Questions on happiness: Classical topics, modern answers, blind spots
... Thus, it became apparent that subjective factors also influence a person's well-being. Over time, subjective well-being, or happiness, has been singled out as an independent object of study, not only by psychologists and sociologists, as seen in the works by Veenhoven (1991), but also by economists (Piekałkiewicz, 2017). International organizations have begun assessing it and comparing different regions. ...
... Por otro lado, en cuanto al bienestar subjetivo, Veenhoven (1991) define el bienestar como el grado en que un individuo juega su vida "como un todo" en términos favorables. Y así se entiende que una persona se siente feliz o satisfecha con la vida si experimenta durante más tiempo y en mayor frecuencia mayor cantidad de afecto positivo. ...
... This suggests that social desirability does not strongly influence the reporting of positive states, further supporting the specificity of the scales in capturing socially desirable responding rather than general tendencies toward positivity. These results concur with some studies in which they pretended to correlate social desirability with, for example, subjective happiness (e.g., Caputo, 2017;Kozma & Stones, 1987;Veenhoven, 1991). Those studies did not find any problem of SDB in literature of positive traits or emotions, such as happiness measures. ...
This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Social Desirability Scale (SDS) and develop a short version, the SDS-BV. Using data from 3,855 participants in Puerto Rico, confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that while the SDS showed excellent incremental fit (CFI = .995, TLI = .994), its RMSEA values were weaker, highlighting potential areas for refinement. The SDS-BV consistently exhibited very strong fit across all indices (CFI = 1.00, TLI = 1.00, SRMR = .012), underscoring its robustness and parsimony. Both scales achieved measurement invariance across demographic and organizational groups, confirming their equivalence for comparative research. High reliability coefficients (α ≥ .926) and significant correlations with related constructs support the validity of both scales. The SDS-BV, with fewer items and superior psychometric performance, emerges as a practical and reliable tool for assessing social desirability in diverse contexts. Findings highlight their relevance for psychological and organizational studies. Resumen Este estudio examinó las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Deseabilidad Social (EDS) y desarrolló una versión breve, la EDS-VB. Utilizando datos de 3,855 participantes en Puerto Rico, los análisis factoriales confirmatorios mostraron que, aunque la EDS presentó un ajuste incremental excelente (CFI = .995, TLI = .994), sus valores de RMSEA fueron más débiles, sugiriendo áreas para mejorar. La SDS-BV demostró un ajuste muy fuerte en todos los índices (CFI = 1.00, TLI = 1.00, SRMR = .012), destacando su robustez y parsimonia. Ambas escalas lograron invarianza de medición entre grupos demográficos y organizacionales, confirmando su equivalencia para investigaciones comparativas. Los altos coeficientes de confiabilidad (α ≥ .926) y las correlaciones significativas con constructos relacionados respaldan la validez de ambas escalas. La EDS-VB, con menos ítems y mejor desempeño psicométrico, surge como una herramienta práctica y confiable para medir la deseabilidad social en diversos contextos. Estos hallazgos destacan su relevancia para estudios psicológicos y organizacionales.
... In essence, a favorable psychological state contributes to individuals' ability to experience joy in their lives. Consequently, they are likely to experience happiness, contentment, and positive life outcomes [1][2][3]. Due to the heightened expectations, discontent, and perpetual rush prevalent in today's world, individuals are grappling with psychological distress, necessitating interventions to enhance and support their mental well-being [4]. Paradoxically, a significant number of individuals resist seeking psychological support despite these challenges [5]. ...
The increase in mental health issues and awareness among individuals, compared to previous times, has contributed to recognizing this as a significant public health issue. The necessity to explore potential factors behind mental health problems has become paramount and served as the primary impetus for the current research endeavor. This study aims to explore if there is a relationship between attitudes toward seeking psychological and psychiatric support. a significant relationship between sociodemographic factors and individuals’ tendency to seek psychological and psychiatric help, and if so, in what direction are these relationships? and a significant relationship between individual and social factors and individuals’ tendency to seek psychological and psychiatric help, and if so, in what direction are these relationships? Microdata from the Turkey Health Survey, conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute and representative of Turkey, was used as the dataset. Increased the representative power of the data set over the universe by weighting the data set, and the Bivariate Probit Model was used to address the research questions. As a result of the study, various sociodemographic (gender, age, employment status, et al.), individual and social factors (general health status, participation in social activities, alcohol use et al.) may influence individuals’ inclinations toward seeking psychological and psychiatric assistance. The research offers valuable insights for social policymakers and researchers into the behavioral tendencies of individuals seeking professional psychiatric help.
... These questions measured participants' self-reported attitudes about the extent to which they were worried about their security from different threats, including a war involving their country, a terrorist attack, and a civil war. The items use a 4-point Likert-type scale ranging from "Very much" (1) to "Not at all" (4). Higher scores on the four items indicate less worry about these threats, so they indicate higher levels of perceived security. ...
Life satisfaction refers to an individual’s cognitive evaluation of the quality of their life. The aim of the present study is to develop the current understanding of how perceived corruption, attitudes toward migration, perceived security, and strength of national identity influence life satisfaction. Additionally, the study examines how demographic variables of relationship status, social class, sex, religious affiliation, and country impact life satisfaction in the provided cultural context. Ordinal logistic regression analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Structural Equation Modeling are used to analyze data from the World Values Survey. Findings from the analyses indicate that perceived corruption, perceived security, and strength of national identity have a significant impact on life satisfaction, whereas migration has an indirect effect on life satisfaction through perceived security. The present research can develop our current understanding of life satisfaction from a socio-political perspective.
Students’ well-being has become an important part of education policy in many countries. Research shows that well-being contributes to students’ engagement in school, thereby supporting academic achievement. However, prior research has often neglected the interplay and multidimensionality of the constructs. The present study applied a six-dimensional student well-being model and a three-component school engagement model to untangle the differential associations of positive and negative well-being dimensions with the components of school engagement and academic achievement. Longitudinal mediation analyses using a sample of N = 754 Swiss secondary school students and two measurement points (Grade 7 and Grade 8) revealed differential associations of well-being dimensions with engagement components, but no direct effects on academic achievement. Enjoyment in school, as a dimension of student well-being, had an indirect effect on academic achievement, mediated through behavioral engagement. The results imply that fostering students’ enjoyment in school may be a promising strategy to enhance their behavioral engagement and, in turn, promote their academic achievement.
Disability puts the child's parents and the whole family system in a difficult situation. It is associated with the reorganization of the current functioning of the family, division of duties, free time and social activity. The article presents a study on the relationship between styles and strategies of coping with difficult situations and a sense of satisfaction with life in the parents of children with autism spectrum disorders. Only in the group of examined mothers the hypothesis has been partially confirmed in which it was found that there is a relationship between the applied styles and strategies of coping with stress and their life satisfaction. In this group, dispositional and situational action focused on emotions, acceptance of the problem and concentration on it had significant on the shaping of life satisfaction.Due to the heterogeneous nature of the experienced difficulties of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders, styles and strategies of counseling and life satisfaction, these analyzes can be treated as valuable enough to undertake further ventures within the presented issues.
Kesejahteraan karyawan menjadi faktor krusial bagi organisasi. Karyawan yang merasakan kebahagiaan di tempat kerja cenderung berkontribusi positif pada kinerja kerja, yang pada akhirnya berdampak pada peningkatan keuntungan organisasi. Oleh karena itu, penting untuk mengetahui bagaimana kebahagiaan karyawan di tempat kerja. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menguji validitas adaptasi alat ukur Happiness At Work Scale dari Salas-Vallina (2018) dalam Bahasa Indonesia yang telah dilakukan oleh peneliti. Subjek penelitian ini adalah karyawan di Indonesia yang pernah mengalami bekerja dengan sistem Hybrid Working dengan jumlah 141 responden. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa nilai reliabel Alpha Cronbrach sebesar 0.924 (>0,7). Implikasi dari hasil CFA ini menunjukkan bahwa model fit dapat diterima karena memenuhi syarat kriteria CFI (0,908 ≥ 0,90), RMSEA (0,072 ≤ 0.08), dan SRMR (0,072 ≤ 0.08).
The theory of downward comparison posits that persons experiencing negative affect can enhance their subjective well-being through comparison with a less fortunate other, the process occurring on either a passive or active basis. The present author discusses the basic principle of downward comparison and its corollaries and suggests that these represent the motivational process for phenomena observed in several areas of social psychology. Evidence is considered from studies of the fear-affiliation effect, choice of others for social comparison, scapegoating, projection, aversive environmental events and attraction toward others, social prejudice, hostile aggression, and humor. It is shown that downward comparison principles encompass empirical evidence from these areas, account for nonreplications as well as confirmatory findings, and provide a theoretical basis for the relation among the various phenomena. (111 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
A fairly thorough account of multiple discrepancies theory (MDT) is presented, with a review of its historical antecedents and an examination of its strength in accounting for the happiness (H) and satisfaction (S) of nearly 700 university undergraduates. Basically, MDT asserts that H and S are functions of perceived gaps between what one has and wants, relevant others have, the best one has had in the past, expected to have 3 years ago, expects to have after 5 years, deserves and needs. MDT explained 49% of the variance in H, 53% in global S and 50% or more in 7 out of 12 domain S scores. The domains studied were health, finances, family, job, friendships, housing, area, recreation, religion, self-esteem, transportation and education.
The issue. Nineteenth century utilitarian philosophers considered happiness as the highest good (utility in their words) and claimed political priority for attempts to promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number. In reaction, many of their contemporaries cried out that happiness is not good at all, because it turns people into contented cows and undermines social bonds. Modern psychologists, however, tend to suggest positive effects: sharper awareness, more activity, better social functioning and better health.
Data. No empirical investigations have yet focussed on consequences of happiness. Nevertheless, indications can be found in various studies covering other matters. This paper gathers the available data. These data do not allow definite conclusions, but do suggest several small yet noteworthy effects. Enjoyment of life seems to broaden perception, to encourage active involvement and thereby to foster political participation. It facilitates social contacts: in particular contacts with spouse and children. Further, happiness buffers stress, thereby preserving health and lengthening life somewhat. There is no evidence of harmful effects. It is concluded that society is more likely to flourish with happy citizens than with unhappy ones.
Conducted 3 studies in which a self-study program, designed to increase felt personal happiness and life satisfaction, was developed. The program was based on the literature of happiness, and it was hypothesized that normal community college students (total N = 338) could become happier if they could modify their behaviors and attitudes to approximate more closely the characteristics of happier people. In the 1st study, 2 of 3 pilot programs produced statistically significant happiness boosts compared to a placebo control. A single program was then designed that combined the best aspects of the pilot programs. In the 2nd study, an experimental group receiving this combined program showed significant boosts in happiness compared to a placebo control. In the 3rd study, the combined program was presented to Ss on a take-it-or-leave-it basis--those applying it showing significant boosts in happiness compared to those who did not. The studies suggest that the resulting self-study program may be helpful to individuals wishing to increase the emotional satisfaction they derive from living. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
Recent findings indicate that happiness depends not so much on life circumstances as on the way in which these are interpreted and evaluated, which is loosely attributed to a concept of "happiness set." Two experiments with 84 Ss indicated that happiness can be improved either by a group discussion of beliefs and attitudes or, alternatively, by daily rehearsal of positive feeling statements. These results can be attributed either to 2 different ways of influencing the happiness set or to a nonspecific placebo-type effect. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The general characteristics and some possible implications of the distinction between cognition and affect in the perception of well-being are reviewed. It is posited that currently-used rating-scale indicators of perceived well-being differ only marginally in the extent to which they are compounds of both factors, and consequently variables that move differently and possibly strongly on the underlying factors will have only muted relationships with the indicators. Two kinds of secondary analyses of data from recent American Surveys are presented which support and amplify this hypothesis, along with some British data. The first kind focusses on the area of non-overlap between happiness and life satisfaction ratings by dichotomising and cross-tabulating the two indicators, and then observing what further variables change diagnostically between appropriate cells of the 22 table. Differential trends with age and education, barely discernible in straightforward correlations against the indicators now emerge strongly, along with further interesting differences for other outside variables, notably enjoyment-of-life, affect balance, income and personal competence. The second kind of analysis draws on data sets which include Bradburn's affect balance scales along with a range of global ratings of subjective well-being. The considerable variance in the global ratings which remains after the affect scales are partialled out, and allowance is made for correlated method effects, is attributed to cognition. Starting points are then explored for analysing the role of cognition and affect more exactly by means of path models which include the cognitive factor as an unobserved variable.
Relating demographers' measures of various population characteristics (size, growth/decline, density, age/sex structures, migration, et cetera) to measures of well-being recently developed within the social indicators movement promises to provide new knowledge about the linkage of population and well-being that can enhance decision making about important population issues.
A conceptual schema is presented that suggests specific relationships to examine at various levels of aggregation, that helps to classify research already done in this area, and that helps to identify "holes" in the knowledge base.
Some special methodological features of research in this area suggest considerable time and care will be required to produce dependable new knowledge. These include: (a) the inherent multilevel nature of the relationships (involving properties of individuals and collectivities); (b) the slow rate at which population characteristics change; (c) the absence of much good well-being data from the past; and (d) the limited nature of the collectivities for which population data are available.