show that social anxiety is negatively associated with trait curiosity, consistent with previous research (Kashdan 2004). However, we also find that social anxiety is positively related to covert social curiosity. ...
Curiosity, as the strong desire to acquire new information, plays a crucial role in human behaviors. While recent research has delved into the effects, behavioral manifestations, and neural underpinnings of curiosity, the absence of standardized assessment tools for measuring curiosity may hinder advancements in this field. Here, we translated different curiosity scales into Chinese and tested each translated scale by examining its reliability and structural validity. Our results showed that the scores derived from these scales have comparable reliability to those original versions. The confirmatory factor analysis results of the curiosity scales were consistent with previous results. We also found significant associations between different types of curiosity within taxonomy and demonstrated that personality traits such as impulsive sensation seeking, intolerance of uncertainty, and openness can jointly predict trait curiosity. Additionally, we confirmed the social dimension of curiosity, showing that loneliness partially mediates the relationship between social anxiety and social curiosity. This study provides validated Chinese versions of curiosity scales and elucidates the mechanisms of curiosity from multiple perspectives, potentially advancing curiosity research in the Chinese and cross‐cultural contexts.
... Wellbeing is measured in the CWS using subjective personal wellbeing measures. These are self-reported evaluations of how carers view their lives, and how satisfied they are with the different aspects of their life and activities in their lives (Diener 2000, Kashdan 2004 In 2024, some groups reported significantly higher or lower wellbeing compared to the average for all carers. ...
In partnership with Carers Australia and Department of Social Services, The WellRes Unit at the University of Canberra has been measuring the wellbeing of carers since 2021 through the Australia-wide annual Carer Wellbeing Survey (CWS). This report presents finding of the fourth CWS, conducted between February and April 2024
... The total score indicates an individual's happiness level, with higher scores suggesting greater happiness. Previous research has demonstrated that this measure has good psychometric properties (Hills & Argyle, 2002;Kashdan, 2004). In the present study, Cronbach's alpha for the total OHQ score was .91. ...
Thought control ability (TCA) plays an important role in individuals' health and happiness. Previous studies demonstrated that TCA was closely conceptually associated with happiness. However, empirical research supporting this relationship was limited. In addition, the neural basis underlying TCA and how this neural basis influences the relationship between TCA and happiness remain unexplored. In the present study, the voxel‐based morphometry (VBM) method was adopted to investigate the neuroanatomical basis of TCA in 314 healthy subjects. The behavioral results revealed a significant positive association between TCA and happiness. On the neural level, there was a significant negative correlation between TCA and the gray matter density (GMD) of the bilateral amygdala. Split‐half validation analysis revealed similar results, further confirming the stability of the VBM analysis findings. Furthermore, gray matter covariance network and graph theoretical analyses showed positive association between TCA and both the node degree and node strength of the amygdala. Moderation analysis revealed that the GMD of the amygdala moderated the relationship between TCA and happiness. Specifically, the positive association between TCA and self‐perceived happiness was stronger in subjects with a lower GMD of the amygdala. The present study indicated the neural basis underlying the association between TCA and happiness and offered a method of improving individual well‐being.
... Student satisfaction includes "Satisfaction with the course and satisfaction with the teacher" adopted by Šerić (2020). Subjective well-being includes "I feel that I am not especially in control of my life and I usually have a good influence on events" adopted by Kashdan (2004). Table 1 contains data on demographics, research findings, social identity theory, and self-efficacy theory that are relevant to the development of the theoretical model of subjective well-being of Chinese higher vocational college students. ...
... This evaluation includes judgments about the whole life (life satisfaction) or a specific part of it (e.g. work, marriage, etc.), as well as evaluations of positive and negative emotional experiences (Diener & Suh, 1997;Kashdan, 2004). "Subjective well-being" (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), which is the scientific equivalent of the concept of "happiness" in folk language, reflects individuals' cognitive and emotional subjective evaluations of their experiences (Diener et al., 2002). ...
The emphasis on well-being in mental health definitions and the impact of positive psychology studies, it is observed that the interest in the factors explaining the subjective well-being (happiness) of individuals is increasing day by day. Subjective well-being involves cognitive and emotional evaluation of life. These evaluations may vary from one area of life to another and may have positive or negative effects on happiness. For this reason, numerous studies have focused on the relationship between subjective well-being and various aspects of life domains including friendship, romantic relationships, and academic achievement. However, it is noteworthy that the extent and priority of how the dynamics of various life domains collectively contribute to individuals' subjective well-being have not yet to been sufficiently clarified. From this point of view, the present study aimed to investigate the predictive role of the subcomponents of university students' interpersonal sensitivity, academic self-perception and attachment-based experiences in close relationship in their subjective well-being and to determine the priority status of these factors. The participants of the study consisted of 410 (235 female, 175 male) university students between the ages of 18-25. As a result of the correlation analysis, statistically significant relationships were found between all of the sub-dimensions of interpersonal sensitivity, academic self and experiences in close relationship and subjective well-being. The results of the stepwise regression analysis revealed four statistically significant models to explain subjective well-being. At each stage, when the effects of the sub-dimensions included in the previous model were controlled, the explanatory levels of the variables included in the model for subjective well-being were 30% for lack of social self-confidence, 12% for academic effort, 3% for interpersonal anxiety and dependency, and 4% for non-assertive behaviors, respectively. The findings were discussed and supported by the explanations and findings in the literature.
... 36 Depression, anxiety, neuroticism and pessimism are seen as a measure of the negative psychological conditions that affect subjective well-being and happiness is as a result of a number of positive psychological factors. [37][38][39][40] It is found that happier people are more optimistic and as such conceptualize life's experiences in a positive manner. 41 Studies revealed that positive moods and emotions are associated with well-being as the individual is able to think, feel and act in ways that foster resource building and involvement with particular goal materialization. ...
Background: The study of young female adolescents in Jamaica is sparse and few, in particular on reported health status. This research seeks to examine the self-reported health status of young female 12-17 years and to model factors that influence good health status of young female adolescents.
... Bireylerin refah düzeyinin yükselmesi ve olumsuz sayılabilecek durumların azalması bireyin iyi hissedebilmesi, iş yaşam dengesi ve memnuniyet düzeyi için önemlidir. Bunu bilişsel ve duygusal olarak değerlendirmek gerekirse yaşama yönelik genel memnuniyet düzeyimiz, aile ve iş ile ilgili olumlu değerlendirmeler bilişsel, genel iyi olma hali, olumlu duyguların yoğunluğu ve olumsuz duyguların yokluğu veya eksikliği ise duygusal iyilik durumu olarak değerlendirilebilir (Kashdan, 2004). ...
Pozitif psikoloji, insan davranışının ve refahının olumlu yönlerinin
incelenmesine odaklanan bir psikoloji dalıdır. Postmodern dönem sonrasında
psikolojinin geleneksel olarak akıl hastalıklarının teşhis ve tedavisine
odaklanmasına bir yanıt olarak ortaya çıkan pozitif psikoloji, yalnızca
zihinsel bozukluklara ve insan yaşamının olumsuz yönlerine odaklanmak
yerine, mutluluk, esenlik, bireysel dayanıklılık ve bireysel yetenekler gibi
insan deneyiminin olumlu yönlerini anlamayı ve teşvik etmeyi amaçlayan
psikolojinin alt dalı olarak ortaya çıkmıştır. 1950 öncesi dönemde psikoloji
daha çok olumsuz davranışlar ve hastalıklar üzerine yoğunlaşmakta, mutlu
bireylerin olumlu gelişimleri göz ardı edilmekteydi. Dolayısıyla bireylerin
mevcut beceri ve yetenekleri doğrultusunda hayatını daha iyi bir noktaya
getirebilmesine yönelik çalışmalar son dönemde yürütülmeye başlandı.
Pozitif psikolojinin amacı bireyin özel hayatına ve çalışma hayatına daha
çok bağlanması ve aidiyet duymasına katkı sağlamaktır. Genel olarak pozitif
davranışlar, olumlu duygular, refah düzeyi, olgunluk ve erdem seviyesi,
bireysel dayanıklılık, kişisel gelişim ve olumlu ilişkiler pozitif psikoloji
kapsamına girmektedir. Pozitif psikolojinin tedavi, eğitim, iş ve kişisel gelişim
gibi çeşitli alanlarda pratik uygulamaları bulunmaktadır. Pozitif psikoloji
bireylerin daha anlamlı, tatmin edici ve mutlu yaşamlar sürmesine yönelik
stratejiler ve araçlar sunarken aynı zamanda başkalarının ve bir bütün olarak
toplumun refahına da katkıda bulunur.
... As such, students would be much concerned to attend an institution where the physical environment is attractive for learning. This stage of choosing an institution that is attractive has already stimulated affective constituents of the proposed applicant, known as hedonic level (Haybron, 2003;Kashdan, 2004;Brülde, 2007). The mind and emotions would be instilled in the learning process with the quality of academic performance and achievement that yields happiness. ...
Learning is an integral part of man that promotes the wellbeing of the learners in diverse ways. In the economics of education literature, little emphasis was placed on student happiness in learning that would assist in increasing human capital stock. Although there are works of literature on gross national happiness (GNH) used in place of gross domestic product (GDP) to explain growth, the student happiness indicator in educational processes requires attention for optimal productivity, performance, achievement and future wages satisfaction of the student. This paper, therefore, is a literature perspective that links the economic, physical, psychological and psychosocial concepts of happiness in association with cognitive, affective, mind and emotions. Thus, the paper is of the view that student growth in learning is determined by gross student happiness (GSH) during school activities and that the promotion of happiness in learning can be justified by economic, social, environmental and status inequality.
... For example, by agreeing or disagreeing with the statements like "I laugh a lot" regarding humour, and "I am always committed and involved" regarding sense of purpose, the person is actually answering the question of happiness and subjective well-being. [11] Before the COVID-19 pandemic these types of questionnaires where done in person and were written on paper [12], with the advantage of the person doing the research, being present to explain and guide the process. Online environment and transdisciplinary attitude were needed to develop scientific research, given the complex societal challenges we faced during pandemic [13]. ...
... For example, by agreeing or disagreeing with the statements like "I laugh a lot" regarding humour, and "I am always committed and involved" regarding sense of purpose, the person is actually answering the question of happiness and subjective well-being. [17] COVID-19 pandemic, changed how we interact and do research. Before the pandemic questionnaires where, usually written on paper [18], but the person doing the research had an advantage, being present in person to interpret and conduct the process. ...
... SWZ is een belangrijke maatstaf van de emotionele kwaliteit van het leven, daar het een multi-dimensionele evaluatie is van het leven zoals de patiënt het zelf ervaart (Argyle, 1987;Diener, 1984;Diener e.a., 2003;Moller & Saris, 2001;Ormel e.a., 1999). In het onderzoek heerst een consensus dat SWZ uit drie componenten bestaat: levenstevredenheid, positief affect en de afwezigheid van negatief affect (Busseri e.a., 2006; Diener e.a., 2003; Diener e.a., 1997; Eid & Diener, 2004;Kashdan, 2004). SWZ is in voorafgaand onderzoek succesvol aangewend om de emotionele kwaliteit van het leven in Zuid-Afrika te meten (Bookwalter & Dalenberg, 2004;Moller & Saris, 2001). ...
This study attempted to assess the relationship between short and medium term public sector ART and both physical and emotional health outcomes in the Free State province of South Africa. The first model examined the effects of less than six months of ART on both physical and emotional QoL and of physical QoL on emotional QoL, while controlling for the possibly perturbing influences of inequitable ART distribution. The second model assessed the effects of the next six months of ART by comparing the physical en emotional QoL of patients at baseline and follow-up. First, the findings demonstrate the positive physical and emotional health outcomes of the first six months of ART in the Free State, South Africa. The study suggests that the poorest of the poor are not the first beneficiaries of the public programme. Second, the results show no additional positive effect of the subsequent six months of ART on the emotional and physical QoL of patients.
... Like the Beck Depression Inventory, each Happiness Questionnaire has four options that the subject must choose according to their current situation. This test is widely used in happiness research today [14]. ...
Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between Internet addiction and happiness and general self-efficacy among students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study. The statistical population consisted of all students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences and the sample consisted of 315 students. Data were collected using the Yang Internet Addiction, Scherer General Self-efficacy, and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. Results: The results of this study showed that the mean age of students were 22.31 years and the sex ratio was almost equal (43.9% male and 56.1% female). 12.2% of students had severe Internet addiction behavior. The most frequent use of the Internet during the day was 2-4 hours (35.4%), which was the most time consumed during the night (63.2%). The results also showed that the mean score of self-efficacy was 59.88 ± 8.72, the mean score of Internet addiction was 53.59 ± 16.43, and the mean score of happiness was 41.09 ± 12.99. Conclusion: Daily use of the Internet on various websites by students with Internet addiction reduces their sense of happiness; this finding could be an alarm about the increase of this disorder among students. So appropriate planning in this field should be done with the cooperation of university officials.
... Subjective happiness refers to a state of well-being (Diener, 2000;Lyubomirsky et al., 2005;Sagiv et al., 2004;Sheldon & Lyubomirsky, 2004) and it has two components: the hedonic one and contentment. The first refers to the degree to which the experiences of a person are pleasant, while the second is the degree to which individuals perceive their aspirations to be met (Brülde, 2007;Chekola, 2007;Haybron, 2003;Kashdan, 2004;Sirgy et al., 2006;Veenhoven, 2005). Subjective happiness seems to have been significantly affected during the COVID-19 period. ...
The COVID-19 outbreak has affected mental health worldwide, and especially among university students, who stopped attending lessons and had a long break from their social life. The present chapter presents the findings of a study aiming to investigate the relationship between distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and well-being dimensions (gratitude, life satisfaction, subjective happiness, positive and negative affect, depression, anxiety, stress) in this population. The sample consisted of 79 Greek university students, all emerging adults aged between 18 and 29 years. Participants completed self-report questionnaires including the satisfaction they experienced regarding distance learning, DASS-21, SHS, SWLS, GQ-6, and mDES. Overall, results showed that Greek university students experienced moderate levels of life satisfaction and positive affect and high levels of subjective happiness and gratitude, moderate stress levels, low anxiety and depression symptoms, and moderate negative affect levels. An important finding of the study is that there is an interaction between satisfaction with distance learning and all well-being indices, except subjective happiness. The findings provide suggestions for further research and applications in the field of education and counseling in emerging adulthood.KeywordsCOVID-19Distance learningGratitudeWell-beingEmerging adults
... Ninety-six respondents were randomly and simply chosen from Wenzhou-Kean University students in China to represent four colleges: College of Business & Public Management, College of Liberal Arts, College of Architecture & Design, and College of Science and Technology, with an average of 24 people from each college, a total of 96 respondents. The questionnaire is validated by referring to Oxford validated questionnaire (Kashdan, 2004) and divided into six parts: Part I. Socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents; Part II -The scale about money and happiness level; Part III -Chinese College students' opinions about the relationship between money and happiness; and Part IV-Chinese College students' opinions on the types of happiness that money brings. A six-point attitudinal Likert scale was used to describe respondents' opinions. ...
Happiness is a lifelong pursuit. The balance between money and happiness is intricate. Meanwhile, college life is a golden time for students to find the meaning of life. Therefore, understanding the relationship between money and happiness for college students can increase life satisfaction and realize the value of life and the sense of social existence. This paper determined the relationship between money and the happiness of Chinese college students and documented the psychological mechanism of money on happiness from Chinese college students' perspectives. The purpose was to find out the relationship between money and happiness of 96 Chinese college students using an Oxford validated questionnaire and Chinese college students' perceptions of money and happiness. A mixed-method paradigm was used in this research. Ninety-six respondents were randomly selected Technology. The research found a positive relationship between family wealth and happiness, but there is no significant relationship between monthly income and happiness for Chinese college students. In most Chinese college students' opinions, money and happiness are not directly related. Moreover, Chinese college students gain happiness through money through self-fulfillment. This research paper would greatly help college students who will go to society and still be trapped in the relationship between money and happiness.
... Pode-se usar uma pontuação para comparar o seu nível de felicidade futura, realizando a pesquisa novamente (OSWALD, POWDTHAVEE, 2008). Kashdan (2004) apresenta um estudo avaliativo em relação ao Questionário Oxford, no qual acredita-se que o teste possui algumas falhas ao separar o bem-estar subjetivo a outras características humanas que definem, teorizam e medem a felicidade. A escala é composta por 8 itens e uma correlação de 0,93 foi determinada mediante as 29 questões relacionadas (DOGAN; TOTAN; SAPMAZ, 2013). ...
Resumo: O presente trabalho traz um estudo sobre o empreendedorismo feminino enfocando a felicidade no trabalho da mulher empreendedora no que diz respeito à motivação de entrada no mercado, por necessidade ou por oportunidade. O objetivo é averiguar se há diferença significativa de grau de felicidade no trabalho entre as mulheres que empreenderam por necessidade e por oportunidade. Foi uma pesquisa de campo do tipo transversal, exploratória e de abordagem quantitativa. A coleta se dará por meio da aplicação de questionário, o qual será composto por duas categorias: perfil socioeconômico das mulheres empreendedoras, onde também será verificado o tipo de empreendedorismo; e escala Happiness. Desse modo, espera-se ter um maior entendimento sobre a influência do tipo de empreendedorismo feminino na felicidade no trabalho, considerando variáveis que também podem influenciar nesse fator. Como principais implicações, acreditando-se que será possível contribuir para o crescimento profissional e para o acervo acadêmico que ainda é escasso em relação ao assunto. Essa pesquisa contribuiu com uma lacuna teórica quanto a analisar a felicidade das mulheres que empreederam por oportunidade ou necessidade. Os resultados apontam como o tipo de empreendedorismo tem relevância no grau de felicidadade. Palavras-chave: Empreendedorismo feminino; Necessidade; Oportunidade; Felicidade no trabalho.
... As such, students would be much concerned to attend an institution where the physical environment is attractive for learning. This stage of choosing an institution that is attractive has already stimulated affective constituents of the proposed applicant, known as hedonic level (Haybron, 2003;Kashdan, 2004;Brülde, 2007). The mind and emotions would be instilled in the learning process with the quality of academic performance and achievement that yields happiness. ...
... As such, students would be much concerned to attend an institution where the physical environment is attractive for learning. This stage of choosing an institution that is attractive has already stimulated affective constituents of the proposed applicant, known as hedonic level (Haybron, 2003;Kashdan, 2004;Brülde, 2007). The mind and emotions would be instilled in the learning process with the quality of academic performance and achievement that yields happiness. ...
Learning is an integral part of man that promotes the wellbeing of the learners in diverse ways. In the economics of education literature, little emphasis was placed on student happiness in learning that would assist in increasing human capital stock. Although there are works of literature on gross national happiness (GNH) used in place of gross domestic product (GDP) to explain growth, the student happiness indicator in educational processes requires attention for optimal productivity, performance, achievement and future wages satisfaction of the student. This paper, therefore, is a literature perspective that links the economic, physical, psychological and psychosocial concepts of happiness in association with cognitive, affective, mind and emotions. Thus, the paper is of the view that student growth in learning is determined by gross student happiness (GSH) during school activities and that the promotion of happiness in learning can be justified by economic, social, environmental and status inequality.
... Specifically, the OHQ includes items pertaining to cognitive functions and traits such as sociability, cheerfulness, sense of control, empathy, positive cognition, mental alertness, self-esteem, optimism and physical fitness. While Kashdan (2004) criticized the OHQ for being too broad, the investigators selected the instrument because it was multifaceted and did not over focus on more stable characteristics such as personality factors. The OHQ consists of 29 single items that can be answered on a six-point Likert scale. ...
U.S. military veterans attend college in increasing numbers, yet, often without a sense of attachment to their university. This mixed-methods exploratory study examined sense of belonging, happiness, and stress-coping outcomes for student veterans (N = 9) participating in a backpacking event. Results indicate the treatment group’s happiness level improved significantly over the control group, t(7) = 2.80, p = .027. Treatment group scores also improved on stress-coping, t(7) = 1.56, p = .163, and sense of belonging, t(7) = 2.28, p = .056; however, results were not statistically significant. The backpackers attributed increases in social belonging and happiness to the following elements of the trip: social support, stress coping, physical benefits, and camping skills. Although further quantitative research is indicated using larger and more diverse participant groups, findings from this study support the use of outdoor programming with veteran college students.
... Acquiring knowledge out of curiosity is considered to be intrinsically rewarding and highly pleasurable since it eliminates states of ignorance and uncertainty (Litman, 2005). Kashdan (2004) postulates that curiosity differs from other positive emotions by the strong desire to explore and persist in the activity that initially stimulated an individual's interest. Studies into influence of curiosity on sexuality has suggested that, intrinsic state of curiosity has the desire to predict sexual behaviour, enhances learning, and acquire new information (Gruber & Ranganath, 2019). ...
The study investigated curiosity as a predictor of sexual behaviour among adolescents in fishing communities in the Gomoa West District and Effutu Municipality, Ghana. The study was guided by three research questions. It adopted the quantitative descriptive survey design using two questionnaires; Sexual Curiosity and Sexual Behaviour Scales. Using probability sampling techniques, a sample of 222 senior high school students was selected. The data gathered was analysed descriptively. using frequencies, percentages, and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation. The results showed that there was a significant positive relationship between Curiosity and sexual behaviour among adolescents meaning sexual curiosity, Sexual behaviours among adolescents also increased. With such a revelation, it was assumed that most adolescent students were likely to engage in risky sexual behaviours due to curiosity. The study recommended, among other things, that counsellors and the Ministry of Education plan programmes and activities for adolescents in school to reduce sexual curiosity and as parents also keep their eyes on their children, storing sex-oriented materials away and keeping boys and girls in separate rooms at the domestic level.
... In the earlier studies, it has been observed that when low landers ascend to high altitude it affects their cognitive performance and mood negatively. 1,19 Due to low O 2 level at high altitude respiratory patterns are disturbed resulting in periodic breathing, which affects the sleeping pattern of an individual. 2,20 Although in our present study we have observed individuals who have been SKY practitioners and have performed advance meditation program at high altitude their cognitive performance, their mood, sleeping pattern, health, and happiness quotient, is not effective and has positive effects. ...
Background
Immediate assent to high altitude affects the cognitive performance and mood of an individual, which is followed by depression and anxiety. It also affects the sleep quality, general health, and happiness quotient of an individual. Sudarshan Kriya Yoga (SKY) is a cyclical breathing technique, which has been proven successful in managing stress, depression, anxiety, and helps in the improvement of sleep quality.
Purpose
The current study was to understand the role of SKY meditation on psychological parameters, happiness quotient of low landers at high altitude (Leh).
Methods
It is a two-armed pre–post study with experimental and control group both are lowlanders, and their psychological parameters are being assessed when they immediately assent to high altitude (Leh). There are two groups experimental group (SKY) was from AOL SKY–AMP and has prior SKY meditation experience. The control group does not have any yoga or meditation experience. SKY–AMP is a 4 days protocol done at high altitude by the SKY group. Both groups reach Leh through air mode transportation.
Results
Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) showed a significant result in the SKY group with P ≤ .001, whereas it is nonsignificant in the control group. We also observed anthropometric and physiological changes in the participants showing significant effects on weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, and blood pressure; with no significant effect in the control group. It is one of the first studies done with both two groups, where yoga and meditation are done at high altitude and then seen the changes in the groups at physical and psychological level.
Conclusion
Yogic practices can be helpful in having positive psychological change in the lowlanders at high altitude.
... Several studies have examined the scale's reliability and construct validity, finding that SWSL is a useful single-factor measure of global satisfaction with life with several advantages compared to single item measures (e.g., Corrigan et al., 2013;Esnaola et al., 2017). Furthermore, the SWLS has important advantages in comparison to other scales used to measure subjective well-being, such as, for example, the popular Scales of Psychological Well-Being (Ryff, 1989), which consists of 6 scales with low internal consistency (Clarke et al., 2001) or the Oxford Happiness Inventory (Hills & Argyle, 2002) where the composite score has no simple conceptual structure (Kashdan, 2004). ...
The article studies the causal effect of subjective well‐being on the consumption behavior of individuals aged 50 and above using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). To establish a causal link between subjective well‐being and six distinct types of consumption (food consumed at home, food consumed outside of home, spending on clothing, leisure consumption, monthly rent, and utility consumption), it exploits the longitudinal dimension of the dataset and instruments for subjective well‐being. The analysis reveals that subjective well‐being positively affects spending on food outside of home and leisure activities, while having no significant effect on the consumption of food consumed at home, clothing, monthly rent, and utilities. These results imply that people with higher levels of subjective well‐being are more engaged in social and leisure activities, such as going out for dinner, which offers important implications for both long‐term, as well as habitual buying behavior.
... Kangal (2013), in his conceptual evaluation on happiness, stated that there is no general definition of happiness, and it can be simply defined as the degree of liking one's life. Although there are different definitions, generally speaking, happiness includes the intensity of a positive mood, the absence of negative emotions, and general life satisfaction (Kashdan 2004). When these three elements are evaluated together, a happy person is one who rarely experiences negative emotions, is satisfied with his general life, and experiences positive emotions most of the time. ...
The aim of this study was to test a model to determine the mediating effect of dispositional hope and life satisfaction in the relationship between solution-focused thinking and happiness in teachers. The sample of the research is composed of 786 teacher 479 of whom are women and 307 of whom are men working at the preschools, primary schools, middle schools, high schools and Guidance Research Center's in Muş and its districts. The data are accumulated via The Solution-focused Inventory, Dispositional Hope Scale, Satisfaction With Life Scale and he Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Short-Form. The recommended model within the research was tested with structural equation modeling and it was confirmed via acceptable model fit indices. In the model, in regard of the relationship between solution focused thinking and happiness, role of partial mediation of dispositional hope and life satisfaction with the men and whole mediation with the women was detected. In these terms it has been determined with the research that the level of solution focused thinking of teachers is a determiner on the levels of hope and life satisfaction and these two are significant determiners on happiness. The indirect effect between solution focused thinking and happiness, which has been detected within the model is significant.
... Kangal (2013), in his conceptual evaluation on happiness, stated that there is no general definition of happiness, and it can be simply defined as the degree of liking one's life. Although there are different definitions, generally speaking, happiness includes the intensity of a positive mood, the absence of negative emotions, and general life satisfaction (Kashdan 2004). When these three elements are evaluated together, a happy person is one who rarely experiences negative emotions, is satisfied with his general life, and experiences positive emotions most of the time. ...
The aim of this study was to test a model to determine the mediating effect of dispositional hope and life satisfaction in the relationship between solution-focused thinking and happiness in teachers. The sample of the research is composed of 786 teacher 479 of whom are women and 307 of whom are men working at the preschools, primary schools, middle schools, high schools and Guidance Research Center's in Muş and its districts. The data are accumulated via The Solution-focused Inventory, Dispositional Hope Scale, Satisfaction With Life Scale and he Oxford Happiness Questionnaire Short-Form. The recommended model within the research was tested with structural equation modeling and it was confirmed via acceptable model fit indices. In the model, in regard of the relationship between solution focused thinking and happiness, role of partial mediation of dispositional hope and life satisfaction with the men and whole mediation with the women was detected. In these terms it has been determined with the research that the level of solution focused thinking of teachers is a determiner on the levels of hope and life satisfaction and these two are significant determiners on happiness. The indirect effect between solution focused thinking and happiness, which has been detected within the model is significant.
... This inventory was originally based on the underlying hypothesis that happiness includes three partially independent components: the frequency and intensity of positive affect or joy, the average level of satisfaction, and the absence of negative feelings, such as depression and anxiety (18). Some authors have stated the OHQ decreases its utility in the study of SWB when compared with other available measures (19). Measures of SWB should be informed by theory-driven de nitions of well-being, and according to them, Hills and Argyle fail to specify a de nition and a theory of SWB that supports the item content of their scale (16). ...
Background: Happiness is a complex concept that has been associated with mental health. Measures of happiness incorporate affective states predisposition and personality traits. Following the link established between subjective wellbeing and positive emotions and mental health, the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) may be considered a broad measure of personal happiness. We aimed to validate OHQ in the Portuguese speaking population.
METHODS: A sample of 421 young adults fulfilled the 29 and 8-item items of OHQ Portuguese version. Participants also completed the Perceived Stress Scale, Subjective Happiness Scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. A principal component analysis with Varimax rotation, Kaiser rule, complemented by a scree plot graphical representation, was performed.
RESULTS: Seven components of the OHQ explained 58.22% of the total variance, and a correlation of 0.90 between the long 29 items version and the 8 items short version. Both versions related inversely with negative feelings (depression, anxiety, and stress), and directly with subjective happiness.
CONCLUSION: The OHQ performs as a happiness assessment tool suitable for patients and healthy populations. The application of this questionnaire may furthermore contribute to clarify the concept of happiness and test the real usefulness of these tools in the clinical setting.
... .57 with Argyle's own life satisfaction index. The conceptualisation and operationalisation of happiness offer broad coverage of subjective well-being, embracing as Kashdan (2004) observes, the notions of aesthetic appreciation, autonomy, humour, kindness, physical health, self-efficacy, self-esteem, sense of purpose and social interest. ...
This study was designed to test the hypothesis that events such as the Christmas Eve Carol Services at Liverpool Cathedral that include some regular churchgoers (people who attend services most weeks) and much larger numbers of occasional visitors (who may attend church only once or twice a year) make a significant impact on the psychological health and well-being of the participants. Using a repeat-measure design, participants were invited to complete a copy of the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire while they were waiting for the service to begin and then to complete a second copy during a five-minute organ improvisation just before the close of the service. Data provided by 802 participants who completed both copies of the instrument demonstrated a significantly higher score on the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire at time two than at time one, suggesting that attendance at the service had exerted a positive impact on psychological health and well-being.
Contribution: Situated within the science of cathedral studies, this article demonstrates by means of a repeated-measure study that cathedrals can make a significant impact on the psychological health and well-being of the wider community served by them. The same well-being measure was completed by 802 participants at the Christmas Eve Carol Services before and after the event, with a significant increase in scores at time two.
... 1. Pozitif duygu durumunun yoğunluğu, 2. Negatif duyguların yokluğu, 3. Genel yaşam doyumu (Kashdan, 2004 (Grant vd., 2012;Güner, 2018 (Grant, 2011). ...
Bu araştırmada öğretmenlerde çözüm odaklı düşünme ile mutluluk ilişkisinde sürekli umut ve yaşam doyumunun aracı etkisinin belirlenmesine yönelik bir modeli test etmek amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemini 2020 - 2021 eğitim öğretim yılında Muş İl Milli Eğitim Müdürlüğü'ne bağlı Muş merkez ve ilçelerinde bulunan okul öncesi, ilkokul, ortaokul, lise ve Rehberlik ve Araştırma Merkezleri'nde görev yapan 479'u kadın, 307'si erkek olmak üzere toplam 786 öğretmen oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada toplanan veriler, Çözüm Odaklı Düşünme Envanteri, Sürekli Umut Ölçeği, Yaşam Doyumu Ölçeği ve Oxford Mutluluk Ölçeği Kısa Formu ile elde edilmiştir. İlişkisel tarama modelinde yürütülen araştırmada verilerin analizi için SPSS Statistics 25 ve AMOS 24 programları kullanılmıştır. Araştırma kapsamında önerilen model, yapısal eşitlik modellemesi ile test edilmiş ve kabul edilebilir uyum değerleri ile doğrulanmıştır. Araştırma kapsamında yapılan fark istatistiklerine göre öğretmenlerin çözüm odaklı düşünce ve tüm alt boyutları, sürekli umut, yaşam doyumu ve mutluluk düzeyleri istenilen sosyal ilişkilere sahip olma durumuna göre farklılaşmıştır. Öğretmenlerin çözüm odaklı düşünce alt boyutlarından problemden ayırma, kaynakları harekete geçirme boyutları ile yaşam doyumu düzeyleri cinsiyetlerine göre istatistiksel olarak anlamlı düzeyde farklılaşmıştır. Modelde, çözüm odaklı düşünce ile mutluluk ilişkisinde erkek örnekleminde sürekli umut ve yaşam doyumunun kısmi aracılığı, kadın örnekleminde ise tam aracılık rolü saptanmıştır. Buna göre araştırmada öğretmenlerin çözüm odaklı düşünce düzeyinin sürekli umut ve yaşam doyumu düzeyleri üzerinde, bunların da mutluluk üzerinde anlamlı birer yordayıcı olduğu belirlenmiştir. Çözüm odaklı düşünce ile mutluluk arasında modelde belirlenen dolaylı etkinin anlamlı olduğu bulunmuştur. Bulgular alanyazın kapsamında tartışılmış araştırmacı ve uygulayıcılara çeşitli öneriler sunulmuştur.
... Happiness or life satisfaction indicates the extent to which people are content with their lives, accept their living conditions, and have their needs and wants fulfilled in their lives (Aw & Sabri, 2020;Kashdan, 2004;Sousa & Lyubomirsky, 2001). Conversely, unfulfilled needs and desires can cause unhappiness (Chekola, 1975(Chekola, , 2007Wilson, 1967). ...
Previous studies have found that average cognitive ability at the national level, which has been called national intelligence and scaled as IQ, is an important determinant of economic growth at the cross-national level. The current study re-investigates the claim that being a happier society weakens the positive association between IQ and economic growth. It investigates whether there is a threshold effect of happiness on the relationship between national IQ and economic growth between 1960 and 2017. Controlling for endogeneity with instrumental variables (IVs), the results confirmed that the relationship between IQ and economic growth is weaker in countries with high levels of self-reported happiness. The diminishing returns of IQ for economic growth can be recognized above a threshold level of 6.25 on the zero-to-10 happiness scale. The suggested explanation is that higher levels of happiness tend to reduce the aspiration for higher productivity among the people, which reduces the impact of cognitive human capital on economic growth.
p style="text-align:justify">Given curiosity’s fundamental role in motivation and learning and considering the widespread use of digital stories as educational tools from the preschool age, we pursued measuring preschoolers’ curiosity when interacting with digital stories. Using 129 toddlers and preschoolers as a sample, three groups (one for each class) were given different versions of the same digital story to listen to: interactive, non-interactive, and animated. Toddlers' verbal and nonverbal behaviors were utilized to quantify curiosity as a condition brought on by the app. The participants' verbal and nonverbal behaviors were recorded during the digital reading aloud. Every child's data was encoded at one-minute intervals to examine concurrent behavior, and the results were then compiled. The findings show that interactive presentation formats encourage more touching and language use but less noise production and that interaction and the creative use of hot spots in digital illustrations are key elements in piquing viewers' curiosity while contributing to the strengthening of the engagement to the activity and the cultivation of critical thinking, creativity, and imagination.</p
Lexical and statistical researches have shown that a six factor model is able to explain the personality structure well. Those six factors are honesty-humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience. The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship of the HEXACO model of personality with psychological and subjective well-being, and religious orientation. 235 Iranian and 226 Polish college students completed the HEXACO personality inventory-60 (Ashton & Lee, 2009), religious orientation scale-revised (Hill, 1999), Ryff's (1989) scales of psychological well-being, subjective happiness scale (Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999), and satisfaction with life scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985). The results showed that within both Iranian and Polish contexts, honesty-humility was the strongest personality factor correlated to intrinsic religiosity. Also, within both contexts, extraversion was the strongest predictor of subjective and psychological well-being. After controlling the HEXACO factors, religiosity could predict some account of variance in well-being
Keywords
Personality HEXACO model of personality psychological well-being religious orientation
Poverty is mainly concentrated in rural areas. Rural populations also generally experience excessive deficiencies in healthcare access, social services, and other goods and services needed for healthy living. This study investigated the health status and determining factors of Jamaican rural residents in order to provide healthcare practitioners and policy makers with research findings to assist in effectively addressing health in rural Jamaica.
The current research used a sub-sample of 15 260 respondents. The sub-sample was taken from a national cross-sectional study of 25 018 respondents from the 14 parishes of the island. The survey from which the present study is drawn used a stratified random probability sampling technique to draw the 25 018 respondents. Descriptive statistics were used to provide background information on the demographic characteristics of the sub-sample population. The model will be established using logistic regression using statistically significant (p <0.05) variables.
The sub-sample population of this study constituted 15 260 respondents of which 99.1% responded to the gender question. Of the 99.1%, 50.7% were males and 49.3% females. It was found that 17.2% of the population reported poor health (n = 2554), 82.8% (n = 12 285) reported good health and 5.9% (n = 873) reported private health insurance coverage. The model used had statistically significant predictive power (model chi2 = 15939.9, p <0.001; Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness of fit, chi2 = 14.46, p = 0.71). It was found that 85.1% (n = 4738) of the data were correctly classified. Of those with good health, 97.2% (n = 4387) were correctly classified, while of those with poor health, 38.6% (n = 451) were correctly classified. Some 12 factors can be used to predict the health status of rural residents in Jamaica with chi2(28) = 1595.03, p <0.001; -2 Log likelihood = 4181.232, which accounted for 38.4% of the variability in health status. An examination of the predictors revealed that the six most influential in descending order were: health insurance coverage (Wald statistic = 492.556; OR = 0.044, 95% CI: 0.033-0.058, p <0.001); age of respondents (Wald statistic = 222.211; OR = 0.957, 95% CI: 0.951-0.962, p < 0.001); secondary level education (Wald statistic = 28.403; OR = 0.580, 95% CI: 0.475-0.709, p <0.001); gender (Wald statistic = 27.804; OR = 1.602, 95% CI: 1.345-1.909, p <0.001); negative affective conditions (Wald statistic = 14.608; OR = 0.949, 95% CI: 0.924-0.975, p <0.001) and positive affective conditions (Wald statistic = 12.208; OR = 1.063, 95% CI: 1.027-1.100, p <0.0010), and number of children in the household (Wald statistic = 11.850; OR = 1.141, 95% CI: 1.058-1.230, p <0.01).
The study showed that approximately 83% of rural residents reported good health, and the 12 factors accounted for 38% of the variability in good health. Of the 12 factors, ownership of health insurance was the most significant and this is negatively associated with good health status. The other factors that are predictors of health status of rural residents included age, secondary level education, gender of respondents, and negative and positive affective psychological conditions. Within the context of high poverty and the role of health seeking behaviour of rural residents on health status, there is a need to use an inter-sectoral approach to accomplish better quality of life through improved health status.
The study to determine the factor structure of the self-stigmatization scale among parents of families with children with special needs, in addition to identifying the divergent honesty of the self-stigma scale among parents of families with children with special needs with indicators of happiness and self-satisfaction. The study relied on the descriptive analytical approach to study the structural honesty of the self-stigma scale on a sample of parents of children with special needs amounting to 96 parents who frequented the request for service for their children with special needs. The study used two tools for measurement, namely the self-stigma scale and the Oxford measurement of happiness short image The study found that the factorial structure of the scale with two factors, one of which refers to the internal stigma, and external stigma perceived from the surrounding environment, as it became clear from the results that self-stigma is statistically significant in its relationship to life satisfaction, and this may indicate the integration of the sample in indicators of support for the ideas of others in society and compliance with the content of those ideas, and thinking according to those processes despite the lack of Accept them, and even adopt cognitive beliefs to act on shame, busyness and mental wandering to withdraw from social activities for the sake of the general appearance.
Objective
To summarize and analyze recent articles investigating self-esteem in adults with ADHD, focusing on the impact of demographic and clinical characteristics, and methodological issues.
Method
Following PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search for literature published between 2010 and 2022 was conducted in the Web of Science, Ovid, Pubmed, and EBSCO databases.
Results
Eleven studies met inclusion criteria. Five of the six studies including healthy controls reported lower self-esteem in participants with ADHD. ADHD symptoms correlated negatively with self-esteem. Gender differences were not observed. Self-esteem mediated several outcomes associated with ADHD. There was a lack of studies that examined potential mechanisms behind the reduced self-esteem, and studies controlling for confounding variables.
Conclusion
A robust association between ADHD and low self-esteem in adults emerged, but the lack of control of confounding variables is critical to consider when interpreting the findings. Longitudinal studies addressing the limitations of the current studies are needed.
3D of Happiness shows that the failure in finding happiness in modern times is largely due to the mistake of limiting the search for happiness to the hedonic (pleasure) dimension. It delves into the meaning and spiritual dimensions of happiness in order to help individuals increase their levels of happiness.
3D of Happiness covers a personal and scientific journey of searching for happiness through pleasure, meaning, and spirituality. It is the story of a former shepherd, Necati Aydin, who was at the bottom 1% of the world’s population, living in complete poverty and deprivation. He managed to acquire two PhDs and climbed to the top 1% in terms of possessions and position. Nonetheless, he failed to achieve happiness along the way. In 3D of Happiness, Necati shares his journey of having, doing, and being which turned out to be a cycle of deprivation, emulation, accomplishment, and disappointment. He reveals his success in finally finding happiness through a converging path of science, philosophy, and spirituality.
Subjective well-being (SWB) measures are important as they assess well-being from the perception of the respondents. This chapter discusses the SWB Measure (SWBM) that has been developed based on the findings of the exploratory study undertaken on 184 participants’ responses on both cognitive and affective components that determine their concept of SWB. The preliminary SWBM was developed as a 7-point scale with 110 items distributed into two parts (65 in Part I measuring cognition and positive affect and 45 in Part II measuring negative affect). It was administered to 1050 college students and subjected to factor analysis (Principal Axis Factoring–Promax Rotation) with initial reliability of 0.90 and 0.87 for both parts, respectively. The final SWBM was developed as a 5-point rating scale with two parts. Part I consisted of 32 items distributed amongst 5 factors (Achievement and Recognition, Camaraderie, Contentment, Relationships, and Need Fulfilment) measuring positive affect and cognition, or positive factors enhancing the concept of SWB. Part II consisted of 20 items distributed amongst 4 factors (Social Sensitivity, Personal Sensitivity, Disappointments, and Individual Concerns) measuring negative affect or negative factors reducing the concept of SWB. The SWBM has been standardized on an analysable sample of 1272 respondents (total n = 1369) across ages and locales of society—age groups from children to older adults; income group = 0 INR to 36 Crores INR per annum; locales: urban, urban slums, rural; and respondents from 87 odd professions. The SWBM was standardized by computing the confirmatory factor analysis, reliability analysis, and validity analysis that is by validating it against the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et al., Journal of Personality Assessment 49:71–75, 1985) and PANAS (Watson et al., Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 54:1063–1070, 1988). The CFA suggested an adequate fit for the SWBM; the measure showed high reliability (0.915 and 0.925 for both parts respectively). Discriminant construct validation of the SWBM showed a weak and non-significant relationship with PANAS (the value of r for SWBM Part I with PANAS (NA) = − 0.010 and that for SWBM Part II with PANAS (PA) was − 0.048.) and SWLS (value of r for Part II and SWLS = 0.054).
This research investigates the contents, antecedents, and mediators of happiness in the Indian state of Assam. The first study examines the content and meanings of happiness in Assamese culture. Posing exploratory questions, a thematic analysis of the narrations of 53 participants revealed 18 themes, grouped into intrinsic or content and extrinsic or context factors of happiness. The content and meanings of happiness embrace a blend of ancient Indian, Eastern, and Western concepts. Based on these results, a culture‐sensitive happiness scale is constructed in the second study. It further tests whether life skills mediate the relationship between character strength and happiness. Data from 503 Assamese participants showed that the one‐factor model of happiness, combining all 14 items of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, is acceptable. It has measurement invariance across male and female genders and high‐ and low‐income groups. To ensure criterion‐related validity, the happiness of people is associated with their well‐being profiles. Adjusting the confounding effects of age and sex of participants, it is observed that character strengths do not promote happiness but pass through life skills fully to promote happiness.
Happiness and subjective wellbeing are often used interchangeably, despite subtle differences relevant in the context of small-scale fisheries. Differences related to how scholars have perceived happiness and subjective wellbeing over time exist, leading to inconsistencies in defining these terms and using them as synonymous. This chapter addresses the complexities intertwined in the concepts of happiness and wellbeing by using two case studies, one from India and one from Brazil. Our cases capture the multiple ways in which happiness and subjective wellbeing interact and may be linked with one another. Our analysis highlights the need for a novel theoretical and methodological approach to properly analyse the complexities associated with happiness and subjective wellbeing. To this effect, the chapter argues in favour of a transdisciplinary approach that helps dissolve the boundaries between the conventional disciplines and provides ways in which to organise key dimensions of happiness and wellbeing as relevant to theory, policy, and practice. The analysis further helps to articulate the core benefits and challenges of engaging in a scholarship that aims to dismantle the theoretical divide between wellbeing and happiness sciences.KeywordsHappinessSubjective-wellbeingTransdisciplinary
Pendahuluan: Kebahagiaan dapat didefinisikan sebagai perasaan puas dengan kehidupan dan karena itu, kebanyakan orang percaya bahwa bahagia adalah dasar dari kehidupan yang bermakna. Kebahagiaan juga dapat membantu seseorang untuk mencapai kesuksesan dalam berbagai aspek kehidupan seperti dalam hal pendidikan yaitu dapat mengurangi kelelahan belajar dan niat untuk meninggalkan proses pembelajaran sehingga dapat meningkatkan prestasi belajar siswa. Tujuan: Mengetahui perbedaan tingkat kebahagiaan mahasiswa program sarjana dan mahasiswa program profesi Fakultas Kedokteran Gigi (FKG) Universitas Muhammadiyah Semarang (Unimus). Metode: Jenis penelitian yang digunakan adalah penelitian komparatif dengan teknik survey. Teknik pengambilan sampel menggunakan stratified random sampling. Penentuan besar sampel menggunakan rumus Isaac and Michael dengan taraf kesalahan 1% dan didapatkan sampel sebanyak 207 mahasiswa, 129 mahasiswa sprogram arjana dan 78 mahasiswa program profesi. Hasil: Tidak ada perbedaan tingkat kebahagiaan mahasiswa program sarjana dan mahasiswa program profesi FKG Unimus (Asymp. Sig (2-tailed) > 0,05).
Introduction: There are specific gaps that call for empirical research in the experiences of spiritual well-being among children 12 years old and younger with cancer. Understanding these relationships can help to develop holistic and family centered care in pediatric oncology wards. This study assessed the spiritual well-being of children with cancer in association with their general well-being, happiness, quality of life, pain intensity, and personal characteristics. Method: The data were collected in Lithuania between June 2020 and November 2021. Children with cancer (N = 81) who were hospitalized at pediatric oncology-hematology centers participated in the study. Inclusion criteria were age (from 5 to 12 years old), diagnosis of oncologic disease for the first time, and absence of other chronic diseases. The instruments used were: Feeling Good, Living Life; Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Short Form; Well-Being Index; PedsQL™3.0 Cancer Module, and a Wong-Baker FACES® Pain Rating Scale. Results: Communal and personal domains of spiritual well-being had the highest scores among pediatric oncology patients while both dimensions of the transcendental domain scored lowest. Age, level of education, and family composition revealed differences in children's spiritual health, happiness, and well-being, and church attendance was significant for overall spiritual well-being and its transcendental domain on lived experience dimension. Happiness had the strongest effect on all four domains of spiritual well-being. Discussion: Children emphasized the importance of spiritual aspects to feel better to a greater extent than they experienced in their lives. Despite their young age, children were familiar with family traditions, that is, religious practice and church attendance, and followed them in a particular sociocultural context.
Introduction. Promotion of educational and scientific organization staff's subjective well-being in the conditions of war is an important research and applied problem, which requires, in particular, the study of its personality-related factors. Aim: to investigate the level of subjective well-being of the staff of educational and scientific organizations in the conditions of war and the relationship between well-being and coping strategies. Methods: The Modified BBC Subjective Well-being Scale (BBC-SWB) (P. Pontin, M. Schwannauer, S. Tai, & M. Kinderman; adapted by L. Karamushka, K. Tereshchenko, & O. Kredentser); The Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) (N.S, Endler, J.D. Parker); statistical methods (descriptive statistics, correlation analysis (Pearson's correlation coefficient)). Results. In the conditions of war, staff of educational and scientific organizations was found to have subjective well-being at a moderate level. At the same time, the "physical health and well-being" indicator was almost half the level of the "psychological well-being" and "well-being in relationships" indicators. All subjective well-being indicators of educational and scientific organization staff's subjective well-being in the conditions of war had statistically significant, both positive and negative, relationship with the majority of coping strategies ("orientation towards problem solving", "social distraction", "orientation towards emotions", and "avoidance"), which suggests that coping strategies are a significant psychological factor in staff's subjective well-being. Conclusions. The obtained results can be helpful in improving performance of educational and scientific organizations in war conditions.
In recent years, impact has become an important evaluation metric for creative practice researchers. It is no longer enough to claim that creative practice has intrinsic rewards, the assumption is that it will also affect change in some form or another. Yet, the means for evidencing impact are poorly understood, while the relatively short lifespan of a creative project can mean that there is often little opportunity to evaluate the long-term effect (or impact) of creative practice. To explore this gap, a case study of DeClick, a participatory arts project in the Netherlands, was employed. This study shows that by adopting a ‘theory of change’ approach, not only does it set out clear intentions for the project, but an analysis of underlying assumptions that link activities to impact leads to effective activity design and provides evidential methodology for evaluating project success. Subsequently, a mixed-methods approach is shown to evaluate impact in a way that values participation in creative practice as a meaningful experience. The approach explored through the case study acknowledges the challenges of evidencing long term impact. But also shows it is possible to evidence ‘pathways to impact’ using a social return on investment model for impact evaluation.
This study aims to document cases of resilience and the factors that contribute or deter the development of resilience in Filipino children with cancer. Given this, the researcher aims to:
1. Document cases of resilience among children with cancer.
2. Identify the factors that affect the development of resilience among children with cancer.
3. Describe the role of spirituality/religion in the lives of children with cancer.
W. Wilson's (1967) review of the area of subjective well-being (SWB) advanced several conclusions regarding those who report high levels of "happiness." A number of his conclusions have been overturned: youth and modest aspirations no longer are seen as prerequisites of SWB. E. Diener's (1984) review placed greater emphasis on theories that stressed psychological factors. In the current article, the authors review current evidence for Wilson's conclusions and discuss modern theories of SWB that stress dispositional influences, adaptation, goals, and coping strategies. The next steps in the evolution of the field are to comprehend the interaction of psychological factors with life circumstances in producing SWB, to understand the causal pathways leading to happiness, understand the processes underlying adaptation to events, and develop theories that explain why certain variables differentially influence the different components of SWB (life satisfaction, pleasant affect, and unpleasant affect). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Using a ''subjectivist'' approach to the assessment of happiness, a new 4-item measure of global subjective happiness was developed and validated in 14 studies with a total of 2 732 participants. Data was collected in the United States from students on two college campuses and one high school campus, from community adults in two California cities, and from older adults. Students and community adults in Moscow, Russia also participated in this research. Results indicated that the Subjective Happiness Scale has high internal consistency, which was found to be stable across samples. Test-retest and self-peer correlations suggested good to excellent reliability, and construct validation studies of convergent and discriminant validity confirmed the use of this scale to measure the construct of subjective happiness. The rationale for developing a new measure of happiness, as well as advantages of this scale, are discussed.
A theoretical model of psychological well-being that encompasses 6 distinct dimensions of wellness (Autonomy, Environmental Mastery, Personal Growth, Positive Relations with Others, Purpose in Life, Self-Acceptance) was tested with data from a nationally representative sample of adults (N = 1,108), aged 25 and older, who participated in telephone interviews. Confirmatory factor analyses provided support for the proposed 6-factor model, with a single second-order super factor. The model was superior in fit over single-factor and other artifactual models. Age and sex differences on the various well-being dimensions replicated prior findings. Comparisons with other frequently used indicators (positive and negative affect, life satisfaction) demonstrated that the latter neglect key aspects of positive functioning emphasized in theories of health and well-being.
This meta-analysis used 9 literature search strategies to examine 137 distinct personality constructs as correlates of subjective well-being (SWB). Personality was found to be equally predictive of life satisfaction, happiness, and positive affect, but significantly less predictive of negative affect. The traits most closely associated with SWB were repressive-defensiveness, trust, emotional stability, locus of control-chance, desire for control, hardiness, positive affectivity, private collective self-esteem, and tension. When personality traits were grouped according to the Big Five factors, Neuroticism was the strongest predictor of life satisfaction, happiness, and negative affect. Positive affect was predicted equally well by Extraversion and Agreeableness. The relative importance of personality for predicting SWB, how personality might influence SWB, and limitations of the present review are discussed.
Addressing the question of why some people are happier than others is important for both theoretical and practical reasons and should be a central goal of a comprehensive positive psychology. Following a construal theory of happiness, the author proposes that multiple cognitive and motivational processes moderate the impact of the objective environment on well-being. Thus, to understand why some people are happier than others, one must understand the cognitive and motivational processes that serve to maintain, and even enhance, enduring happiness and transient mood. The author's approach has been to explore hedonically relevant psychological processes, such as social comparison, dissonance reduction, self-reflection, self-evaluation, and person perception, in chronically happy and unhappy individuals. In support of a construal framework, self-rated happy and unhappy people have been shown to differ systematically in the particular cognitive and motivational strategies they use. Promising research directions for positive psychology in pursuit of the sources of happiness, as well as the implications of the construal approach for prescriptions for enhancing well-being, are discussed.
One area of positive psychology analyzes subjective well-being (SWB), people's cognitive and affective evaluations of their lives. Progress has been made in understanding the components of SWB, the importance of adaptation and goals to feelings of well-being, the temperament underpinnings of SWB, and the cultural influences on well-being. Representative selection of respondents, naturalistic experience sampling measures, and other methodological refinements are now used to study SWB and could be used to produce national indicators of happiness.
Subjective well-being (SWB) is evaluation of life in terms of satisfaction and balance between positive and negative affect; psychological well-being (PWB) entails perception of engagement with existential challenges of life. The authors hypothesized that these research streams are conceptually related but empirically distinct and that combinations of them relate differentially to sociodemographics and personality. Data are from a national sample of 3,032 Americans aged 25-74. Factor analyses confirmed the related-but-distinct status of SWB and PWB. The probability of optimal well-being (high SWB and PWB) increased as age, education, extraversion, and conscientiousness increased and as neuroticism decreased. Compared with adults with higher SWB than PWB. adults with higher PWB than SWB were younger, had more education, and showed more openness to experience.
This article reports the development and validation of a scale to measure global life satisfaction, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Among the various components of subjective well-being, the SWLS is narrowly focused to assess global life satisfaction and does not tap related constructs such as positive affect or loneliness. The SWLS is shown to have favorable psychometric properties, including high internal consistency and high temporal reliability. Scores on the SWLS correlate moderately to highly with other measures of subjective well-being, and correlate predictably with specific personality characteristics. It is noted that the SWLS is Suited for use with different age groups, and other potential uses of the scale are discussed.
This article reports the development and validation of a scale to measure global life satisfaction, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Among the various components of subjective well-being, the SWLS is narrowly focused to assess global life satisfaction and does not tap related constructs such as positive affect or loneliness. The SWLS is shown to have favorable psychometric properties, including high internal consistency and high temporal reliability. Scores on the SWLS correlate moderately to highly with other measures of subjective well-being, and correlate predictably with specific personality characteristics. It is noted that the SWLS is suited for use with different age groups, and other potential uses of the scale are discussed.
A flood of new studies explores people's subjective well-being (SWB) Frequent positive affect, infrequent negative affect, and a global sense of satisfaction with life define high SWB These studies reveal that happiness and life satisfaction are similarly available to the young and the old, women and men, blacks and whites, the rich and the working-class Better clues to well-being come from knowing about a person's traits, close relationships, work experiences, culture, and religiosity We present the elements of an appraisal-based theory of happiness that recognizes the importance of adaptation, cultural world-view, and personal goals
Pleasures of the mind are different from pleasures of the body. There are two types of pleasures of the body: tonic pleasures and relief pleasures. Pleasures of the body are given by the contact senses and by the distance senses (seeing and hearing). The distance senses provide a special category of pleasure. Pleasures of the mind are not emotions; they are collections of emotions distributed over time. Some distributions of emotions over time are particularly pleasurable, such as episodes in which the peak emotion is strong and the final emotion is positive. The idea that all pleasurable stimuli share some general characteristic should be supplanted by the idea that humans have evolved domain-specific responses of attraction to stimuli. The emotions that characterize pleasures of the mind arise when expectations are violated, causing autonomic nervous system arousal and thereby triggering a search for an interpretation. Thus pleasures of the mind occur when an individual has a definite set of expectations (usually tacit) and the wherewithal to interpret the violation (usually by placing it in a narrative framework). Pleasures of the mind differ in the objects of the emotions they comprise. There is probably a
The handbook, woven around the hope theory that has received the most attention in the 1990s, is divided into 6 sections. Two chapters describe the rise and fall of hope—that is, how hope develops normally in children and how it tragically can die for some people in their childhood or adult years. A chapter gives an overview of the various instruments for and approaches to measuring hope. Five chapters deal with how hope theory relates directly to the processes of helping people in general. 11 chapters cover hope theory applied to benefit various people: from children to adolescents to the elderly, minorities, athletes and others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
An improved instrument, the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ), has been derived from the Oxford Happiness Inventory, (OHI). The OHI comprises 29 items, each involving the selection of one of four options that are different for each item. The OHQ includes similar items to those of the OHI, each presented as a single statement which can be endorsed on a uniform six-point Likert scale. The revised instrument is compact, easy to administer and allows endorsements over an extended range. When tested against the OHI, the validity of the OHQ was satisfactory and the associations between the scales and a battery of personality variables known to be associated with well-being, were stronger for the OHQ than for the OHI. Although parallel factor analyses of OHI and the OHQ produced virtually identical statistical results, the solution for the OHQ could not be interpreted. The previously reported factorisability of the OHI may owe more to the way the items are formatted and presented, than to the nature of the items themselves. Sequential orthogonal factor analyses of the OHQ identified a single higher order factor, which suggests that the construct of well-being it measures is uni-dimensional. Discriminant analysis has been employed to produce a short-form version of the OHQ with eight items.
A comparative study has been made of the positive moods generated by four common leisure activities: sport/exercise, music, church and watching TV soaps. Some 275 participants whose ages ranged from 18 to 82 were invited to indicate the intensity of their personal, positive feelings for the items of four measures designed to be representative of each of the activities. It was found that each activity was a significant source of positive moods. Factor analysis of the measures showed that they each contained a strong social component, as well as a factor characteristic of each activity. Using the Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI) as a measure of happiness, only sport/exercise appeared to result in increased happiness, and the reasons for this are explained in terms of the several components of the OHI. The associations of each of the activities with the Eysenck personality traits as measured by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) were also examined and the most frequent association is with extraversion. Church membership is atypical, in that church members exhibit significantly lower scores for psychoticism (tough mindedness) and higher lie-scale scores (social conformity).
This article opens by noting that positive emotions do not fit existing models of emotions. Consequently, a new model is advanced to describe the form and function of a subset of positive emotions, including joy, interest, contentment, and love. This new model posits that these positive emotions serve to broaden an individual's momentary thought-action repertoire, which in turn has the effect of building that individual's physical, intellectual, and social resources. Empirical evidence to support this broaden-and-build model of positive emotions is reviewed, and implications for emotion regulation and health promotion are discussed.
This study was designed to investigate the dimensionality of positive emotions and was run in two parts. In part 1, subjects were given a set of 24 different life-situations all of which commonly give rise to positive emotions. They sorted the 24 situations into groups on the basis of whether or not they produced similar emotional responses. In part 2 of the study subjects rated each of the 24 situations on 13 emotion scales.
The grouping data obtained in part 1 were submitted to multidimensional scaling (MDS) and returned a four-dimensional solution. Canonical correlations between the four MDS dimensions and the 13 emotion scales revealed that dimension 1 is best explained by ‘absorption’, dimension 2 by ‘potency’, dimension 3 by ‘altruistic’ and dimension 4 by ‘spiritual’. These correlations were then married to an interpretation of the situations falling high and low on each of the four dimensions, with the following results. Dimension 1 distinguishes internal or private situations from social situations, dimension 2, achievement from leisure situations, dimension 3, social demands from self-indulgence, and dimension 4, serious from trivial situations. The implications of these findings for the study of emotion are discussed.
Although the original 20-item Purpose in Life Test (PIL) has been subjected to various reliability and validity tests, its use has been limited largely to American culture. In this paper ten items were selected from the original scale, and both directionality and response categories were modified. This Ten-Item Modified Purpose in Life Test was then validated through item analysis by using two cross-national samples of elderly people. One sample consisted of 177 retirees from the school system in Payne County, Oklahoma, and the other consisted of 202 retired teachers in Taipei, Taiwan. It was concluded from this study that the Ten-Item Modified Purpose in Life Scale can be reduced to the Seven-Item Modified Purpose in Life Scale as an alternative measure for comparing the psychological well-being of the elderly cross-nationally.
Over 100 subjects completed the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and the Oxford Happiness Inventory. The results showed a predicted positive correlation between happiness and extraversion (r = 0.55, P < 0.001) and negative correlation between happiness and neuroticism (r = 0.43, P < 0.001). The results provide confirmatory evidence of previous research as well as validation for the happiness inventory.
A sample of 222 undergraduates was screened for high happiness using multiple confirming assessment filters. We compared the upper 10% of consistently very happy people with average and very unhappy people. The very happy people were highly social, and had stronger romantic and other social relationships than less happy groups. They were more extraverted, more agreeable, and less neurotic, and scored lower on several psychopathology scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Compared with the less happy groups, the happiest respondents did not exercise significantly more, participate in religious activities significantly more, or experience more objectively defined good events. No variable was sufficient for happiness, but good social relations were necessary. Members of the happiest group experienced positive, but not ecstatic, feelings most of the time, and they reported occasional negative moods. This suggests that very happy people do have a functioning emotion system that can react appropriately to life events.
What are the differences between happiness and self-esteem?
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Positive psychology [special issue]
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Handbook of hope: theory, measures, and applications Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire manual
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The modified Purpose in Life Scale
- Chang
The happy personality
- DeNeve
Testing for stress and happiness: The role of social and cognitive factors
- Argyle
The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire
- Hills
Optimizing well-being
- Keyes
A measure of subjective happiness
- Lyubomirsky