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Different Types of Well-Being? A Cross-Cultural Examination of Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being
Abstract and Figures
A large international sample was used to test whether hedonia (the experience of positive emotional states and satisfaction of desires) and eudaimonia (the presence of meaning and development of one's potentials) represent 1 overarching well-being construct or 2 related dimensions. A latent correlation of .96 presents negligible evidence for the discriminant validity between Diener's (1984) subjective well-being model of hedonia and Ryff's (1989) psychological well-being model of eudaimonia. When compared with known correlates of well-being (e.g., curiosity, gratitude), eudaimonia and hedonia showed very similar relationships, save goal-directed will and ways (i.e., hope), a meaning orientation to happiness, and grit. Identical analyses in subsamples of 7 geographical world regions revealed similar results around the globe. A single overarching construct more accurately reflects hedonia and eudaimonia when measured as self-reported subjective and psychological well-being. Nevertheless, measures of eudaimonia may contain aspects of meaningful goal-directedness unique from hedonia. (PsycINFO Database Record
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... Thus, a review of Bourdieu's social capital theory has been done for the analysis of this paper as it is more relevant in the case of students. Besides, the concept of wellbeing explained by Des Gasper (2004) as the state of human lives, the hedonic and eudemonic dimensions of wellbeing explained by Disabato et al. (2016) and finally the subjective, materialistic and relational dimension of wellbeing explained by White (2008) have also been reflected in this study. ...
... These parameters, however, differ on the interest of an individual. In addition, Disabato et al. (2016) further divided wellbeing into two major dimensions: hedonic and eudemonic. Here, the concept of hedonic is related to cognitive wellbeing that includes factors like satisfaction with life, happiness, and depression. ...
... Concerning the impact of social capital on wellbeing, it must be noted that the participant's social capital influenced both their hedonic and eudemonic wellbeing (Disabato et al. 2016). By delving deeper into the story of the participants, we figured out that weak social ties and bond with family and friends makes one unhappy and depressed. ...
The main purpose of this study was to identify the role of social capital mainly comprising of family and friends in influencing the wellbeing of a person, particularly of a female student. Considering its importance of investigation how family and friendship can influence the development stage of a young girl which is primarily determined by emotional and mental wellbeing, this study was conducted to understand the dynamics of the interrelationship between an individual and social capital. In this context, the research applied a case study methodology to generate data from the four cases with several rounds of in-depth interviews. The data were then analyzed and interpreted with the researchers’ reflections and socio-capital theory. The findings revealed that a strong bond with family and friends and their supportive nature have positive emotional and mental health outcomes.
... In the literature on happiness, a traditional distinction is made between hedonia and eudaimonia. Hedonia is defined as the experience of positive emotional states and satisfaction of desires and eudaimonia as the presence of meaning and development of one's potential (Disabato et al., 2016). In summary, hedonia and eudaimonia are usually considered synonymous with subjective and psychological well-being, respectively (Disabato et al., 2016). ...
... Hedonia is defined as the experience of positive emotional states and satisfaction of desires and eudaimonia as the presence of meaning and development of one's potential (Disabato et al., 2016). In summary, hedonia and eudaimonia are usually considered synonymous with subjective and psychological well-being, respectively (Disabato et al., 2016). This conceptual distinction is relevant because high eudaimonic well-being has been linked to prosocial behavior that benefits both the individual and the collective (Ryan et al., 2008). ...
... This has been clearly demonstrated by Diener's Subjective Well-Being (SWB) scale (Diener et al., 1985) and Ryff's psychological well-being scales (Ryff, 1989). This finding suggests that they can be used interchangeably to measure individual happiness (Disabato et al., 2016). Happiness and behavior in a post-COVID world ...
Purpose: This study aims to analyze the relationship between expectations of change after a crisis, such as that generated by COVID-19, people's levels of happiness and the propensity for pro-sustainable behavior.
Design/methodology/approach: Surveys were conducted using 1,130 observations. The aim was to measure expectations of change during the pandemic. Furthermore, the relationship between these expectations, happiness levels, and attitudes towards sustainability was analyzed for various elements of daily life. Statistical techniques such as principal component analysis (PCA), cluster analysis, variance analysis and correlation analysis were utilized to explore the underlying patterns and relationships.
Findings: Optimistic expectations for post-pandemic change are associated with a greater likelihood of engaging in environmentally beneficial behaviors, leading to higher levels of life satisfaction. This correlation is particularly significant when individuals envision broader transformations in the collective behavior of humanity. These findings suggest a strong link between beliefs in positive societal transformations and both pro-environmental actions and personal well-being.
Research limitations/implications: The unique circumstances of the pandemic, characterized by heightened media consumption, likely influenced the expectations of individuals, particularly fostering pessimistic outlooks in critical situations. Clear and solid variables were utilized despite not employing validated scales to measure expectations. However, it has been proven that there is a clear link between change expectations, happiness, and the propensity for a more sustainable daily life.
Practical implications: This study identifies guidelines that strengthen brands' communication strategies based on individuals' sustainability profiles and visions of the future.
Social implications: There is a need to target skeptical, change-resistant segments of the population with a more convincing and solid discourse to promote sustainable consumption and behavior.
Originality/value: This is the first study to simultaneously address the relationship between individuals' expectations of change following traumatic events such as the pandemic, their engagement in sustainable behavior, and their increased levels of happiness.
... fulfillment of highest potential, the realization of objective values and discovery of meaning and purpose) (Waterman, 2008). These two distinct perspectives originated from different philosophical roots, but are not necessarily distinct in scientific research (Disabato et al., 2016). Scholars argue that these two concepts overlap substantially, in which eudaimonic well-being includes a sense of hedonic well-being and vice versa (Deci and Ryan, 2008). ...
... life satisfaction) when they are engaged in meaningful pursuits and virtuous activities (Diaz et al., 2015). This view is strongly supported by empirical evidence worldwide (Disabato et al., 2016). ...
... In so doing, we employ the concept of life satisfaction, which refers to the global assessment of a person's quality of life against his own chosen criteria (Shin and Johnson, 1978). As mentioned above, life satisfaction captures both eudaimonic and hedonic aspects of the phenomenon under this study (Disabato et al., 2016;Diaz et al., 2015). ...
Purpose-Mindfulness, while being suggested as an important psychological cognitive capability of customers, has received insufficient attention in studies of transformative services characterized by challenging cocreation behaviors. It is unclear about the contributions of mindfulness to customers' cocreation and transformative outcomes. This study aims to investigate the direct, indirect, mediating and moderating relationships to explain how mindfulness sustains cocreation effort, increases perceived service value and ultimately enhances the diffusion from the service value to customer well-being. Design/methodology/approach-A structural model was developed and tested using the CB-SEM method. Data were surveyed from two transformative service industries, yoga training and higher education (N = 283 and 273 cases, respectively). Findings-Customer mindfulness has a positive relationship with cocreation effort, which in turn positively associates with perceived value. Additionally, mindfulness has a direct relationship with perceived value, which then is the full mediator in the relationships between mindfulness, cocreation effort and life satisfaction. Mindfulness also moderates the transformation from service value (immediate outcome) to life satisfaction (long-term outcome). Practical implications-Transformative service providers and policymakers should acknowledge and develop strategies to cultivate customers' mindfulness, which subsequently fosters their value cocreation effort and enhances their well-being. Originality/value-This research puts forward the concept of mindfulness, a trainable cognitive capability of customers, and shows its importance in transformative service cocreation. This paper provides a full structural mechanism explaining how mindfulness helps cocreate a transformative service and diffuse its immediate value to customer life satisfaction.
... In contrast, supporters of SWB argue that the conditions surrounding one's life cannot determine well-being on their own-why else would two people going through the same challenge respond differently (one positively and one negatively) if not for the difference in subjective well-being-inquired Diener et al. (1999). Similar to well-being in general, there are two main approaches to SWB (see Disabato et al., 2016). The first approach, called the hedonic approach, is indicated as positive psychological or affective responses to life and its challenges (Diener & Seligman, 2004;Taylor, 2015), resulting in life satisfaction (Taylor, 2015) and happiness (Cummins et al., 2009). ...
... There are, however, debates about the unique differences between the two approaches (Disabato et al., 2016). Sischka et al. (2020) assert that well-being is an aspect of perceived QOL, thus supporting the subjective nature of well-being. ...
COVID-19 and the actions to curtail its spread have elevated the value of mental health as well as public health crises and pandemics. This calls for increased research in this area and the use of consistent and valid instruments to measure diverse aspects of mental health in different populations. This study presents preliminary psychometric properties (i.e., factor structure, internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity) of the WHO-5 index as compared to other mental health instruments used in three countries (Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Malaysia). Data was collected from three countries during the first 5 months after the onset of COVID-19 in the Southern African and Southeast Asia regions: Botswana ( N = 422; Mean Wellbeing = 9.8; SD = 5.4), Zimbabwe ( N = 325; Mean = 9.4; SD = 5.3), and Malaysia ( N = 425; Mean = 13; SD = 5.3). After data quality and scaling properties were evaluated, factor structures were assessed using principal component analysis and internal consistency of the extracted components were examined using Cronbach’s alpha (α). Construct validity was examined using Pearson’s correlations to establish both convergent validity and discriminant validity among the three mental health constructs (i.e., well-being, generalized anxiety, and loneliness). With Cronbach’s alpha of the total WHO-5 Wellbeing index of .86 (Botswana sample), α = .85 (Zimbabwean data) and α = .88 (Malaysian data), as well as (α > .7) for the selected demographic subgroups, the findings broadly suggest that WHO-5 is a unique, reliable, and valid instrument for measuring subjective well-being, and by extension mental health among diverse subgroups—in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malaysia, and possibly, other similar settings.
... Historically, the study of well-being has been dominated by two distinct yet complementary perspectives: hedonism and eudaimonism [18]. Nonetheless, this dichotomy may be impractical, as these two elements are part of a wider central construct of well-being [19]. ...
... Maximisation of pleasure and attainment of goals and cherished outcomes, in detriment of negative and unpleasant feelings or experiences of pain or displeasure. It is usually operationalised through subjective well-being [2,18,19]. ...
Background. Recent years have seen a signifcant body of research independently associatng the presence of happiness and well-being with a lower risk of mortality and with an improved physical and mental health status, which presents a relevant impact on public health. Nonetheless, there are stll gaps in literature, and the underlying mechanisms are stll unclear.
Objectves. this paper reviews literature regarding the main concepts and measurements associated with well-being, discussing pathways that link happiness to health and compiling strategies to improve it.
Material and methods. A narratve literature review was performed gathering the most relevant artcles concerning concepts, defnitons and measurements associated with well-being, as well as regarding pathways and mechanisms that link happiness to health. The concepts and defnitons associated with happiness and well-being are discussed, and common constructs related to the later are then considered. Additonally, the available methods to measure happiness and well-being, and their limitatons, are analysed.
Results. The main pathways that link mental to physical well-being include: 1) neurobiological processes, 2) the indirect impact on
health behaviours, 3) the promoton of protectve psychosocial resources and 4) stress buffering effects.
Conclusions. Happiness and well-being play a major role on human’s health, and many features and dimensions may be involved in this relatonship. Public health measures should focus on upstream determinants of health and well-being, but more research is needed in order to fll in some gaps, such as the variety of available instruments to address, evaluate and promote efcient interventon.
... The tripartite model characterises WWB as comprising two independent constructs, a relatively stable evaluative component and a transient (positive and negative) affective component (Eid & Diener, 2004). Together, these components form HWB, a state in which work-related desires are satisfied and positive emotions are experienced more frequently than negative emotions at work (Disabato et al., 2016). The evaluative dimension is typically captured using single-item JS. ...
... Recent empirical work (Allan et al., 2019;Nikolova & Cnossen, 2020) reveals that, while JS and meaningful work are correlated, they are distinct concepts. Detractors point to the fact that EWB and HWB measures are typically moderately to highly correlated, raising questions about the value-add of measuring both constructs separately (Disabato et al., 2016). feel happy and satisfied (Martela & Sheldon, 2019). ...
The links between worker well-being and quit intentions have been well researched. However, the vast majority of extant studies use just one measure, job satisfaction, to proxy for worker well-being as a whole, thus ignoring its documented multidimensionality. This paper examines whether this approach is justified. Using novel survey data, I compare the extent to which alternative well-being indicators (job satisfaction, affect, engagement and the satisfaction of basic psychological needs) individually, and jointly, explain variation in the quit intentions of 994 full-time workers. I find systematic differences in the personal and well-being profiles of workers who intend quitting and those who do not. Furthermore, well-being indicators explain four to nine times more variation in quit intentions than wages and hours combined. The engagement measure performs best, explaining 22.5% of variation in quit intentions. Employing a composite model (job satisfaction + affect + engagement) significantly increases explanatory power. My results suggest that the standard single-item job satisfaction measure may be good enough for organisations who merely wish to identify categories of workers who may be most at risk of quitting. For organisations seeking to develop proactive quit prevention strategies however, supplementing job satisfaction with other indicators such as engagement should increase explanatory power and yield valuable, potentially actionable, insights.
... Integrative efforts are supported by studies showing that hedonic and eudaimonic well-being are highly correlated (e.g. [15][16][17], even though they are theoretically assumed to capture different aspects of well-being. ...
... Several studies have found that a few general factors largely explain variance in well-being items in hierarchical and bifactor models (e.g. see Refs [4,15,16,[19][20][21][22] and that models with a single factor may show similarly good or superior fit to the data [23][24][25]27]. These studies converge to suggest that the underlying structure of well-being may consist of one or a few general well-being factors. ...
Purpose
The structure of well-being has been debated for millennia. Dominant conceptualisations, such as the hedonic and eudaimonic models, emphasise different constituents of the well-being construct. Some previous studies have suggested that the underlying structure of well-being may consist of one or a few general well-being factors. We conducted three studies to advance knowledge on the structure of well-being comprising more than 21,500 individuals, including a genetically informative twin sample.
Methods
In Study 1, we used hierarchical exploratory factor analysis to identify well-being factors in a population-based sample of Norwegian adults. In Study 2, we used confirmatory factor analysis to examine the model fit of the identified factor model in an independent sample. In Study 3, we used biometric models to examine genetic and environmental influences on general well-being factors.
Results
We identified six well-being factors which all loaded on a single higher-order factor. This higher-order factor may represent a general “happiness factor”, i.e. an h-factor, akin to the p-factor in psychopathology research. The identified factor model had excellent fit in an independent sample. All well-being factors showed moderate genetic and substantial non-shared environmental influence, with heritability estimates ranging from 26% to 40%. Heritability was highest for the higher-order general happiness factor.
Conclusion
Our findings yield novel insights into the structure of well-being and genetic and environmental influences on general well-being factors, with implications for well-being and mental health research, including genetically informative studies.
... While empirically overlapping, these two realms of well-being represent distinct conceptions and traditions (Huta & Waterman, 2014;Keyes et al., 2002). Both subjective well-being and meaning in life are often interwoven into a larger mental health context, which may involve inverse indicators such as negative affectivity and depressive symptoms (e.g., Disabato et al., 2016;Li et al., 2019). ...
... Fifth, while the Affect Balance Scale (ABS) has been extensively validated in social surveys (see review by McDowell, 2010), including surveys with older individuals (e.g., Ferguson & Goodwin, 2010), this measure has also been criticized for its question phrasing and for covering aspects of affect that might be broader than hedonic indicators (Cherlin & Reeder, 1975). Notably, other positive and negative affect scales, such as the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (Watson et al., 1988), have also been criticized to overlap some eudaimonic conditions and broader well-being aspects (Diener et al., 2010;Disabato et al., 2016;Huta & Ryan, 2010;Steger et al., 2008). Therefore, future studies should consider the relative utility of different measures of positive and negative affect when hedonic and eudaimonic concomitants are concerned. ...
This study explored the associations of couplehood (being in a romantic relationship) and parenthood (being a parent) with the hedonic and eudaimonic well-being of aging gay men in Israel. For that purpose, a sample of 121 older gay men (aged 60–84, M = 66.86, SD = 7.02) was recruited through a targeted sampling. Participants completed questionnaires assessing their hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Results indicated that older gay men in a romantic relationship, compared to older gay men who were not in a romantic relationship, reported greater hedonic well-being (higher life satisfaction alongside lower negative affect and depressive symptoms) and eudaimonic well-being (higher purpose in life). Additionally, older gay men who were fathers, compared to older gay men who were not fathers, reported greater hedonic well-being (higher positive affect and life satisfaction alongside lower negative affect and depressive symptoms) and eudaimonic well-being (higher purpose in life and personal growth). The study contributes to the scant literature on the factors associated with well-being among older gay men. It also provides researchers, practitioners and policy makers with vital information on the potential contribution of couplehood and parenthood to the well-being of a sexual minority whose access to marriage and parenthood was, and still is, limited.
... The central point is to show that individuals favoring regulating and heritage ESs develop sensitivity more oriented towards the preservation of the common good than towards amenities or individual satisfaction. Even if the two perspectives, hedonic and eudaimonic, on well-being interact (Disabato et al., 2016), and if awareness and interest in conservation imply familiarity with these ecosystems, the consideration of these nuances aims to better understand the determinants of pro-environmental behavior to improve environmental conservation policies (Kollmuss and Agyeman, 2002;De Leeuw et al., 2015). Thus, our results argue for public policies to strengthen the commitment of users and citizens as well as the processes of local autonomous learning, information, and knowledge of the functioning of ecosystems by supporting local initiatives and recognizing local knowledge. ...
Recent studies have shown the importance of relationships with nature, emotions felt, forms of attachment, and experience of nature on conservation motivations. They have proposed characterizing relational values based on these complex interactions with ecosystems. We analyzed these links for ecosystem services (ESs) associated with fish farming ponds. The analysis was based on an online survey conducted on mainland France. We identified the types of pro-environmental profiles and investigated the determinants of pro-environmental behaviors. We analyzed the types of services prioritized according to individual profiles and the factors determining sensitivity. We distinguish between individual ESs that are more hedonic in nature, and regulating or heritage cultural ESs that refer to collective motivations rather linked to eudaimonic well-being. The results highlight the importance of factors related to eudaimonic well-being, which help integrate the role of ethical values and commitment to conservation. The modeling shows little influence of the usual sociodemographic variables and the strong significance of variables considering the knowledge and familiarity with these ecosystems and the pro-environment commitment, which refers to eudaimonic well-being. These results allow us to discuss the specificities of awareness-raising policies, which imply a rationale for active citizenship.
... Unfortunately, data from epidemiological studies show evidence of α coefficients as low as .26 (in a sample of 4,960; Clarke et al., 2001), .29-.35 (across three waves of data from 4,963 participants; Weston et al., 2021), .33 (in a nationally representative sample of 1,108; Ryff & Keyes, 1995), and .02-.34 (in a sample of 7,617 from 109 countries; Disabato et al., 2016). As for construct validity, in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (Herd et al., 2014; with a sample of 8,500 adults), latent correlations of purpose with self-acceptance, environmental mastery, and personal growth were .98, ...
Theoretically, purpose serves as a basic dimension of healthy psychological functioning and an
important protective factor from psychopathology. Theory alone, however, is insufficient to
answer critical questions about human behavior and functioning; we require empirical evidence
that explores the parameters of purpose with respect to measurement, prediction, and
modification. Here, we provide empirically supported insights about how purpose can operate
as a beneficial outcome (e.g., marker of well-being), a predictor or mechanism that accounts for
benefits that a person derives (such as from an intervention), or a moderator that offers insight
into when benefits arise. Advancing the study of purpose requires careful consideration of how
purpose is conceptualized, manipulated, and measured across the lifespan. Our aim is to help
scientists understand, specify, and conduct high-quality studies of purpose in life.
... The engagement of doctoral students in research is a positive, fulfilling experience that includes vigour, dedication, and absorption towards research work (Sakurai et al., 2017;Vekkaila et al., 2013). Previous studies have found not only that engagement is a measure of eudaimonic well-being (Martela & Sheldon, 2019) but also that academic engagement has eudaimonic consequences which improve academic functioning (Disabato et al., 2016;Vracheva et al., 2020). Satisfaction is the second critical variable to evaluate student well-being in our study, representing the hedonic dimension. ...
... These models tend to include or be nested within superordinate categories derived from ancient philosophical distinctions of hedonic well-being-consisting of pleasure or positive emotions (Kahneman et al., 1999)-and eudaimonic well-being-which typically refers to the pursuit of meaningful goals and realization of one's fullest potential (Waterman, 1993;Ryff, 1995). Notably, while the study of distinct forms of psychological health and well-being can help to improve the understanding of conceptual interrelations (Emmons, 1986;Csikszentmihalyi and Wong, 1991;McAdams and de St. Aubin, 1992), neural processes (Costa et al., 2019) and intervention development (Lerner et al., 2000;Seligman, 2018;Zeng and Kern, 2019), latent factors corresponding to the various models of psychological well-being are shown to be highly correlated with one another and exhibit poor discriminant validity (Disabato et al., 2016;Longo et al., 2016;Goodman et al., 2017). Given that there are various theoretical models, each emphasizing different elements of well-being, and the practical constraints of fMRI task design, we adopted a theory-guided but data-driven approach to generate three factors related to psychological health and wellbeing that participants could evaluate while in the MRI scanner. ...
Psychological health and well-being has important implications for individual and societal thriving. Research underscores the subjective nature of well-being, but how do individuals intuit this subjective sense of well-being in the moment? This preregistered study addresses this question by examining the neural correlates of self-evaluated psychological health and their dynamic relationship with trial-level evaluations. Participants (N = 105) completed a self-evaluation task and made judgments about three facets of psychological health and positive functioning-self-oriented well-being, social well-being, and ill-being. Consistent with preregistered hypotheses, self-evaluation elicited activity in the default mode network, and there was strong spatial overlap among constructs. Trial-level analyses assessed whether and how activity in a priori regions of interest-pgACC, vmPFC, and VS-were related to subjective evaluations. These regions explained additional variance in whether participants endorsed or rejected items but were differentially related to evaluations. Stronger activity in pgACC was associated with a higher probability of endorsement across constructs, whereas stronger activity in vmPFC was associated with a higher probability of endorsing ill-being items, but a lower probability of endorsing self-oriented and social well-being items. These results add nuance to neurocognitive accounts of self-evaluation and extend our understanding of the neurobiological basis of subjective psychological health and well-being.
... The second and third factors related to the balance of emotional experiences are additionally referred to in the literature as emotional well-being (Kahneman, Deaton, 2010;Czapiński, 2015). The three-factor model of subjective well-being is the most frequently adopted method of operationalizing this construct in research (Busseri, Sadava, 2011;Disabato et al., 2016). ...
In the literature on mental well-being, there is a clear division between defining this concept in the hedonistic trend (as high intensity of positive affect, low intensity of negative affect and satisfaction with life) and eudaemonism (as self-acceptance, positive relationships with others, a sense of meaning and purpose in life). Meanwhile, empirical research on the convergence of both perspectives indicates that the most accurate way to conceptualize this construct is their integration. This article will present the most important reports in this field, as well as theoretical models which are a proposal for a synthesis of hedonistic and eudaimonistic categories. The discussion highlights the advantages of a broad conceptualization of well-being for the accuracy of psychological research conducted in this area.
... It is worth noting that the two orientations have developed in relatively separate directions, which has led to a 'split' in the study of happiness. Nevertheless, an international comparison of a large sample of studies from these two different frameworks has found that the correlation between the two is 0.96, with low discriminant validity (Disabato et al.,2016). This explains well that happiness should not be connoted by a dichotomy of hedonia and eudaimonia, but rather by interdependence and harmony. ...
In the process of realizing the Sustainable Development Goals, the measurement of happiness has unique significance and value, which helps the government departments to avoid paying attention to economic development at the cost of subjective psychological feelings when formulating the coordinated social development of society. Happiness indicators can reflect the public's wishes and psychological state, and monitor the psychological state of society. At the same time, happiness indicators can complement economic indicators and provide a comprehensive measure of quality of life. However, each of these measures cannot claim to be accurate. We should not blindly believe these cold statistics. Fortunately, scientists have been constantly developing tools for qualitative and quantitative measurements to get closer to the 'truth about happiness'. Standing on the shoulders of these "giants", happiness is becoming clear and transparent. In this study, I will demonstrate that well-being can be measured from the concept of happiness, from the perspective of measurement direction, and highlight that well-being measurement is an essential tool to help address the sustainability challenges.
... Second, the measurement of the variables depended on a self-reported survey, where individuals may over-report or under-report certain variables due to social desirability bias [63]. Third, the ethnic composition of the sample (75% Nationals vs. 25% Non-Nationals) may call for a separate analysis for each group, as wellbeing models were shown to differ across cultures [64][65][66]. Therefore, the model fit may vary across cultural groups leading to alternate practical implications. ...
Background
The study aimed to identify the associations of happiness and factors related to physical and mental health, leisure, and sports activities amongst older adults in Abu Dhabi. The sample comprised 1,004 participants in the third Abu Dhabi Quality of Life survey administered in 2019–2020.
Methods
The analysis used path analysis to develop a model incorporating the specified variables. The path model highlighted all direct and indirect associations between the variables. We also used variance analysis to test the differences in gender, marital status, and education attainment with happiness.
Results
Results show that sleep quality is most associated with happiness and subjective health. In addition, sleeping hours did not show any association with subjective health; but were associated with happiness. The result also confirms that mental health is negatively associated with happiness and subjective health. How often an elderly gets involved in sport and activities for at least 30 min significantly affects subjective health and happiness.
Conclusions
Happiness of older adults is best understood when we look at both direct and indirect effects using a path model. Their happiness is significantly associated with their subjective health, mental health, participation in sport and activities and sleep quality, Implications of the study were highlighted, along with future research directions.
... However, on March 24th, the announcement was made that schools would not re-open on March 29th as originally indicated and on May 1st the Taoiseach announced that it would be September 2020 when schools would re-open. Schools did re-open in September 2020, with a roadmap issued from the Department of Education in relation to procedures for schools to adopt to support minimal risk and spread of Covid 19 [3,4]. Although the number of cases of Covid was rising significantly in Ireland in September and October 2020, and a 'second wave' of the virus resulted in further lockdown restrictions from October 19th 2020, schools remained open during this time frame. ...
The history of the Covid 19 pandemic and its impact across the world is currently in writing. This chapter focuses on the impact of primary school closures in the Irish context on Principal and Teacher wellbeing, and specifically on self-care practices that participants engaged in during the extended period of school closures. Findings of a small-scale study undertaken with 12 primary school teachers and 10 principals are reported upon. A mixed-methods study with a qualitative research focus was undertaken. There were 2 phases to the study: Phase 1 was undertaken in June 2020 and phase 2 was completed in December 2020 when participants had returned to school. At each phase the participants completed a semi-structured interview via the online platform Zoom and they also completed 2 questionnaires; the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory adapted for teachers (CBI). The research findings in particular highlight how the pandemic provided an opportunity to very busy principals and teachers to address their wellbeing. The article highlights in particular how self-care is so important for a profession that is demanding and the challenges in finding the balance between the demands of the profession and sustaining personal wellbeing through self-care practices.
... Although wellbeing constructs and research programs are often split into the "hedonic" and "eudaimonic" camps (Huta & Waterman, 2014;Kashdan et al., 2008;Ryan & Deci, 2001), our findings encourage the perspective that hedonic and eudaimonic processes may work in tandem (Biswas-Diener et al., 2009;Disabato et al., 2016;Kashdan et al., 2008;King et al., 2006), and that affective processes can build broader positive psychological resources (Fredrickson, 2001). KKing et al. (2006) exemplified this approach by demonstrating that PA increases perceptions of meaning in life. ...
... In the wellbeing literature, the two prevailing theories are subjective wellbeing (SWB) and psychological wellbeing (PWB) (Disabato et al., 2016;Schultze-Lutter et al., 2016). SWB posits wellbeing to be the result of living a life of maximum pleasure and minimum pain (Diener, 1984;Gallagher et al., 2009;Ryan & Deci, 2001). ...
Background: Traditionally, gender has been viewed through an essentialist lens with fixed biology-based traits or polarized gender norms between women and men. As awareness of gender diversity grows, increasingly more people are coming out as nonbinary – or not exclusively a man or woman. Little has been explored regarding experiences unique to nonbinary individuals, particularly beyond a focus on adverse risks and outcomes to understand their wellbeing. This article discusses gendered experiences and the construction of wellbeing among nonbinary individuals.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to conceptualize wellbeing as a complex multidimensional phenomenon through nonbinary individuals’ perspectives.
Methods: A virtual PhotoVoice study was conducted with 17 nonbinary adults in the Midwestern United States who participated in online group discussions and in-depth semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed with thematic analysis.
Results: The analysis identified five core dimensions of nonbinary wellbeing: 1) Security, 2) Mental and physical health, 3) Autonomy, 4) Belonging, and 5) Gender positivity. Exemplary definitions of wellbeing are also presented.
Discussion: Understanding how nonbinary individuals thrive challenges the framing of gender diverse experiences in adversity and presents a more holistic portrayal that community members and allies can strive toward. This study contributes an intersectional understanding of wellbeing in relation to identities of race, culture, age, disability, neurodiversity, and sociopolitical geographical context. The findings of this study can aid in practice, advocacy, and research to bolster the wellbeing of nonbinary people.
... Purpose in life considers how people believe that their lives have a clear sense of direction, meaning and values. The dimension of environmental mastery focuses on the degree to which people can manage their lives effectively (Disabato, Goodman, Kashdan, Short, & Jarden, 2016;Ryff, 1989). ...
Drawing upon the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study contextually examines the relationship between workplace incivility and employees' psychological well-being, and the moderating effect of religiosity on this relationship. Following a quantitative approach, data were collected from 199 employees from different service industries in Jordan and the hypotheses were tested with partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 3.3.3. The findings show that workplace incivility negatively affects employees' psychological well-being, and intrinsic religiosity buffers this adverse effect. Our study brings to fore the concept of religiosity, an important yet neglected personal resource. The findings extend the notion of COR theory through capturing the linkages between the focal constructs, thus contributing to the literature through demonstrating that intrinsic religiosity, as a boundary condition, buffers the adverse effect of workplace incivility on employees' well-being. The study highlights in closing an array of future research directions.
... The dimension of purpose in life focuses on how an individual believes that his/her life has a clear sense of meaning and direction. Lastly, environmental mastery indicates the degree to which an individual can manage his/her life effectively (Disabato et al., 2016;Ryff, 1989). The following sections highlight the implications of workplace incivility and religiosity for workers' well-being. ...
Drawing on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, this study examines the relationship between workplace incivility and workers’ psychological well-being. A related aim is to examine the link between workers’ religiosity and their well-being, with workplace incivility moderating this nexus. Data were collected from 247 employees identified from private sectors (in Jordan and the UAE) via online-survey questionnaire. Factor analysis and hierarchical moderated multiple regression models were used to test the hypotheses. Study results show that workers’ religiosity is positively and significantly associated with their psychological well-being, while workplace incivility is negatively (but insignificantly) associated with workers’ psychological well-being. In addition, and contrary to our expectations and prior studies, our results suggest that workplace incivility strengthens the direct relationship between religiosity and well-being. The mechanism of this intersection may propose that rude and uncivil treatments positively predict self-blame, something that may lead the targets to become more religious to get recovery from different types of incivility and stressful life events. This study highlights the contextual applicability and possible extension of the JD-R theory through extending its model to religiosity and well-being of employees in a diverse cultural context in the Middle East.
... Psychological wellbeing (PWB; Ryff, self-acceptance. Overall, measures of wellbeing correlate moderately to strongly with each other, suggesting an underlying common, broad wellbeing factor (Bartels & Boomsma, 2009;Baselmans & Bartels, 2018;Disabato et al., 2016;Longo et al., 2016). ...
Wellbeing is predominantly measured through self-reports, which is time-consuming and costly. It can also be measured by automatically analysing language expressed on social media platforms, through social media text mining (SMTM). We present a systematic review based on 45 studies, and a meta-analysis of 32 convergent validities from 18 studies reporting correlations between SMTM and survey-based wellbeing. We find that (1) studies were mostly limited to the English language, (2) Twitter was predominantly used for data collection, (3) word-level and data-driven methods were similarly prominent, and (4) life satisfaction was the most common outcome studied. We found that SMTM-based estimates of wellbeing correlated with survey-reported scores across studies at a meta-analytic average of r = .33(95% CI [.25, .40]) for individual-level assessments of wellbeing, and at r = .54(95% CI [.37, .67]) for regional measures of well-being. We provide recommendations for future SMTM wellbeing studies.
... The eudaimonic perspective, on the other hand, does not consider subjective needs and momentary pleasures but focuses on those needs that are part of human nature and lead to growth [8]. The eudaimonic perspective emphasizes the importance of an ideal toward which one strives, giving meaning and direction to one's life [9][10][11][12]. Some argue that the constructs of "hedonia" and "eudaimonia" are both overlapping and distinct [13]. ...
Happiness is receiving more and more interest both as a determinant of health and a measure of outcome in biomedical and psychological sciences. The main objective of this study was to assess how the levels of happiness vary in a large sample of Italian adults and to identify the socio-demographic conditions which impair happiness domains the most. The participants of this survey consisted of 1695 Italian adults (85.9% women; 14.1% men) who completed the Measure of Happiness (MH) questionnaire online. In this study, the differences between groups in total and single domain (life perspective, psychophysical status, socio-relational sphere, relational private sphere, and financial status) happiness levels were examined through a propensity score matching analysis with respect to socio-demographic conditions, including gender, age, annual income, relationship status, having children, and education level. The results show that low income has a negative impact on happiness levels, whereas being in a relationship has a positive effect. Having children appears to have a negative impact on male happiness. Males appear to be happier than females, especially with regard to the psychophysics status. This evidence emphasizes the urgency for Italian policymakers to take actions on removing obstacles to people’s happiness, especially with regard to financial distress, parenthood, and gender gaps.
... However, other theories focus more on eudaimonic aspects of well-being, broadly referred to as psychological well-being . Recent research suggests that there is considerable overlap among these facets of well-being and points to the need to integrate these two components in understanding well-being (Díaz et al., 2015;Disabato et al., 2016;Ryan & Deci, 2001, among others). More recent conceptualizations of psychological well-being propose a more integrated view of these two perspectives on well-being and define psychological well-being as a multidimensional construct composed by emotional elements-hedonic components like life satisfaction-and the eudaimonic component -as the optimal functioning and flourishing- (Kern et al., 2014). ...
This open access book presents an integrative and transdisciplinary conceptualization of hope and brings together cross-cultural studies based on quantitative data from around the globe. It incorporates state-of-the-art theories of hope from psychology, philosophy and theology and presents a novel approach to the study of hope in different life situations. The volume analyses empirical data from the Hope Barometer international research network, collected from more than 40,000 participants between 2017 and 2021. The authors use this broad database to investigate the nature and value of hope for well-being and flourishing at individual and societal levels, in various regions, and different cultural, religious and social backgrounds. The chapters study the cultural characteristics of different facets and elements of hope and furthermore explore its common qualities to elucidate the universal nature of hope across cultures. Comprehensive, transdisciplinary and cross-cultural in scope, this volume is of interest to a global readership across the social and behavioural sciences.
... Psychological wellbeing (PWB; Ryff, 1989), based on an eudaimonic conceptualisation of wellbeing, is defined as positive functioning in life, consisting of positive relations, autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life and self-acceptance. Despite their unique features, most wellbeing measures at least moderately correlate with each other, suggesting an underlying common, broad wellbeing factor (Bartels & Boomsma, 2009;Baselmans & Bartels, 2018;Disabato et al., 2016;Longo et al., 2016). ...
Wellbeing is predominantly measured through surveys but is increasingly measured by analysing individuals' language on social media platforms using social media text mining (SMTM). To investigate whether the structure of wellbeing is similar across both data collection methods, we compared networks derived from survey items and social media language features collected from the same participants. The dataset was split into an independent exploration (n = 1169) and a final subset (n = 1000). After estimating exploration networks, redundant survey items and language topics were eliminated. Final networks were then estimated using exploratory graph analysis (EGA). The networks of survey items and those from language topics were similar, both consisting of five wellbeing dimensions. The dimensions in the survey- and SMTM-based assessment of wellbeing showed convergent structures congruent with theories of wellbeing. Specific dimensions found in each network reflected the unique aspects of each type of data (survey and social media language). Networks derived from both language features and survey items show similar structures. Survey and SMTM methods may provide complementary methods to understand differences in human wellbeing.
... However, since that fragmentation has created limitations to the understanding of the concept, unilateral approach to the study of well-being is currently not advisable (Huppert, 2014). Likewise, complementarity of both approaches is suggested, indicating that they would represent complementary aspects of well-being (Disabato et al., 2016;Longo et al., 2016). ...
Aim. To adapt and validate the PERMA Profiler Scale (Butler & Kern, 2016) for Argentinian adolescents. Method. The items were
reviewed by 6 expert judges and 21 adolescents. The sample consisted of 421 adolescents (M = 14.9; SD = 1.75). The content validity and
the discrimination capacity of the items were assessed. Afterwards, the structure of the scale was analyzed, as well as the internal consistency and the concurrent validity. Results. All the items obtained an Aiken’s V between .8 and 1 and were discriminatory. The factor analysis confirmed the five-dimension structure (CF I = .94, T LI = .92; RMSEA = .08, SRMR = .04). An Alpha of .92 was obtained for the full scale and satisfactory levels were obtained for the subscales. The correlations for concurrent validity were significant and in line with what was theoretically expected. Conclusion. This adaptation enables the assessment of flourishing in a practical way.
... The PCQ-24 was translated from English into Finnish using the back translation method and revised by two official language revisers (Mind Garden, Translation Agreement TA-635). Grit-S had been translated from English into Finnish in an earlier international study (Disabato et al., 2016). The SWEBO instrument and items measuring the stress of conscience and the intention to leave the nursing profession were translated from Swedish into Finnish using the back translation method and revised by two official language revisers. ...
Aim:
To examine registered nurses' individual strengths (psychological capital and grit) and an organizational resource (organizational justice) as well as associated work-related outcomes. In a time of a global nursing shortage, there is an urgent need to identify strengths and resources that can have a positive impact on the health, well-being and retention of registered nurses.
Design:
A cross-sectional survey.
Methods:
A nationwide convenience sample of 514 registered nurses responded to a survey. Data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire between March and May 2018. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multivariate path analysis.
Results:
Participants rated their psychological capital and grit moderately high. Grit and organizational justice were found to have significant direct effects on psychological capital. Furthermore, psychological capital had positive direct effects on engagement and the perception of well-conducted everyday nursing as well as negative direct effects on burnout, the stress of conscience and the intent to leave the profession.
Conclusion:
The results suggest that nurse leaders and managers could consider improving registered nurses' well-being with two complementary approaches. It might be useful to reinforce positive, individual strengths, such as psychological capital, and at the same time create more favourable nursing work environments, for example by strengthening organizational justice.
Implications for the profession:
Psychological capital and grit are emerging concepts in nursing workforce research. Identifying registered nurses' positive strengths and resources is important for inventing interventions that enhance nurses' engagement and well-being as well as reduce turnover intentions.
Impact:
Nurse leaders and managers play crucial roles in managing and developing registered nurses' individual strengths and organizational resources. This has gained even more importance now as the COVID-19 pandemic could have a long-term negative impact on nurses' well-being.
Reporting method:
The study is reported following STROBE guidelines.
Patient or public contribution:
No patient or public contribution.
... For these reasons, an excessive focus on the negative consequences of only health-related behaviors will limit our understanding of optimal human experiences, functionality, and health Disabato et al., 2016). Psychological well-being includes six fundamental aspects of well-being and happiness: autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relationships with others, life purpose, and self-acceptance . ...
... It contains 14 items and measures hedonic and eudemonic mental well-being over the past 2 weeks. Hedonic well-being refers to subjectively experiencing positive emotions, such as pleasure and comfort, whereas eudemonic well-being captures psychological aspects, including having a purpose in life and personal growth (Czerw, 2019;Disabato et al., 2016). The measure includes statements like "I've been feeling optimistic about the future" or "I've been interested in new things." ...
... Subjective vitality is regarded as a form of eudemonic wellbeing [18], which goes hand-in-hand with feelings of purpose and meaning [19][20][21]. A critical feature that distinguishes eudemonic from hedonic wellbeing is the search of personally meaningful goals [22]; hedonic wellbeing is characterised by the search of pleasure-seeking or pain-avoiding goals [23,24]. Subjective vitality is the only central affect which is defined as a kind of eudemonic wellbeing. ...
COVID-19 lockdowns involved radical changes in the habits and lifestyles of many. Notably, athletes saw their training routines altered. The relationship between lockdown effects and psychological variables was analysed using a sample comprising 1032 cyclists (average age: 42.97 years, s.d. = 8.94), taking part in the first cycling competition after lockdown. The target variables included psychological variables such as frustration tolerance, subjective vitality, autonomy self-determination, and affective status, as well as sociodemographic and training habits-related variables.The results showed that the constructs under analysis are related. Pre- and post-competition psychological variables were measured, and no significant differences were detected, except concerning subjective vitality. A regression analysis model was designed to analyse the impact of frustration tolerance, autonomy self-determination, and affective status on subjective vitality. The results reveal a lineal relationship (F = 71.789, p
... Life satisfaction and flourishing are related constructs (Huppert & So, 2013), and recently the two well-being constructs have been integrated due to their overlap (Disabato et al., 2016). ...
In the uncertain and flexible labour market, some people experience indecision in dealing with career choices, despite having career readiness. The present research explored the relationship between career readiness, strategies for coping with career indecision, and well-being. Participants were 529 people aged between 18 and 60 ( M = 26.57; SD = 6.83). The survey included: Readiness scale of the Career Transition Inventory, Productive scale and Support Seeking scale of Strategies for coping with career indecision, Flourishing Scale and Satisfaction with life scale. Results show that both productive and support-seeking strategies mediate the association between career readiness and flourishing and between career readiness and life satisfaction. As implications for career guidance, in addition to favouring career readiness, counsellors could promote productive strategies for coping with career indecision– and in some cases, support-seeking strategies–, to help people transform the experience of career indecision from insurmountable obstacles into an opportunity to act towards well-being.
Introduction
This study examines grit as psychological mindsets that explain the link between self-regulatory employability attributes and perceived employability competency expectations in a sample of South African adults ( N = 308).
Methods
A quantitative, cross-sectional research design approach was used to collect primary data.
Results
Results of a mediation analysis through structural equation modelling revealed grit as an important mechanism to strengthen the association between employability attributes (career agility, cultural ingenuity, proactive career resilience) and employability competency expectations (autonomy/leadership skills and personal employability qualities).
Discussion
This study makes an important contribution to the role of learning and training through understanding the role of grit in enhancing prospects of employability. This study further adds to the grit literature, highlighting the role that grit plays in the contemporary employment context. Practical implications include supportive practices that strengthen individual workers’ grit when confronted with the turbulent changes of today’s work world.
This research aimed to investigate psychometric properties of the Existential Gratitude Scale (EGS) in India. Study 1 examined the factorial validity of EGS using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, which suggested a two-factor structure. Study 2 examined reliability and validity of the scale derived after CFA (referred to as Indian EGS). Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability estimates provided evidence for internal consistency reliability of the Indian EGS. Adequate AVE values indicated convergent validity of the scale. Further, the EGS score reported significant positive correlations with GRAT-16 and spiritual well-being scores and a negative association with distress scores, confirming criterion validity of the Indian EGS. These results establish reliability and validity of the two-factored twelve-item EGS scale in the Indian context.
Though teacher well‐being (TWB) has been decreasing over time, there is an identified lack of awareness in schools across England on how settings can support TWB. To address this gap, this study provides teachers with a space to share their conceptualizations of well‐being, evaluate current school‐level TWB provisions, and provide recommendations for ways that existing TWB support could be enhanced. Semi‐structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 16 primary school teachers across England. Reflexive thematic analytic findings indicated that participants defined well‐being in relation to their unique contexts, and cited some current school practices, including school and academy‐wide support and social support, as being effective for TWB. However, participants emphasized that they perceived current TWB provisions as tokenistic, which was suggested to be accentuated by poor understandings of TWB and pressures from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) and COVID‐19. To address these issues, participants outlined the need for improvements in communication, the attitudes and approaches of Senior Leadership Teams toward TWB, increased provisions to both manage and decrease workload and increasing the amount of time that they have to meet expectations. Implications for policy and practice to enhance TWB are discussed.
The aim of this study is to define the essence of wellbeing in employee management, and present the functionality of the PERMA model in positive psychology. The first part of the study describes the multidimensionality of the concept of wellbeing and the difficulties in defining it. An important element of the conducted analysis is the presentation of the positive effects of the implementation of wellbeing in organisations, including elements of wellbeing dimensions and activities affecting wellbeing, while the most important part of the article is the diagnosis of the applicability of the PERMA model in the study of employee wellbeing and positive education. Different elements of the model are described and the latest solutions with regards to its improvement are presented. An analysis of the literature showed that a model with four additional dimensions - physical health, mindset, work environment and economic security - may be the most useful for analysing employee wellbeing. The next part of this publication is devoted to the use of the PERMA model in the classification of interventions, where we show that the model not only enables diagnosis of the weaknesses of wellbeing, but even facilitates the assigning of specific interventions. These solutions make it possible to build wellbeing that positively impacts employee behaviour, with the authors indicating discrepancies in the activities undertaken by organisations and the needs of employees with regards to wellbeing. The findings suggest that employees expect activities related to the development of their mental dimension and economic security, not necessarily related to physical health, which are most commonly implemented by organisations.
Subjective well-being is a positive psychological construct that has important implications for the U.S. Military's goal to develop service members' strengths and support their overall thriving and downstream resilience. Despite this, the concept of well-being has not been well studied in military populations who have unique work demands, stressors, and autonomy/agency in daily life compared to civilians. To address this shortcoming in the literature, the present study assessed Ryff's measures of psychological well-being (PWB) in 1,333 U.S. service members prior to the deployments in the Middle East. Various methods attempting to validate the theoretical model purported by Ryff were unsuccessful, and exploratory factor analyses did not result in a novel model for this population. Future research should continue to evaluate proposed models of soldier well-being and propose novel theories, as well as measures, to assess this important construct. Implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
Objective/background:
Using meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM), we examined the link between Big Five personality traits and subjective well-being (SWB), operationalized as three separate components and as a latent factor indicated by life satisfaction (LS), positive affect (PA), and negative affect (NA). PA and NA were assessed based on frequency of a broad range of affective experiences, rather than intensity of high arousal affective experiences, thus excluding studies using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule.
Method:
35 samples were included, encompassing 22,135 participants from 14 countries, in which all eight variables were assessed.
Results:
Correlations among personality traits were moderate, on average, and the latent SWB factor had strong loadings from all three components. Personality traits together explained substantial variance in LS, PA, and NA, and in the latent SWB factor, with unique predictive effects on the latent factor from each personality trait except openness. Associations between personality traits and SWB components were fully accounted for by a latent SWB factor, with one exception: A specific association was found between neuroticism and unique variance in NA.
Conclusions:
The present findings provide new insights concerning the notion of a 'happy personality' in showing that Big Five personality traits have unique associations with an underlying sense of SWB.
Purpose in life has been found to decline from middle to later life in several ageing studies. Because the decline has negative impacts on health-related outcomes, it is important to identify factors contributing to purpose in life to enhance wellbeing among the ageing population. This study first examined the role of subjective social economic status (SSES) in the relationship between age and purpose in life. Subsequent analyses estimated whether the construct Artistic Creativity as a Source for Meaning in Life (ACASMIL) played a role in cultivating purpose in life among ageing individuals. Moreover, the analyses determined whether this effect was strengthened by creative self-concept (i.e. self-conviction about personal identity and self-efficacy in the global domain of creativity). Results from a sample of 224 individuals from middle to third age (mean age = 54.08, standard deviation = 10.08, range = 40–84) revealed that the relationship between age and purpose in life was only positive among those with relatively high SSES, controlling for gender and country of residence. Controlling for gender, country of residence, age and SSES, it was found that ACASMIL did not play a mediator role. Moreover, creative self-concept played a moderator role in the relationship between artistic creativity and ACASMIL. However, this moderation effect of creative self-concept was negative. Implications and suggestions for future directions are discussed.
The PERMA (Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationship, Meaning, Achievement) model can be used to describe the factors that contribute to wellbeing. As many children face mental health challenges worldwide, strategies to increase wellbeing and resilience have become increasingly desirable. The aim of this scoping review was to establish what is known from the literature about the relationship between the components of PERMA, including character strengths, and primary school-aged children's mental health, resilience and wellbeing. Four databases were systematically searched, and 20,128 articles were identified, 190 of which were included in the review. The relationships were typically in the expected directions, with PERMA aspects associated with greater wellbeing and resilience, and fewer symptoms of mental illness. There are notable gaps in the existing literature, particularly in the Engagement and Meaning facets of PERMA. Overall, it appears that the components of PERMA do have a positive impact on children and can be considered as an approach for protecting children against mental ill-health.
The feeling of well-being differs across cultural contexts and can be understood from the perspective of personal value priorities. This study uses a multilevel model with a sample of 324,204 people from 31 European countries and shows that the values conformity, tradition, benevolence, self-direction, and hedonism exert a positive average influence, whereas universalism and power exert a negative average influence on subjective well-being. Comparing similar value-outcome relationships in multiple countries simultaneously reveals that the geographical boundaries of a country strongly influence the kind of role values play, with very different and sometimes opposing effects across countries. The study also considers how subjective well-being is related to the fit of personal value priorities with the prevailing values in the environment. While value incongruency is negatively related to well-being in Cyprus, Germany, Spain, Greece, Lithuania, and Ukraine, it has a positive effect in other countries in the eastern and northern parts of Europe.
This chapter explores the commonalities and differences in hope between Spanish ( N = 206 ) and South African ( N = 100) samples based on data collected with the Hope Barometer in November 2018. Furthermore, we investigate similarities and differences in the sources of hope between the two samples, as reflected in the activities that people engage in to fulfil their hopes and to attain the hoped-for targets (hope activities). Finally, we examine these activities as predictors of hope. Since hope is an important predictor of flourishing, we also analyze the predictive power of hope and its dimensions on flourishing in both samples, using two different measures and conceptualizations of hope (perceived hope and dispositional hope). Finally, we explore the role of sociodemographic indicators as predictors of hope and flourishing. Our results indicated that South African participants had higher levels of hope than the Spanish sample. We also found differences and commonalities in terms of endorsement of specific hope activities. The results indicated that perceived hope was a strong predictor of flourishing in both samples, supporting the idea that perceived hope may be a universal motivational need applicable across cultures. These findings highlight the need to carry out more cross-cultural studies on hope and paves the way for further cross-cultural understanding of this important human resource.
Purpose
This study aims to create a more humane and responsible workplace, individuals’ gratitude and meaningfulness seem of utmost importance. This study is an effort to understand the role of gratitude intent of potential managers.
Design/methodology/approach
This study examines the psychological characteristic of business students in India. The researchers surveyed 333 Indian students as future managers. The collected data has been analysed with the Smart PLS 3 version to assess the formative-reflective scale by comparing model fit, measurement model and structural modelling.
Findings
The results establish that gratitude significantly affects the life satisfaction of future managers. Findings also show that materialism is negatively related to life satisfaction and meaningfulness. The importance–performance map analysis finding suggests that meaningfulness in life is a potential indicator of life satisfaction for the population studied.
Originality/value
Due to the limited research available on the psychological underpinnings in the Indian context, there is a massive value in examining how materialism and gratitude concurrently and distinctively predict meaning in life and the life satisfaction of future managers. This paper gives a formative explanation of the model consisted gratitude, materialism and meaningfulness in life on the life satisfaction of future managers. This study establishes the importance of meaningfulness of life in attaining life satisfaction for young managers.
Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic brought ageism to the forefront of public discourse. Negative ageism incurs more negative self-perceptions of aging, which affects physical and mental functioning. Whether negative ageism as perceived and experienced by older adults has worsened as the pandemic lingered, and how such changes impact quality of life (QoL) and mental well-being (MWB), remain urgent questions.
Method: In a sample of adults aged 55 or older (n = 500), we aimed to address this by administering the Perceived Ageism Questionnaire twice during the pandemic (T1: between October 2020 and May 2021; T2: on average 45 wk after T1).
Results: Higher levels of perceived negative ageism were associated with lower QoL and MWB, at least partially through its unfavorable effects on self-perceptions of aging, even after controlling for ageism experiences in the preceding year (at T2, corrected for T1). Furthermore, we found that perceived negative ageism increased from T1 to T2, which had negative implications for QoL/MWB. Opposite effects were found for perceived positive ageism, although less consistently.
Conclusion: These patterns reveal that ageism as perceived and experienced by adults of 55 or older became stronger and more negative throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which had detrimental implications for individuals’ QoL and MWB. These disconcerting findings emphasize the importance of combatting negative ageism in our society.
Various sociodemographic, psychosocial, cognitive, and life event factors are associated with mental wellbeing; however, it remains unclear which measures best explain variance in wellbeing in the context of related variables. This study uses data from 1017 healthy adults from the TWIN-E study of wellbeing to evaluate the sociodemographic, psychosocial, cognitive, and life event predictors of wellbeing using cross-sectional and repeated measures multiple regression models over one year. Sociodemographic (age, sex, education), psychosocial (personality, health behaviours, and lifestyle), emotion and cognitive processing, and life event (recent positive and negative life events) variables were considered. The results showed that while neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, and cognitive reappraisal were the strongest predictors of wellbeing in the cross-sectional model, while extraversion, conscientiousness, exercise, and specific life events (work related and traumatic life events) were the strongest predictors of wellbeing in the repeated measures model. These results were confirmed using tenfold cross-validation procedures. Together, the results indicate that the variables that best explain differences in wellbeing between individuals at baseline can vary from the variables that predict change in wellbeing over time. This suggests that different variables may need to be targeted to improve population-level compared to individual-level wellbeing.
In four studies, the authors examined the correlates of the disposition toward gratitude. Study 1 revealed that self-ratings and observer ratings of the grateful disposition are associated with positive affect and well-being prosocial behaviors and traits, and religiousness/spirituality. Study 2 replicated these findings in a large nonstudent sample. Study 3 yielded similar results to Studies 1 and 2 and provided evidence that gratitude is negatively associated with envy and materialistic attitudes. Study 4 yielded evidence that these associations persist after controlling for Extraversion/positive affectivity, Neuroticism/negative affectivity, and Agreeableness. The development of the Gratitude Questionnaire, a unidimensional measure with good psychometric properties, is also described.
Goodness-of-fit (GOF) indexes provide "rules of thumb"—recommended cutoff values for assessing fit in structural equation modeling. Hu and Bentler (1999) proposed a more rigorous approach to evaluating decision rules based on GOF indexes and, on this basis, proposed new and more stringent cutoff values for many indexes. This article discusses potential problems underlying the hypothesis-testing rationale of their research, which is more appropriate to testing statistical significance than evaluating GOF. Many of their misspecified models resulted in a fit that should have been deemed acceptable according to even their new, more demanding criteria. Hence, rejection of these acceptable-misspecified models should have constituted a Type 1 error (incorrect rejection of an "acceptable" model), leading to the seemingly paradoxical results whereby the probability of correctly rejecting misspecified models decreased substantially with increasing N. In contrast to the application of cutoff values to evaluate each solution in isolation, all the GOF indexes were more effective at identifying differences in misspecification based on nested models. Whereas Hu and Bentler (1999) offered cautions about the use of GOF indexes, current practice seems to have incorporated their new guidelines without sufficient attention to the limitations noted by Hu and Bentler (1999).
The development of an adequate assessment instrument is a necessary prerequisite for social psychological research on loneliness. Two studies provide methodological refinement in the measurement of loneliness. Study 1 presents a revised version of the self-report UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) Loneliness Scale, designed to counter the possible effects of response bias in the original scale, and reports concurrent validity evidence for the revised measure. Study 2 demonstrates that although loneliness is correlated with measures of negative affect, social risk taking, and affiliative tendencies, it is nonetheless a distinct psychological experience.
Some disciplines in the social sciences rely heavily on collecting survey responses to detect empirical relationships among variables. We explored whether these relationships were a priori predictable from the semantic properties of the survey items, using language processing algorithms which are now available as new research methods. Language processing algorithms were used to calculate the semantic similarity among all items in state-of-the-art surveys from Organisational Behaviour research. These surveys covered areas such as transformational leadership, work motivation and work outcomes. This information was used to explain and predict the response patterns from real subjects. Semantic algorithms explained 60–86% of the variance in the response patterns and allowed remarkably precise prediction of survey responses from humans, except in a personality test. Even the relationships between independent and their purported dependent variables were accurately predicted. This raises concern about the empirical nature of data collected through some surveys if results are already given a priori through the way subjects are being asked. Survey response patterns seem heavily determined by semantics. Language algorithms may suggest these prior to administering a survey. This study suggests that semantic algorithms are becoming new tools for the social sciences, opening perspectives on survey responses that prevalent psychometric theory cannot explain.
Significance
This article critically reanalyzes the work of Fredrickson et al. [Fredrickson BL, et al. (2013) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 110(33):13684–13689], which claimed to show that distinct dimensions of psychological well-being are differentially correlated with levels of expression of a selection of genes associated with distinct forms of immune response. We show that not only is Fredrickson et al.’s article conceptually deficient, but more crucially, that their statistical analyses are fatally flawed, to the point that their claimed results are in fact essentially meaningless. We believe that our findings may have implications for the reevaluation of other published genomics research based on comparable statistical analyses and that a variant of our methodology might be useful for such a reevaluation.
Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a vast field and widely used by many applied researchers in the social and behavioral sciences. Over the years, many software pack-ages for structural equation modeling have been developed, both free and commercial. However, perhaps the best state-of-the-art software packages in this field are still closed-source and/or commercial. The R package lavaan has been developed to provide applied researchers, teachers, and statisticians, a free, fully open-source, but commercial-quality package for latent variable modeling. This paper explains the aims behind the develop-ment of the package, gives an overview of its most important features, and provides some examples to illustrate how lavaan works in practice.
Interest in eudaimonia (e.g., growth, meaning, authenticity, excellence) and its distinction from hedonia (e.g., pleasure, enjoyment, comfort, absence of distress) is growing rapidly, as researchers recognize that both concepts are central to the study of well-being. Yet research on these concepts faces challenges as well: findings based on different operationalizations can be quite discrepant; definitions of eudaimonia and hedonia sometimes fall into different categories of analysis (e.g. when eudaimonia is described as a way of functioning, hedonia as an experience); and the terms eudaimonia and hedonia are sometimes defined vaguely or applied to concepts that may be mere correlates. To aid in addressing these challenges, we propose the following terminology and classification for discussing conceptual and operational definitions: (1) degree of centrality – differentiating concepts that are core (i.e., definitional), close-to-core (i.e., given some attention but not central), and major correlates; (2) category of analysis– identifying which of the following categories a definition represents: (a) orientations (orientations, values, motives, and goals), (b) behaviors (behavioral content, activity characteristics), (c) experiences (subjective experiences, emotions, cognitive appraisals), (d) functioning (indices of positive psychological functioning, mental health, flourishing); and (3) level of measurement – identifying whether a definition is used for trait and/or state comparisons. The work of scholars with a program of research on eudaimonia or the distinction between eudaimonia and hedonia is reviewed and discussed within the framework of the proposed classification; several points of convergence and divergence across definitions are highlighted; and important questions and directions for future research are identified.
The purpose of this review is to compare and contrast western and eastern conceptualizations of happiness and optimal functioning. Towards this end, accounts of happiness and optimal functioning provided in western philosophy and scientific psychology are compared with those in some eastern schools of thought (namely, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Sufism). Six fundamental differences in western and eastern conceptualizations of the good life are identified and discussed in the context of broader psychological theory. It is hoped that this theoretical analysis will stimulate more culturally informed research among happiness researchers.
To identify molecular mechanisms underlying the prospective health advantages associated with psychological well-being, we analyzed leukocyte basal gene expression profiles in 80 healthy adults who were assessed for hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, as well as potentially confounded negative psychological and behavioral factors. Hedonic and eudaimonic well-being showed similar affective correlates but highly divergent transcriptome profiles. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from people with high levels of hedonic well-being showed up-regulated expression of a stress-related conserved transcriptional response to adversity (CTRA) involving increased expression of proinflammatory genes and decreased expression of genes involved in antibody synthesis and type I IFN response. In contrast, high levels of eudaimonic well-being were associated with CTRA down-regulation. Promoter-based bioinformatics implicated distinct patterns of transcription factor activity in structuring the observed differences in gene expression associated with eudaimonic well-being (reduced NF-κB and AP-1 signaling and increased IRF and STAT signaling). Transcript origin analysis identified monocytes, plasmacytoid dendritic cells, and B lymphocytes as primary cellular mediators of these dynamics. The finding that hedonic and eudaimonic well-being engage distinct gene regulatory programs despite their similar effects on total well-being and depressive symptoms implies that the human genome may be more sensitive to qualitative variations in well-being than are our conscious affective experiences.
The primary objectives of this article are (a) to put forth an explicit operational formulation of positive human health that goes beyond prevailing "absence of illness" criteria; (b) to clarify that positive human health does not derive from extant medical considerations, which are not about wellness, but necessarily require a base in philosophical accounts of the "goods" in life; (c) to provoke a change of emphasis from strong tendencies to construe human health as exclusively about the mind or the body toward an integrated and positive spiral of mind-body influences; (d) to delineate possible physiological substrates of human flourishing and offer future directions for understanding the biology of positive health; and (e) to discuss implications of positive health for diverse scientific agendas (e.g., stress, class and health, work and family life) and for practice in health fields (e.g., training, health examinations, psychotherapy, and wellness intervention programs).
The search for cut-off criteria of fit indices for model fit evaluation (e.g., Hu & Bentler, 19999.
Hu , L. and
Bentler , P. M. 1999. Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling., 6: 1–55. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®]View all references) assumes that these fit indices are sensitive to model misspecification, but not to different types of models. If fit indices were sensitive to different types of models that are misspecified to the same degree, it would be very difficult to establish cut-off criteria that would be generally useful. The issue about SEM fit indices being sensitive to different types of models has not received sufficient attention, although there is some research suggesting that this might be the case (e.g., Kenny & McCoach, 200312.
Kenny , D. A. and
McCoach , D. B. 2003. Effect of the number of variables on measures of fit in structural equation modeling. Structural Equation Modeling., 10: 333–351. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®]View all references). This study examines if fit indices are sensitive to different types of models while controlling for the severity of model misspecification. The findings show that most fit indices, including some very popular ones (e.g., RMSEA), may be sensitive to different types of models that have the same degree of specification error. The findings suggest that, for most fit indices, it would be difficult to establish cut-off criteria that would be generally useful in SEM applications.
In recent studies of the structure of affect, positive and negative affect have consistently emerged as two dominant and relatively independent dimensions. A number of mood scales have been created to measure these factors; however, many existing measures are inadequate, showing low reliability or poor convergent or discriminant validity. To fill the need for reliable and valid Positive Affect and Negative Affect scales that are also brief and easy to administer, we developed two 10-item mood scales that comprise the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The scales are shown to be highly internally consistent, largely uncorrelated, and stable at appropriate levels over a 2-month time period. Normative data and factorial and external evidence of convergent and discriminant validity for the scales are also presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
Reviews the literature since 1967 on subjective well-being (SWB [including happiness, life satisfaction, and positive affect]) in 3 areas: measurement, causal factors, and theory. Most measures of SWB correlate moderately with each other and have adequate temporal reliability and internal consistency; the global concept of happiness is being replaced with more specific and well-defined concepts, and measuring instruments are being developed with theoretical advances; multi-item scales are promising but need adequate testing. SWB is probably determined by a large number of factors that can be conceptualized at several levels of analysis, and it may be unrealistic to hope that a few variables will be of overwhelming importance. Several psychological theories related to happiness have been proposed; they include telic, pleasure and pain, activity, top–down vs bottom–up, associanistic, and judgment theories. It is suggested that there is a great need to more closely connect theory and research. (7 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
Kashdan, Biswas-Diener, and King (2008) provide a wide-ranging critique of eudaimonic theory and research. In this paper, I question whether the timing of their analysis is appropriate given that work on eudaimonic constructs has begun only recently. In an effort to increase the clarity regarding points at issue, both conceptual and operational definitions of hedonia and eudaimonia as two conceptions of happiness are analyzed along with definitions of four conceptions of well-being (subjective, hedonic, psychological, and eudaimonic), and both hedonism and eudaimonism as ethical philosophies. Responses are provided to numerous points in the Kashdan et al. (2008) critique including their claims that work from a eudaimonic perspective (1) does not fully capture the philosophical roots of eudaimonia, (2) is overly abstract, (3) lacks clarity at the point of operationalization and measurement, (4) is overly complex thus preventing meaningful scientific inquiry, (5) provides evidence only for quantitative, not qualitative, differences, (6) is potentially elitist, and (7) misrepresents the moral standing of hedonia and eudaimonia. Evidence is presented in support of the view that hedonia and eudaimonia represent inter-related but reliably distinguishable and qualitatively distinct conceptions of happiness making independent contributions to an array of outcome variables. A set of recommendations is advanced as to how theory-building and empirical research can be strengthened in light of the multiple conceptualizations of happiness and well-being now current in the literature.
In recent years, well-being researchers have distinguished between eudaimonic happiness (e.g., meaning and purpose; taking part in activities that allow for the actualization of one's skills, talents, and potential) and hedonic happiness (e.g., high frequencies of positive affect, low frequencies of negative affect, and evaluating life as satisfying). Unfortunately, this distinction (rooted in philosophy) does not necessarily translate well to science. Among the problems of drawing too sharp a line between ‘types of happiness’ is the fact that eudaimonia is not well-defined and lacks consistent measurement. Moreover, empirical evidence currently suggests that hedonic and eudaimonic well-being overlap conceptually, and may represent psychological mechanisms that operate together. In this article, we outline the problems and costs of distinguishing between two types of happiness, and provide detailed recommendations for a research program on well-being with greater scientific precision.The purpose of life is to be happy. The Dalai LamaYou will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. Albert CamusAnd they all lived happily ever after. The Brothers Grimm
In an earlier paper (Kashdan, Biswas-Diener, & King, 2008), we outlined a critique of the distinction being made between eudaimonic and hedonic forms of happiness. That paper seems to have had the desired effect in stimulating discourse on this important subject as evidenced by a number of responses from our colleagues. In this paper, we address these responses collectively. In particular, we outline common intellectual ground with the responding authors as well as points of difference.
Kashdan, Biswas-Diener and King (20086.
Sen , A . 1999 . Development as freedom , New York : Knopf . View all references) debated with Waterman (20087.
Waterman , AS . 2008 . Reconsidering happiness: A eudaimonist's perspective . Journal of Positive Psychology , 3 : 234 – 252 . [Taylor & Francis Online]View all references) the value of eudaimonic perspectives in well-being research. In this invited response we discuss problems associated with reducing the conceptualization of well-being to subjective well-being (SWB). Although we like and use SWB ourselves as an indicator of well-being, the value of eudaimonic thinking, both in the generation of hypotheses concerning how goals and lifestyles link with wellness, and in broadening and differentiating the outcomes considered to be reflective of wellness. We agree that eudaimonic research in psychology is young and varied, but suggest that preemptively constraining the field to a “big one” (SWB) conceptualization of wellness would be less generative.
Discusses how current goodness-of-fit indices fail to assess parsimony and hence disconfirmability of a model and are insensitive to misspecifications of causal relations (a) among latent variables when measurement model with many indicators is correct and (b) when causal relations corresponding to free parameters expected to be nonzero turn out to be zero or near zero. A discussion of philosophy of parsimony elucidates relations of parsimony to parameter estimation, disconfirmability, and goodness of fit. AGFI in {lisrel} is rejected. A method of adjusting goodness-of-fit indices by a parsimony ratio is described. Also discusses less biased estimates of goodness of fit and a relative normed-fit index for testing fit of structural model exclusive of the measurement model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Provides simple but accurate methods for comparing correlation coefficients between a dependent variable and a set of independent variables. The methods are simple extensions of O. J. Dunn and V. A. Clark's (1969) work using the Fisher
z transformation and include a test and confidence interval for comparing 2 correlated correlations, a test for heterogeneity, and a test and confidence interval for a contrast among
k (>2) correlated correlations. Also briefly discussed is why the traditional Hotelling's
t test for comparing correlations is generally not appropriate in practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Reigning measures of psychological well-being have little theoretical grounding, despite an extensive literature on the contours of positive functioning. Aspects of well-being derived from this literature (i.e., self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth) were operationalized. Three hundred and twenty-one men and women, divided among young, middle-aged, and older adults, rated themselves on these measures along with six instruments prominent in earlier studies (i.e., affect balance, life satisfaction, self-esteem, morale, locus of control, depression). Results revealed that positive relations with others, autonomy, purpose in life, and personal growth were not strongly tied to prior assessment indexes, thereby supporting the claim that key aspects of positive functioning have not been represented in the empirical arena. Furthermore, age profiles revealed a more differentiated pattern of well-being than is evident in prior research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Aristotle's concept of eudaimonia and hedonic enjoyment constitute 2 philosophical conceptions of happiness. Two studies involving combined samples of undergraduate and graduate students (Study 1,
n = 209; Study 2,
n = 249) were undertaken to identify the convergent and divergent aspects of these constructs. As expected, there was a strong positive correlation between personal expressiveness (eudaimonia) and hedonic enjoyment. Analyses revealed significant differences between the 2 conceptions of happiness experienced in conjunction with activities for the variables of (1) opportunities for satisfaction, (2) strength of cognitive-affective components, (3) level of challenges, (4) level of skills, and (5) importance. It thus appears that the 2 conceptions of happiness are related but distinguishable and that personal expressiveness, but not hedonic enjoyment, is a signifier of success in the process of self-realization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Counseling psychologists often work with clients to increase their well-being as well as to decrease their distress. One important aspect of well-being, highlighted particularly in humanistic theories of the counseling process, is perceived meaning in life. However, poor measurement has hampered research on meaning in life. In 3 studies, evidence is provided for the internal consistency, temporal stability, factor structure, and validity of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), a new 10-item measure of the presence of, and the search for, meaning in life. A multitrait-multimethod matrix demonstrates the convergent and discriminant validity of the MLQ subscales across time and informants, in comparison with 2 other meaning scales. The MLQ offers several improvements over current meaning in life measures, including no item overlap with distress measures, a stable factor structure, better discriminant validity, a briefer format, and the ability to measure the search for meaning.
This paper argues against hedonistic theories of happiness. First, hedonism is too inclusive: many pleasures cannot plausibly be construed as constitutive of happiness. Second, any credible theory must count either attitudes of life satisfaction, affective states such as mood, or both as constituents of happiness; yet neither sort of state reduces to pleasure. Hedonism errs in its attempt to reduce happiness, which is at least partly dispositional, to purely episodic experiential states. the dispositionality of happiness also undermines weakened nonreductive forms of hedonism, as some happiness-constitutive states are not pleasures in any sense. Moreover, these states can apparently fail to exhibit the usual hedonic properties; sadness, for instance, can sometimes be pleasant. Finally, the nonhedonistic accounts are adequate if not superior on grounds of practical and theoretical utility, quite apart from their superior conformity to the folk notion of happiness.
“And does his philosophy make you happy?”
“I have never searched for happiness. Who wants happiness?
I have searched for pleasure.”
Oscar Wilde, the Picture of Dorian Gray (p. 209)
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.
Hedonia (seeking pleasure and comfort) and eudaimonia (seeking to use and develop the best in oneself) are often seen as opposing
pursuits, yet each may contribute to well-being in different ways. We conducted four studies (two correlational, one experience-sampling,
and one intervention study) to determine outcomes associated with activities motivated by hedonic and eudaimonic aims. Overall,
results indicated that: between persons (at the trait level) and within persons (at the momentary state level), hedonic pursuits
related more to positive affect and carefreeness, while eudaimonic pursuits related more to meaning; between persons, eudaimonia
related more to elevating experience (awe, inspiration, and sense of connection with a greater whole); within persons, hedonia
related more negatively to negative affect; between and within persons, both pursuits related equally to vitality; and both
pursuits showed some links with life satisfaction, though hedonia’s links were more frequent. People whose lives were high
in both eudaimonia and hedonia had: higher degrees of most well-being variables than people whose lives were low in both pursuits
(but did not differ in negative affect or carefreeness); higher positive affect and carefreeness than predominantly eudaimonic
individuals; and higher meaning, elevating experience, and vitality than predominantly hedonic individuals. In the intervention
study, hedonia produced more well-being benefits at short-term follow-up, while eudaimonia produced more at 3-month follow-up.
The findings show that hedonia and eudaimonia occupy both overlapping and distinct niches within a complete picture of well-being,
and their combination may be associated with the greatest well-being.
KeywordsPleasure-Hedonism-Eudaimonia-Virtue-Well-being-Elevation
Ryff’s (1989b) Psychological Well-Being (PWB) scales measure six related constructs of human functioning. The present paper examined the
validity of Ryff’s 6-factor PWB model, using data from a life events study (N=401) and an organisational climate study (N=679). Previous validation studies, using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), have identified alternative PWB models, but
limitations include the use of shorter scale versions with items relating to a number of life domains within the same PWB
factor, and failure to examine the influence of participants’ socio-demographic characteristics on PWB. In this study, Exploratory
Factor Analysis (EFA) mostly found consistency in the PWB items and structure between the two studies whereby a 3-factor model
delineated between items relating to Autonomy, Positive Relations and a super-ordinate factor comprising the other PWB factors.
Using CFA, Goodness of Fit indices reached acceptable levels for the adjusted PWB model identified by the EFA, whilst differences
between adjusted models of PWB previously identified in the literature were hardly evident. Post-hoc analysis by gender demonstrated
socio-demographic effects on the structure and items that comprise PWB. Further development of PWB measures is needed to reflect
its hierarchical and multi-dimensional nature. In the scales’ current form, the construct validation of the PWB factors will
continue to be problematic and will fail to adequately evaluate the nature and impact of PWB.
Investigations of the structure of psychological well-being items are useful for advancing knowledge of what dimensions define psychological well-being in practice. Ryff has proposed a multidimensional model of psychological well-being and her questionnaire items are widely used but their latent structure and factorial validity remains contentious. Methods: We applied latent variable models for factor analysis of ordinal/categorical data to a 42-item version of Ryff's psychological well-being scales administered to women aged 52 in a UK birth cohort study (n=1,179). Construct (predictive) validity was examined against a measure of mental health recorded one year later. Results: Inter-factor correlations among four of the first-order psychological well-being constructs were sufficiently high (>0.80) to warrant a parsimonious representation as a second-order general well-being dimension. Method factors for questions reflecting positive and negative item content, orthogonal to the construct factors and assumed independent of each other, improved model fit by removing nuisance variance. Predictive validity correlations between psychological well-being and a multidimensional measure of psychological distress were dominated by the contribution of environmental mastery, in keeping with earlier findings from cross-sectional studies that have correlated well-being and severity of depression. Conclusion: Our preferred model included a single second-order factor, loaded by four of the six first-order factors, two method factors, and two more distinct first-order factors. Psychological well-being is negatively associated with dimensions of mental health. Further investigation of precision of measurement across the health continuum is required.
Defining hope as a cognitive set that is composed of a reciprocally derived sense of successful (1) agency (goal-directed determination) and (2) pathways (planning of ways to meet goals), an individual-differences measure is developed. Studies with college students and patients demonstrate acceptable internal consistency and test–retest reliability, and the factor structure identifies the agency and pathways components of the Hope Scale. Convergent and discriminant validity are documented, along with evidence suggesting that Hope Scale scores augmented the prediction of goal-related activities and coping strategies beyond other self-report measures. Construct validational support is provided in regard to predicted goal-setting behaviors; moreover, the hypothesized goal appraisal processes that accompany the various levels of hope are corroborated.
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.
"Construct validation was introduced in order to specify types of research required in developing tests for which the conventional views on validation are inappropriate. Personality tests, and some tests of ability, are interpreted in terms of attributes for which there is no adequate criterion. This paper indicates what sorts of evidence can substantiate such an interpretation, and how such evidence is to be interpreted." 60 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
Although the concept of HAPPINESS plays a central role in ethics, contemporary philosophers have generally given little attention to providing a robust account of what this concept entails. In a recent paper, Dan Haybron sets out to accomplish two main tasks: the first is to underscore the importance of conducting philosophical inquiry into the concept of HAPPINESS; the second is to defend a particular account of happiness—which he calls the 'emotional state conception of happiness'—while pointing out weaknesses in the primary competing accounts of happiness, including the hedonistic account. I argue against his claim that the emotional state conception of happiness is superior to the hedonistic conception of happiness. In the course of defending the hedonistic account of happiness against Haybron's attacks, I provide my own explanation for why the study of happiness is important to ethics.
This article reviews research and interventions that have grown up around a model of psychological well-being generated more than two decades ago to address neglected aspects of positive functioning such as purposeful engagement in life, realization of personal talents and capacities, and enlightened self-knowledge. The conceptual origins of this formulation are revisited and scientific products emerging from 6 thematic areas are examined: (1) how well-being changes across adult development and later life; (2) what are the personality correlates of well-being; (3) how well-being is linked with experiences in family life; (4) how well-being relates to work and other community activities; (5) what are the connections between well-being and health, including biological risk factors, and (6) via clinical and intervention studies, how psychological well-being can be promoted for ever-greater segments of society. Together, these topics illustrate flourishing interest across diverse scientific disciplines in understanding adults as striving, meaning-making, proactive organisms who are actively negotiating the challenges of life. A take-home message is that increasing evidence supports the health protective features of psychological well-being in reducing risk for disease and promoting length of life. A recurrent and increasingly important theme is resilience - the capacity to maintain or regain well-being in the face of adversity. Implications for future research and practice are considered. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.
In PNAS, Frederickson and colleagues (1) claim “hedonic and eudaimonic well-being engage distinct gene regulatory programs despite their similar effects on total well-being and depressive symptoms.” Complex analyses depend entirely on distinguishing hedonic vs. eudaimonic well-being with a self-report measure. Any interpretation needs to accommodate the high likelihood of confounding and reverse causality with genetic influences on both gene expression and well-being.
Researchers often debate about whether there is a meaningful differentiation between psychological well-being and subjective well-being. One view argues that psychological and subjective well-being are distinct dimensions, whereas another view proposes that they are different perspectives on the same general construct and thus are more similar than different. The purpose of this investigation was to examine these two competing views by using a statistical approach, the bifactor model, that allows for an examination of the common variance shared by the two types of well-being and the unique variance specific to each. In one college sample and one nationally representative sample, the bifactor model revealed a strong general factor, which captures the common ground shared by the measures of psychological well-being and subjective well-being. The bifactor model also revealed four specific factors of psychological well-being and three specific factors of subjective well-being, after partialling out the general well-being factor. We further examined the relations of the specific factors of psychological and subjective well-being to external measures. The specific factors demonstrated incremental predictive power, independent of the general well-being factor. These results suggest that psychological well-being and subjective well-being are strongly related at the general construct level, but their individual components are distinct once their overlap with the general construct of well-being is partialled out. The findings thus indicate that both perspectives have merit, depending on the level of analysis.
Empirical researchers maximize their contribution to theory development when they compare alternative theory‐inspired models under the same conditions. Yet model comparison tools in structural equation modeling—χ difference tests, information criterion measures, and screening heuristics—have significant limitations. This article explores the use of the Friedman method of ranks as an inferential procedure for evaluating competing models. This approach has attractive properties, including limited reliance on sample size, limited distributional assumptions, an explicit multiple comparison procedure, and applicability to the comparison of nonnested models. However, this use of the Friedman method raises important issues regarding the lack of independence of observations and the power of the test.
The orientations to happiness scale (OTH) was designed to measure three routes to happiness: pleasure (hedonia), meaning (eudaimonia) and engagement (flow). Past research utilising the scale suggests that all orientations predict life satisfaction, with meaning and engagement the stronger predictors relative to pleasure. However, these findings are inconsistent with other research; one plausible explanation being that the OTH scale lacks validity. This was tested by having participants (N = 107) complete the OTH scale and the Satisfaction with Life scale, prior to completing an online diary reporting actual instances of hedonic and eudaimonic behaviour. Although meaning predicted eudaimonic behaviour, the pleasure orientation was unrelated to hedonic behaviour. Further, hedonic behaviour was more strongly related to life satisfaction than eudaimonic behaviour; inconsistent with OTH scale results. These findings challenge the validity of the OTH scale, and subsequently bring into question those conclusions drawn from past research utilising the OTH scale.
Some problems in the measurement of latent variables in structural equations causal models are presented, with examples from recent empirical studies. Latent variables that are theoretically the source of correlation among the empirical indica tors are differentiated from unmeasured variables that are related to the empirical indicators for other reasons. It is pointed out that these should also be represented by different analytical models, and that much published research has treated this distinction as if it had no analytic consequences. The connection between this theoretical distinction and disattenuation effects in latent variable models is shown, and problems with these estimates are discussed. Finally, recommendations are made for decisions about whether and how to measure latent variables when manifest variables are potentially available.