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Conceptions of happiness and life satisfaction: An exploratory study in 14 national groups
Abstract
Abstract This study examined the relationship between 4 conceptions of happiness and life satisfaction in a sample of 2715 university students across 14 national groups. The 4 conceptions were self-transcendence, self-directed hedonism, conservation, and self-enhancement, which emerged from a principal component analysis of a 19-item scale generated for the purpose of the present study. Results of multi-level modeling showed that self-transcendence and conservation predicted life satisfaction positively and significantly. In addition, we found that self-directed hedonism and self-enhancement interacted in their effects on life satisfaction.
... Sortheix and Schwartz's theoretical model was substantiated by their analyses across the European Social Survey's 35 nations. However, studies of college students in 14 countries (most of them Asian countries) have shown that self-transcendence as well as conservation may positively predict LS (Joshanloo et al., 2016), contrary to the predictions of the theoretical model. (Hanel et al., 2020). ...
... We do not know of any reliable evidence concerning the values most important to LS. Studies of college students in 14 countries have shown that the interaction between hedonism, self-enhancement, and self-direction predicts LS (Joshanloo et al., 2016). Openness to change, like conservation and self-transcendence, has minor to moderate associations with LS, but self-enhancement remains unrelated to LS (Zalewska and Zwierzchowska, 2022). ...
... A positive effect due to self-transcendence concerning LS supports H3 and aligns with theoretical perspectives suggesting that socialfocused values like self-transcendence are positive in their associations with LS among countries of high HDI featuring collectivist tendencies (Sortheix and Lönnqvist, 2014). This result shows consistency with regard to earlier studies that showed self-transcendence values contribute to lasting well-being and are negative in their associations with loneliness as well as depression (Joshanloo et al., 2016;Liu et al., 2022Liu et al., , 2023. A neutral effect of conservation values supports H2b, indicating that in a stable and secure social environment like China, these values may not be detrimental to LS, contrary to traditional theoretical models that associate conservation values with deficiency needs and reduced LS (Bilsky and Schwartz, 1994;Sortheix and Schwartz, 2017). ...
Background
Young adults are in the period of the formation and establishment of values. Even though previous research has revealed that personal values are important factors influencing young adults’ life satisfaction, it is still unknown when and under what circumstances values affect life satisfaction among young adults. Therefore, this study explored the relationship between personal values and life satisfaction among Chinese young adults, focusing on the mediating roles of resilience and emotional intelligence.
Methods
A sample of N = 635 (271 male) young adults from four universities located in Guangzhou were recruited using a cross-sectional stratified sampling method. All participants completed the Revised Portrait Value Questionnaire, Emotional Intelligence Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Brief Resilience Scale.
Results
Results revealed that: (1) self-transcendence (r = 0.29, p < 0.001), self-enhancement (r = 0.27, p < 0.001), openness to change (r = 0.22, p < 0.001), and conservation (r = 0.26, p < 0.001) were differentially positively associated with life satisfaction. Chain mediation analysis found that: there was a significant indirect effect for self-transcendence, via EI (ind = 0.070, p = 0.004, 95% CI = [0.027, 0.124]), and the sequential influence via EI and resilience suggested a moderate effect (ind = 0.024, p = 0.008, 95% CI = [0.009, 0.045]). For self-enhancement values exerted significantly negative indirect effects on LS via resilience (ind = −0.029, p = 0.034, 95% CI = [−0.060, −0.005]). Openness to change had a significant indirect impact on LS via EI (ind = 0.086, p < 0.001, 95% CI = [0.046, 0.133]), and the sequential influence via resilience and EI was significant (ind = 0.029, p = 0.001, 95% CI = [0.015, 0.050]). For conservation, the chain mediation model did not reveal any significant indirect effects via resilience or EI.
Conclusion
Our findings extend the current literature on personal values and life satisfaction, highlighting the significant effects of resilience and emotional intelligence on the link between personal values and life satisfaction. Overall, this research helps young adults strengthen their resilience and emotional intelligence to increase the impact of values on life satisfaction.
... A growing body of research is accumulating to indicate the importance of the conceptions of happiness in determining the levels of well-being ( Joshanloo et al., 2016). For example, the belief that happiness consists of pursuing a virtuous life style (rather than merely having pleasurable experiences), and the belief that happiness should be actively pursued (rather than avoided) are significantly associated with subjective well-being ( Ford, Shallcross, Mauss, Floerke, & Gruber, 2014;Huta & Ryan, 2010;). ...
... For example, research has shown that whether or not highly valuing happiness predicts subjective well-being is determined by cultural orientations ( Ford et al., 2015). The relationship between hedonism and life satisfaction has also been found to be moderated by the types of value (i.e., internal vs external) endorsed by a person ( Joshanloo et al., 2016). These findings suggest that the consequences of holding certain beliefs about happiness may depend on moderator variables. ...
... We found that fragility of happiness demonstrated a modest negative correlation with subjective happiness. Other conceptions of happiness have also demonstrated only modest correlations with subjective well-being (e.g., Furnham & Cheng, 2000;Joshanloo et al., 2016). We predicted and found that, in individuals with high or moderate levels of optimism, fragility of happiness was not significantly correlated with happiness. ...
Abstract Considering happiness as fragile and fleeting rather than stable is negatively correlated with happiness. We predicted that the relationship between fragility of happiness beliefs and subjective happiness would be moderated by optimism. More specifically, we hypothesized that in individuals high on optimism the fragility beliefs would not be negatively related to well-being, whereas in individuals low on optimism, fragility beliefs would be negatively related to well-being. We tested this hypothesis in a sample of young South Koreans (N = 246). The results supported our prediction, showing that fragility beliefs were significantly related to lowered happiness only when accompanied by low levels of optimism. These results suggest that conceptions of happiness may interact with other psychological variables to influence actual levels of happiness.
... Raibley [54] aspired to define the theoretical connection between happiness and well-being and argued that happiness is highly favorable when valued or when it is set as the benchmark to realize one's potential and, hence, is not exclusively enough to attain high levels of well-being. Joshanloo et al. [108] examined the association between four conceptions of happiness and life satisfaction among 2715 university students and find that self-transcendence and conservatism positively affect life satisfaction, but self-directed hedonism and self-enhancement undermine life satisfaction. ...
... Altruism -Family size and family income Phelps [169] Income, health status, employment, and, financial satisfaction --Boo et al. [29] Financial behavior namely managing expenses (directly), controlling balance and saving Financial satisfaction, academic performance, academic satisfaction -Xiao et al. [53] Adaptation life events (marital transition, unemployment, and disability)-Hedonic Adaptation --Lucas [140] Mutual (familial) altruism between mother and child, and father and child --Ong et al. [170] Anasakti-Non-attachment and selfless duty orientation --Banth and Talwar [121] General mental ability Unhealthy behaviors, education, and occupational prestige School involvement, appreciation of subjects, others' happiness, and prosocial behavior --Backman [28] Labor union membership across high-and low-income countries -Average annual unemployment rate, fixed country characteristics, time period characteristics Charman and Owen [175] Self-transcendence, self-directed hedonism, conservation, and self-enhancement -Age, gender and national individualism Joshanloo et al. [108] Self-evaluations, positive and negative affectivity and Neutral Objects Satisfaction Questionnaire --Piccolo et al. [176] Four domains of leisure (challenge, boredom, awareness, and distress) --Lepp, [42] Burglary and robbery (Crime) --Kuroki [153] Socially engagement Cross-cultural differences Age and gender Ford et al. [125] Debt Partially moderated by income Gender, marital status, and employment status Tay et al. [149] Living in a democratic country --Loubser and Steenekamp [157] Absolute income, positional and relational goods, and social capital -Age, gender, education, employment and marital status Sarracino [132] Employment and unemployment --Strizovic and Mratinkovic [80] Ethical leadership Job satisfaction Gender and Income Conna Yang [177] Immigration -Immigrants continents of origin, original country's religion, age, income, and education ...
Human beings want to live in a state of happiness and prosperity, but happiness is important not just for the well-being of individuals but for the well-being of society. To ensure the maximization of happiness, it is necessary to consider more than just money, and rather include the right understanding of happiness at the individual level, the family level, the society level, and the environmental (nature) level. This paper contributes to the existing body of knowledge by consolidating the findings of the literature; grouping those into major themes and sub-themes; describing the mechanisms based on the empirical papers by highlighting the independent, dependent, control, and moderating variables, to study the causal relationships between variables under study; proposing an agenda for future research; and informing the policymakers about decisions influencing the human happiness level through legislative rules and regulations. Our results suggest prioritizing the conceptualization of happiness while computing the happiness level at the individual or collective levels. Furthermore, the study recommends governments to establish the conditions enabling individuals to report happiness independently from the political pressure to answer strategically for impressive happiness level figures at the macro level.
... happiness or life satisfaction) is employed. The studies carried out by Gamble and Garling (2012), Joshanloo et al. (2016) also show that happiness significantly correlates to life satisfaction. ...
... As discussed above, the previous research shows that happiness significantly correlates to life satisfaction (Gamble and Garling 2012;Joshanloo et al. 2016). This relationship was verified by comparing the score of Overall life satisfaction with the score of Frequency of being happy in the last 4 weeks (the latter is also published by Eurostat). ...
Scientific literature is rich in the discussions about social and economic welfare. A number of studies on the relationship between subjective well-being and various economic and social indicators have been carried out over the last decade. Reliability and validity of survey-generated data are very important factors in this type of research as they determine credibility of the conclusions. The purpose of this research is to verify whether the data of surveys on population’s life satisfaction is valid. The object of this research is the index of Overall life satisfaction in the European Union announced by the Eurostat. As the index of Overall life satisfaction is available only for 2013, verification of data validity was complemented with the analysis of the index of population’s Satisfaction with financial situation, which strongly correlates with the index of Overall life satisfaction. This approach provided more opportunities to collate and compare the data of different surveys. Collation of the data generated by several interrelated surveys on population’s life satisfaction has disclosed some significant differences in final results. The results of the research lead to the conclusion that the sample data does not represent the real situation of population’s life satisfaction, and this trend is particularly evident in less developed European countries. As a consequence, the index of Overall life satisfaction cannot be considered a good measure for the research in human welfare, and the conclusions concerning the relationship between the indicator of life satisfaction and other relevant indicators cannot be treated as credible.
... Studying children's and adolescents' beliefs about happiness at school is important for different reasons. First, previous research has found that scientific definitions of happiness may not always correspond to how people define happiness and may even vary across cultures (e.g., Joshanloo et al. 2016). In fact, previous research has already suggested that questionnaires may not capture subtle nuances that may be present in people's definitions (Carlquist et al. 2016). ...
... First, the data was collected in a single culture and in middle-class schools. Therefore, the obtained results may be different in distinct cultures or different socio-economic backgrounds, as found in previous research with adults (e.g., Joshanloo et al. 2016). Second, we did not assess the different variables at different points, which prevented us from testing for cross-lagged relations. ...
Previous research on children’s and adolescents’ well-being at school has been focused on the possible determinants. However, no previous research has analysed children’s and adolescents’ lay-beliefs or conceptualizations of happiness at school. In the present work, we studied children’s (N = 104, 9–10-year-olds) and adolescents’ (N = 113, 15–16-year-olds) conceptualizations of happiness at school and its link with self-reported happiness (assessed 3 months later) and academic achievement (assessed 7 months later). For both samples, seven conceptualizations emerged: happiness as ‘being with friends’, ‘being praised’, ‘getting good grades’, ‘learning’, ‘leisure’, ‘enjoyment’, and ‘helping’. Age differences appeared for the conceptualizations of ‘being friends’ and ‘helping’, as children mentioned significantly more the former and adolescents the latter. No gender differences emerged. For adolescents, the conceptualizations of happiness at school as ‘being with friends’, ‘being praised’, ‘helping’, and not ‘having leisure time’ were positively related to self-reported happiness, which was positively related to academic achievement. For children, none of the conceptualizations were positively related to self-reported happiness. The conceptualization of happiness as ‘learning’ was positively related to academic achievement. The results are discussed in regards to their implications for children’s and adolescents’ well-being at school.
... Commonly, the most frequent approach towards happiness use to refer to pleasure, meaning and engagement. However, some studies have concerned happiness as a concept more related to life satisfaction [10,11]. Therefore, and considering its impact on the quality of life of population, satisfaction with life represents an important issue that needs to be researched in the field of social sciences [12,13]. ...
... Total scores can range from 5 to 35 points, meaning the higher scores a greater life satisfaction. According to Diener [1,6,7], the final scores of the scale can be understood as: (5-9) Extremely Dissatisfied; (10)(11)(12)(13)(14) Dissatisfied; (15)(16)(17)(18)(19) Slightly below average in life satisfaction; (20-24) Average score; (25)(26)(27)(28)(29) High score; (30-35) Very high score, or "highly satisfied with life". The used version (in Spanish language) was obtained from the public database of the original author, in which the scale is in different languages [6]. ...
Satisfaction with life is a wide studied component of well-being, largely documented along the recent decades. Also, it constitutes one of the most relevant variables within the positive and social psychology to study outcomes in different spheres of the life. Regarding the scholar context, it has been documented through several research experiences that the psychological well-being and, concretely the life satisfaction, has a broad importance on academically performance and behaviors observed within the scholar environment, as well as the achievement of academic goals. Satisfaction With Life Scale is one of the most used questionnaires to asses this factor. For this reason, the general objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the SWLS in Colombian university students. This study used a sample composed by 150 university students of Colombian higher education institutions with a mean of 19.64 years of age, and belonging to seven different fields of knowledge or careers. The questionnaire consisted in two sections: In the first section, university students were asked about demographic variables such as age, gender, relationship status and coursing career. For the second section, it was used Diener's Satisfaction With Life Scale (Likert scale-5 items). The results of this application show a relatively high satisfaction with life among Colombian university students. Although not gender differences were found, it has been established a set of differences according to career. Regarding psychometric properties, it was found a good factorial solution, and a set of favorable internal consistency coefficients. Satisfaction with life is an essential variable to be considered as part of the approach to well-being and quality of life of people. This study constitutes a significant effort taking into account that it allows to learn more about this phenomenon in a population of which (in the Colombian context, and even others) it has been done very little in terms of research of Subjective Well-Being and its relationship to outcomes in different spheres of life.
... The first type defines happiness based on external criteria, such as actions stemming from an individual's virtuous qualities or actions performed in accordance with moral norms. The second type, more popular among social science researchers, refers to happiness as life satisfaction [21]. The third type defines happiness as a positive feeling experienced from an individual's perspective. ...
This study examined the relationship of social support, happiness, state anxiety, and passion at work (PAW) among medical staff members during armed conflict in Israel. Using snowball sampling, this research investigated how these factors interact in healthcare settings during crisis periods. Findings revealed a significant positive correlation between happiness and harmonious PAW, whereas no relationship was found with obsessive PAW. State anxiety showed a negative correlation with harmonious passion. Social support patterns indicate that healthcare workers relied primarily on immediate supervisors and colleagues rather than formal organizational services, with high support levels reported from significant others and family compared to moderate organizational support. These findings extend previous research by outlining how psychological factors influence different forms of PAW during specific crisis events. The current research has important implications for healthcare organisations in developing effective support mechanisms and crisis management strategies.
... The current investigation builds on prior work showing that people from different cultures vary in how they think about and evaluate pleasant and unpleasant emotions. Whereas North Americans tend to consider pleasant emotions as primarily good and unpleasant emotions as primarily bad, people from East Asian cultures have more mixed and nuanced views of both pleasant and unpleasant emotions Eid & Diener, 2001;Joshanloo et al., 2016;Uchida & Kitayama, 2009). These evaluations, in turn, could lead to cultural differences in the motivation to regulate This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. ...
Emotion regulation is linked to adaptive psychological outcomes. To engage in such regulation, people must be motivated to do it. Given that people in different countries vary in how they think about unpleasant emotions, we expected motivation to decrease unpleasant emotions to differ across countries. Furthermore, given that emotion regulation strategies operate in the service of motivation, we expected people who are less motivated to decrease unpleasant emotions to use emotion regulation strategies less across countries. To test these predictions, we conducted two studies during the COVID-19 pandemic: Study 1 in 2020 (N = 1,329) and Study 2 in 2021 (N = 1,279). We assessed the motivation to decrease unpleasant emotions and the use of emotion regulation strategies among members of East Asian countries (i.e., Japan, South Korea, and China) and Western countries (i.e., United States, United Kingdom, and Germany). Because we found substantial variation within these two broader cultural categories, we examined motivation and overall strategy use in emotion regulation at the country level. In both studies, motivation to decrease unpleasant emotions was the lowest in Japan and relatively high in the United States. As expected, across countries, weaker motivation to decrease unpleasant emotions was associated with using emotion regulation strategies less. We discuss implications of our findings for understanding cultural differences in motivated emotion regulation.
... According to Dambrun (2017), self-transcendence is positively related to authenticdurable happiness, while self-enhancement was positively linked to the fluctuation in happiness. Besides that, self-transcendence foresees happiness positively and significantly (Joshanloo et al., 2016). Lee and Kawachi (2019) discovered any individuals who pursue self-enhancement values are less happy as compared to those who pursue self-transcendence values. ...
Schwartz’s Value Theory has brought about a rebirth of research on human values. However, the mediating role of pro-environmental behaviours and happiness on human values is inadequate. Thus, this study adopted the bipolar dimensions of human values organised by Schwartz, self-transcendence, and self-enhancement as the independent construct of values to explore the mediating role of pro-environmental behaviours and happiness. Data were taken from a random sample of Klang Valley residents (N = 700) in Malaysia. Partial least squares and structural equation modeling tools were used to achieve the aims. The study found that self-transcendence plays a vital role in affecting pro-environmental behaviours and happiness. Pro-environmental behaviours lead to happiness, and it is an important mediator between human value with happiness. Happiness leads to pro-environmental behaviours, and it is also an important mediator between human values and pro-environmental behaviours. The results confirm that psychological factors (happiness) regarding the environment play a prominent role in determining pro-environmental behaviours. Hence, cultivating self-transcendence values is crucial to foster pro-environmental behaviours and boosting happiness. Engaging with pro-environmental behaviours is important to generate positive feelings, which will eventually boost happiness. Nurturing a sense of happiness will motivate pro-environmental behaviours as well.
... The first type defines happiness according to external criteria, such as actions arising out of virtue or performed in accordance with moral norms. The second type of happiness definitions, which is more popular among researchers in the social sciences, refers to happiness as life satisfaction (Joshanloo et al., 2016). Similarly, Veenhoven (1995Veenhoven ( , 2015Veenhoven ( , 2016 defined happiness or life satisfaction "as the degree to which one judges the quality of one's life favorably" (p. ...
Happiness and passion at work are two interrelated constructs, the importance of which has been acutely pronounced during the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant social isolation. We examine the nomological network of the two concepts, including the differentiation of obsessive and harmonious passion at work and well-being. Despite increasing research and theoretical interest in each concept, different terms and classifications exist, resulting in inconstant nominal and operational definitions. In this paper, through a systematic scoping review of the ambiguity of existing terms and use of different concepts for similar meanings, we clarify and discuss the construction of happiness and passion at work, including their interrelationship and differences. Hence, we propose new theoretical definitions (nominal definitions) for each concept that contain all three dimensions. Future studies will be able to develop new indexes (operational definitions) using validity and reliability tests.
... Moreover, Diener (1984) argued that happiness has three general definitions. The first, which is also the most widely accepted, treats happiness as satisfaction with life (Joshanloo et al., 2016). The second definition refers to external criteria in accordance with social norms. ...
The current study examined how state anxiety is related to social support (formal and informal), work–family conflict, and level of happiness among married mothers and single mothers by choice (SMBC) during the first lockdown of the Covid-19 crisis. The uniqueness of the present study lies in its comparison of married mothers and SMBC, whereas previous studies examined differences between single mothers, who are usually divorced, and married mothers. Moreover, the present research is the first to combine all relevant variables in one coherent study. A sample of 386 SMBC and 293 married mothers filled out a closed online questionnaire sent through social networks. The study findings show negative correlations between the level of social support, level of happiness, and type of support (friends, family, and significant others) and the level of state anxiety. Most women did not turn to formal sources of support such as aid and welfare agencies. Finally, a positive correlation was found between state anxiety and work–family conflict.
... However, empirical data did not confirm this pattern as five values (universalism, achievements, tradition, security, and conformity) showed no clear trends [18,32]. Moreover, research on university students from 14 nations showed that Life satisfaction was predicted by selftranscendence and conservation positively, and by interaction of self-directed hedonism with self-enhancement [33]. ...
Nurses’ life satisfaction (LS) predicts their health and the level of care they provide to patients, thus policies for promoting quality of nurses’ work require actions to increase their LS. The aim of this study was to examine relations between LS and two levels of personality (traits and values) among Polish nurses, including joint effects of traits and values in a model integrating all variables to check whether meta-values can mediate trait–LS relationships. Nurses (N = 155) aged 23–64 completed the NEO-FFI, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and PVQ40. LS correlated with all traits, with openness higher than usual (0.34), and positively associated with meta-values: openness to change (0.23), self-transcendence (0.30), and (‘unhealthy’) conservation (0.19). Trait–value consistency was insufficient to explain some trait–value associations. In the SEM analysis, 23.3% of LS variance was explained. LS was related directly to neuroticism negatively and positively not only to extraversion, but also to openness, and self-transcendence meta-value (that increased value-environment congruence), and indirectly positively (through self-transcendence) to openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and even neuroticism. These results indicate that promoting nurses’ health and quality of work by enhancing their LS requires supporting and increasing their identification with self-transcendence values and encourage research on factors that can increase it.
... Moreover, Diener (1984) argued that happiness has three general definitions. The first, which is also the most widely accepted, treats happiness as satisfaction with life (Joshanloo et al., 2016). The second definition refers to external criteria in accordance with social norms. ...
... Mental sensitization and being conscious of ones psychological health are one of the benefits of social support groups, in countries like Canada, the United States of America, Germany, etc, students are provided with maximum access to a therapist for the sole purpose of cross-examining their psychological state [4,9]. Social support like students' unions, peer groups, colleagues, classmates, teachers can relieve the stressors that affect medical students and provide psychological and mental stability to forge on [10][11][12] Solidarity may be explored to assess the psychological health of Nigerian medical students [13]. Knowing you have a support system enhances trust and confidence in the support group. ...
Subjective happiness and psychological health are essential domains supporting the understanding of the quality of life of individuals and special groups. This study hypothesized that social support and solidarity are vital moderators for understanding the association between psychological health and subjective happiness among medical students in Nigeria. Data from 304 Medical students were analysed using SPSS Version 26. Association between variable were assessed using "Pearson correlation". The predictive moderating effect of social support and solidarity on the aggregate association between psychological health and subjective happiness was examined using "Hierarchical multiple linear regression models." result shows that psychological health predcited 30% of the variance in subjective health score(adjusted R2 = 0.299; p < .001). Solidarity and social support indicators moderates the association between psychological health and subjective happiness suggested an effect size of (adjusted R2 =0 .307; p < 0.05). The change in effect size from model 1 to model 2 of the moderator was (Change in F = 4.78, p<0.030). The evidence presented in this study consolidates social support and solidarity as crucial indicators supporting the psychological health and subjective happiness of medical students in Nigeria.
... Personal values such as, human attitude, self-esteem, selfconsciousness, alertness, emotional stability, emotional maturity, social adjustment etc. suggested that the values to group together and form a higher order value domains like satisfaction, happiness and well-being (Joshanloo et al., 2016) [13] . It is generally assumed that person who has full knowledge of self and others, who can manage his/her emotions can effectively deal with the surroundings and he/she evaluate his/her life in a positive way. ...
The present study was aimed to explore the relationship between emotional maturity, emotional intelligence and life satisfaction. It was hypothesized that there is a positive correlation between emotional maturity, emotional intelligence and life satisfaction. To verify the hypotheses, 60 girls were selected from a women college, Bhiwani. Emotional maturity scale, emotional intelligence scale and life satisfaction scale were administered on participants to collect the data. The collected data were analysed by applying Pearson's correlation in SPSS software. The findings reveal that there is a positive correlation between emotional maturity and life satisfaction while no any significant correlation is found emotional intelligence and life satisfaction, emotional intelligence and emotional maturity.
... The limited sample size does not allow to exploit the information about 1st and 2nd generation immigrants. 11 SeeJoshanloo et al., (2016). ...
We study the non-monetary costs of terrorist attacks in France, Belgium and Germany between 2010 and 2017. Using four waves of the European Social Survey, we find that individual well-being is significantly reduced in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. We explore possible mechanisms, finding that terrorist attacks are negatively correlated with generalized trust, institutional trust, satisfaction with democracy and satisfaction with the government. Terrorist attacks are also found to be positively correlated with negative attitudes towards migrants and perceived discrimination. Contrary to expectations, the negative relationship between terrorism and well-being is less strong for Muslim immigrants. We interpret this finding as an indication that immigrants benefit more than natives from the institutional reaction following terrorist attacks.
... In line with the definition of mental health (WHO, 2001), the reported results showed that maladaptive beliefs about happiness can lead to detriments not only of positive outcomes such as positive affect or happiness, but also of undesired outcomes such as negative affect or depression. This also accords with the literature acknowledging beliefs about happiness as personal and cultural mechanisms that can influence the effect on subjective well-being (Joshanloo et al., 2016). ...
Objective
Two studies were conducted to investigate fear of happiness through the lens of the dual continua model of mental health.
Methods
In Study 1, we examined whether depression (indicator of mental illness) and happiness (indicator of mental health) predicted fear of happiness through a Structural Equation Model. In Study 2, we ran a quasi‐experimental design to examine differences in affect (positive and negative), happiness and depression when engaging in either fearless or fearful beliefs of happiness.
Results
Fear of happiness was positively and negatively predicted by depression and happiness, respectively. Fearless individuals reported higher positive affect and happiness, and lower negative affect and depression, than fearful individuals.
Conclusions
Fearing happiness might act as a maladaptive self‐verifying motive to enhance one's perspective of the world. Given the likelihood of modifying maladaptive cognitive patterns, we highlight different psychological interventions that can address the negative impact of fearful beliefs of happiness.
... In a study performed on university students from 14 different cultural backgrounds, Joshanloo et al., (2016) analyzed the relationship between happiness and satisfaction with life and argued that the needs for selfrealization and safety have a positive impact on satisfaction with life. In a study, Demirel (2019) detected a significant relationship between happiness and engaging in free-time activities. ...
Adopting the suitable sampling method, the sampling group of the study was selected on a voluntary basis out of university students who study for various faculties and departments. The sample of the study consisted of a total of 764 university students including 490 women (64.1%) and 274 men (35.9%). The Recreational Awareness Scale and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) were adopted to assess the awareness of subjects about attending events as a part of the study. The results indicated a significant difference in sub-dimension of pleasure & fun of Recreational Awareness Scale based on age while there was no significant difference in terms of the length of weekly free time. The difference between subjects in scores of satisfaction with life was significantly based on their wellbeing. It was evidenced that the relationship between recreational awareness and satisfaction with life was significant in a positive way. The limitations to the study and assessments over further studies were discussed in this regard.
... For example, Wang et al. (2018) found a negative association between narcissism and meaning in life, and Brand et al. (2016) found positive correlations between Machiavellianism and psychopathy and mental toughness. Conceptions of happiness are also associated with experienced mental well-being (Joshanloo, 2014;Joshanloo et al., 2016). In a study including eight conceptions of happiness, Joshanloo (2019) found that these conceptions collectively explained between 16% and 29% of the variance in various well-being dimensions. ...
This study explored the associations between the Dark Triad traits (i.e., Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) and mental well-being in a Korean adult sample (N = 1,177). The role of the conceptions of happiness as mediators of these associations was also investigated. Eight conceptions of happiness (e.g., fragility of happiness and eudaimonism), 3 dimensions of hedonic well-being (e.g., life satisfaction), and 2 dimensions of eudaimonic well-being (e.g., psychological well-being) were included in the study. The results showed that Machiavellianism and psychopathy were negatively and narcissism was positively associated with well-being. The pattern of associations between the dark triad and conceptions of happiness showed that Machiavellianism and psychopathy were associated with valuing personal happiness but also considering it to be out of one’s control, and to have negative consequences when achieved. People high on narcissism endorsed generally positive notions of happiness. Results showed that conceptions of happiness functioned as partial mediators in the relationships between the dark triad and well-being. Hence, it seems that the dark triad traits provide a context for the formation of certain beliefs surrounding the nature and value of well-being, which per se influence experienced levels of well-being.
... Thus, higher levels of happiness may promote social interactions, leading to more infections and deaths. It is also plausible that people in happier countries may be more individualistic [32], place a higher value on pleasure and freedom [33], and resist restrictions and inconvenient prevention measures, such as wearing masks. ...
Available on Nature Open Access website below.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-09783-9
We identify 21 predetermined country-level factors that explain marked variations in weekly COVID-19 morbidity and mortality across 91 countries between January and the end of 2020. Besides factors commonly associated with infectious diseases (e.g., population and tourism activities), we discover a list of country characteristics that shape COVID-19 outcomes. Among demographic–geographic factors, the male-to-female ratio, population density, and urbanization aggravate the severity of COVID-19, while education, temperature, and religious diversity mitigate the impact of the pandemic on morbidity and mortality. For the political-legal dimension, democracy and political corruption are aggravating factors. In contrast, female leadership, the strength of legal systems, and public trust in government significantly reduce infections and deaths. In terms of socio-economic aspects, GDP per capita, income inequality, and happiness (i.e., life satisfaction) lead to worse COVID-19 outcomes. Interestingly, technology advancement increases morbidity but reduces mortality. For healthcare factors, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) experience and healthcare infrastructure help countries perform better in combating the pandemic.
... Although happiness in general is being widely researched most commonly in association with life satisfaction (Joshanloo et al., 2016), happiness in the workplace remains to be underrepresented. Many constructs have been used and tested with regards to research on happiness in the workplace (Fisher, 2010). ...
Happiness in the workplace remains to be an under-researched field which is unfortunate considering that the happiness-productive worker link has been strongly established. More essentially, there has been a lack of research on happiness in the workplace which considers a specific sample of millennials. In preparation for a workforce dominated with millennials, this research will help address the gap with regards to the lack of research on Malaysian millennials’ happiness in the workplace. Through a thorough literature review, six predictors or antecedents of happiness in the workplace among millennials which are meaningful work, work autonomy, transformational leadership, workplace friendship, work life balance, and gratitude have been chosen in this research. This study consists of millennials (“millennials” or Generation Y is defined in the selected literature as individuals born between years 1982 and 2004) who have undergone full time employment of at least one year or more. The results indicated that all the six predictors showed significant moderate to high positive relationships with happiness in the workplace. Multiple regression analysis showed that all six predictors significantly predicts millennials’ happiness in the workplace, besides gratitude. Implications of this study with regards to managing millennial talent in organisations are then discussed.
... Concerning their conceptualizations of happiness at school, the topics that emerged were similar to the ones obtained in previous research (López-Pérez and Fernández-Castilla 2018) but other new categories emerged in the analysis (e.g., non-violence, emotional support, moral actions, autonomy, etc.). We anticipated other categories could be mentioned as previous evidence was captured in different cultural contexts (i.e., more collectivistic cultures) and previous research already noted differences in the conceptualizations across cultures was found in previous research with adults (e.g., Delle Fave et al. 2011;Joshanloo et al. 2016). ...
Previous research on children’s and adolescents’ happiness either focused on their conceptualisations or the link between self-reported happiness with different outcomes. However, very few studies have connected both approaches to better understand children’s and adolescents’ happiness. To address this gap, we used a mixed-method approach to investigate if the conceptualizations of happiness at school of 744 British children and adolescents could signal differences in autonomy, competence, and relatedness. An initial coding of the responses showed thirteen conceptualizations (i.e., positive feelings, harmony/balance, leisure, friends, getting good grades, non-violence, moral actions, purpose, autonomy, competence, teachers, emotional support, and learning). Log-linear models showed that some of the conceptualizations differed across both age groups and gender. Latent class analysis showed that happiness conceptualizations could be classified in five different groups. Interestingly, whereas for children there were no differences; for adolescents, there were differences between classes in their levels of autonomy and relatedness. The implications of these findings for promoting students’ well-being at school are discussed.
... Several studies have sought to identify the diverse conceptions of happiness in various regions through qualitative or mixed methodology [10][11][12]. Although an individual's average level of happiness and the variance in adult happiness is strongly influenced by genetic factors and by the effects of experiences on each individual [13,14], the recent findings suggest that the various concepts of adult happiness are created by complex socio-environmental structures, such as cultural values, social roles, and life cycles [10,[15][16][17][18][19]. ...
Although Korea has achieved successful economic, social, cultural, and technological development over the past decades, Korean people do not seem to be particularly happy. To enhance an individual’s happiness, we need to be aware of what situations and environmental conditions are conducive for happiness and explore the values of happiness we pursue. This study investigated the types of happiness expressed by Korean people using a mixed-method approach. Personal in-depth (n = 15) and focus group (n = 16) interviews were conducted with people who reported feeling a high level of happiness. Happiness categorization was conducted using Q methodology (n = 63). Subsequently, we surveyed 999 nationally representative samples of Korean adults to generalize the results of the Q analysis. The findings revealed seven types of adult happiness in Korea: (1) Self-actualization, (2) Belongingness, (3) Mission, (4) Social recognition, (5) Enjoyment, (6) Material success, and (7) Parenting. The combined results of the qualitative and quantitative analyses showed that in Korea, people pursuing money or social success feel the unhappiest, whereas people pursuing a mission or sense of belonging feel the happiest. In conclusion, we discussed the need for happiness literacy education, to provide each adult an opportunity to understand the type of happiness they pursue.
... The Anglo-American approach determines the quality of life based on subjective assessmentsthe degree of satisfaction of needs, which can only be assessed by the individual himself. The terms "well-being", "satisfaction" and "happiness" are often used to describe these approaches whose meaning is vague [12,13]. ...
... The Anglo-American approach determines the quality of life based on subjective assessmentsthe degree of satisfaction of needs, which can only be assessed by the individual himself. The terms "well-being", "satisfaction" and "happiness" are often used to describe these approaches whose meaning is vague [12,13]. ...
The article shows a retrospective of the problem of social development and presents various forms of perception of "living standards"; "individual and social welfare"; "basic needs", et el. At the same time, the leading criterion of social development is quality of life (living standards and well-being of the population) formulated by Aristotle. The government should ensure high quality of life, and the good is a means of living and well-being. The work identifies the stages of evolution of the concept of social development from the individual well-being (preferences) to the social one. The emphasis is on the need to take into account the regulatory and distribution principle which can have an ordering and leveling effect on the financial situation of certain groups of the population, mandatory satisfaction of basic minimum needs and improvement of public services, respect for human rights. The changes in the method for assessing the level of social development from the criterion of freedom of choice to the "Human Development Index" are analyzed. The changes in the approach to assessing social development are due to the fact that for highly developed countries material security and basic needs are secondary while in the developing countries they remained relevant. In addition to expanding the number of criteria, researchers and society pay attention to crosscountry comparisons to assess the development. The relevance of the study is due to the transition of assessing the level of social development from quantitative to qualitative indicators in accordance with the methodology of crosscountry comparison of the main indicators of the "Human Development Index". The article analyzes the transition from the general study of the level and quality of life, measuring their characteristics, analyzing the applicability of certain groups of indicators for international comparisons and assessing socioeconomic policies (International society for quality-of-life studies, ISQOLS; Organization for economic cooperation and development, OECD; International social survey program, ISSP and other) to the Human Development Index (Human Development Reports. United Nations development program)-a simple and informative picture of the state of society (ender-related development index, GDI; gender empowerment measure, GEM; income-distribution-adjusted index, IDAI; human poverty index, HPI and other). As a result of assessing the level of social development, it was revealed that Russia can reach either the level of "Above" (Norway, Australia, Ireland, Iceland, Hong Kong and other), or "Below" (Montenegro, Bulgaria, Bahamas and other). At the same time, Russia has sufficient resources for social development in terms of life expectancy, education, fertility and mortality, marriage, etc.
... "H4: Happiness influences life satisfaction of the Spaniards". As with the hypotheses previously analyzed, the result achieved in H4 is equivalent with findings reached in other academic papers (Shin 2019;Argan et al. 2018;Cortés Sierra et al. 2019;Joshanloo et al. 2016;Park et al. 2009). ...
In the current study, we examined the relationship between perceived person happiness and factors that influence this perception, also, is inferred that life satisfaction is influence by happiness. Among 2494 Spaniards individuals of both sexes, we found that these individuals valued political situation, economic situation and socio-demographic characteristics to have a strong association in that order, with happiness and that this last construct is a fundamental factor to life satisfaction. The importance of perception is validated using a structural equation model that evaluates relationships and validity on the constructs in question. Collinearity statistics, average variance extracted, and an estimated partial least square regression model are evaluated to confirm independent meaning, correct construct measure and endogenous variable explanation by the predictive constructs. Results indicate that the level of happiness in Spaniards is most influenced by political perception. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed, and it is proposed to continue this study in a non-developed country.
... It is noteworthy that self-transcendence is the only meta-value that relates directly to OBSE after controlling variance associated with the other three meta-values. However, self-transcendence also has favorable relationships with outcomes in a wide variety of cultures/nations, such as with life satisfaction (Joshanloo et al., 2016). Self-transcendence also facilitates adjustment to different cultures (Van Vianen et al., 2004) and relates to a substantial number of work-related attitudes and behaviors (Bolino and Grant, 2016). ...
Expatriate managers are often advised to adapt their leadership styles and organizational cultures to the culture of the country in which they operate. This advice appears to be reasonable, but it has rarely been empirically tested. In this study, we examine the degree to which congruence of organization and individual cultural values affect employees. We collected data from business managers and executives in Sri Lanka, a country that has not been well studied by international management scholars. We hypothesized that personally embraced values that are consistent with broader cultural values would have relationships with self-esteem. Further, because people are also motivated to verify and enhance their levels of self-esteem in culturally consistent ways, we hypothesized that self-esteem at work would mediate relationships of values with prosocial motivation and intent to maintain membership in the organization. We found that culturally consistent, self-transcendence personal values did relate uniquely to organization-based self-esteem (OBSE). In addition, OBSE mediated the relationships between self-transcendence values, and work-based prosocial motivation and intent to stay. Moderated mediation analyses revealed that strong values fit weakened the mediating effect of OBSE on self-transcendence—outcomes and conservation—outcome relationships, contrary to our hypotheses. It appears that the advice to modify organizational culture to fit local culture should be qualified by also recommending that such changes are not conflict with the organization’s existing, successful culture. Our study also sheds some light on the cultural values of Sri Lanka. This is the first study to explicitly examine these relationships within a work context as well as one of few studies to examine personal values in Sri Lanka.
... Researchers have recently begun to examine the critical role of individuals' beliefs about the nature of well-being as moderators/mediators of the influence of predictors on experienced well-being (e.g., Joshanloo et al., 2016;Van Tongeren & Burnette, 2018). The present study adds to this growing body of research, by showing that one specific belief about well-being (i.e., fragility of happiness) exacerbated the negative influence of three known predictors of SWB. ...
Background and Objectives: Valuing happiness, negative life circumstances, and neuroticism have been found to negatively predict subjective well-being (SWB). It was hypothesized that holding fragility of happiness beliefs (the belief that happiness is fleeting and may easily turn into less favorable states) would moderate the relationships between these predictors and SWB.
Methods: The sample consisted of 338 Korean participants who responded to an online survey (Mage = 26.19). Multiple regression with centered variables was used to test the hypotheses.
Results: Consistent with the hypotheses, the results showed that fragility of happiness had an exacerbating effect on these negative associations. That is, the negative relationships between the predictors and SWB were stronger for individuals who reported higher fragility of happiness.
Conclusions: These results indicate that people’s notions of the nature of well-being may come to exacerbate the impact of negative predictors of SWB.
... The results also showed that FOH and fragility contributed to the prediction of SWB over and above attachment orientations, age, and gender, indicating an important role for these beliefs in the prediction of SWB. The findings are consistent with the insights from a recent stream of research that has revealed the importance of conceptions of and beliefs about well-being as important predictors of SWB, and as mediators or moderators of the influence of predictors on SWB (Joshanloo et al., 2016. These are promising findings, considering that changing such maladaptive beliefs seems to be easier than changing highly stable personality traits (such as neuroticism). ...
Prior research indicates that anxious (or preoccupied) and avoidant (or dismissing) attachment orientations can lead to an aversion to the experience and/or expression of happiness. The present study predicted and found positive relationships between insecure attachment, fear of happiness (the idea that happiness should be avoided because it causes bad things to happen) and fragility of happiness (the idea that happiness is fleeting and may be easily and quickly replaced by less favorable states). In addition, it was found that fear and fragility of happiness mediated the relationship between insecure attachment and subjective well-being.
... Personal values such as, human attitude, self-esteem, self-consciousness, alertness, emotional stability, emotional https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2017.1355504 maturity, social adjustment etc. suggested that the values to group together and form a higher order value domains like satisfaction, happiness and well-being (Joshanloo et al., 2016;Schwartz et al., 2012). ...
Dance is a dynamic root point to develop emotional maturity, self-esteem and life satisfaction. The present study aims to examine emotional maturity towards dancer’s life satisfaction through the presence of self-esteem. The study intentionally portrays co-association between study variables like, emotional maturity, self-esteem and life satisfaction through SEM. It divulges direct and indirect model with elucidating path relationship by using structural equation model. Data were collected from traditional dancers (176 Odissi and 116 folk dancers) at Odisha state in India by administering Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale, emotional maturity scale, life satisfaction scale and demographic information profile. The results reveal that all the variables of factor loading are greater than 0.40 based on EFA and CFA. The multivariate analysis technique used to perform the structural model of variables and their inter-relationship. Furthermore, the indirect model declared satisfactory model that the magnitude of the regression path coefficient (β value) leading from emotional maturity through the moderator self-esteem towards criterion variable life satisfaction. The results are discussed in terms of sociocultural context of India.
This qualitative study examines the relationship between happiness, courage, and justice from lawyers' perspectives through content analysis and grounded theory. The research involved semi-structured interviews with 106 lawyers, asking open-ended questions about their views on happiness, courage, and justice. The interview aims to understand lawyers' perceptions of the definitions of happiness, courage, and justice and their evaluations of the relationship between these concepts. The results indicate that the participants' definitions of happiness, courage, and justice are complex and multifaceted. These virtues vary about each other and happiness; their components
are not significantly different in many qualitative aspects. The research demonstrates the interactions between courage and justice and suggests that happiness can only emerge in the presence of these two virtues. The findings provide valuable insights into the interplay between happiness, courage, and justice, as lawyers perceive.
Football spectators are in close and emotional interaction with teams and athletes. The sport team and the spectator are necessary to each other, and any play that has fewer spectators is less revenue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interactive effect of team identity and play scenarios on football spectator’s happiness and involvement. The research conducted by quasi-experimental method in which 120 football spectators responded to the 17-item questionnaire on a five-point Likert scale. To measure the interactive effect of play scenarios, four plays with scenarios (good play, good outcome), (bad play, good outcome), (good play, bad outcome), (bad play, bad outcome) were used. Multivariate analysis of variance used to test the data. Findings showed that the two levels of team identity (high identity, low identity) were different in spectator happiness (f(1,120) = 8.916, P = 0.003) and involvement (f(1,120) = 41.407, P = 0.001). Spectators with high team identity are happier and more engaged than spectators with low team identification when their favorite team wins or plays well. Levels of team identity and outcome of the play can be effective in the level of happiness and involvement of the sport spectators. Creating sport team identity in the spectators can play an essential role in their supportive behaviors of the team.
Happiness can be interpreted as subjective well-being that elucidates about the meaning of life, feeling, and overall life satisfaction. According to FAO, Covid-19 pandemic impacts on global food supply chain. So far, the concept of happiness and the welfare of coastal communities does not get the appropriate portion. This study aims to: (1) analyze the happiness level of fisherman during Covid-19 pandemic, (2) analyze the influence of the dimensions of life satisfaction, feelings, and the meaning of life on the fisherman’s happiness during the covid-19 period, and (3) analyze the differences to the fisherman’s happiness based on fishing fleet structure. This study was a descriptive study using quantitative approach. There were 107 fishermen of Prigi Archipelagic Fishing Port (PPN) used as the subjects of study. Sampling technique used stratified random sampling by noticing to the ship fleet size strata. The data of this study referred to enumeration guidelines of happiness level measurement survey (SPTK) by Statistic Center and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ). Generally, the fishermen who are at the PPN Prigi area is in the quite happy category. The satisfaction, feeling, and meaning of life dimensions significantly influence the fisherman’s happiness during the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on the obtained score, the highest happiness level ison the fisherman who have the type of fleet of 10-2- GT vessels, in which it is 4,11; the type of fleet 10 GT is 4,1; and the vessel fleet of 20 GT is 4,03: and there is no difference in the fisherman’s happiness based on structure of the fishing fleet.Keywords: BPS Measurement, Covid-19, Fishermen; Happiness, OHQ Measurement
Israel has been greatly affected by the coronavirus (Covid-19), which the World Health Organization defined as a pandemic in March 2020. This study explored state anxiety, social support, work–family conflict, and happiness among mothers who are single by choice. This population’s experiences have not been examined during crises such as a global pandemic. Using snowball sampling, we recruited 386 single mothers by choice to complete an online questionnaire. Correlation analysis revealed a negative relationship between income and state anxiety (r = −0.12, p < 0.05). Social support (r = −0.35, p < 0.01) and level of happiness (r = −0.58, p < 0.01) also had negative correlations with state anxiety. A positive and significant relationship was found between work–family conflict and state anxiety (r = 0.42, p < 0.01). Stepwise regression analysis showed that happiness explained 34% of the variance in state anxiety. Future studies could compare mothers in relationships and how single mothers by choice coped in other countries. This would shed light on state anxiety among mothers with varying relationship statuses and in differing locations.
Objectives: The current research aims at exploring the relationship between self-transcendence, altruism, and the psychological well-being of university students in some Arab countries.
Methods: This research utilized a descriptive correlational approach. The sample of the research, which was chosen from several Arab countries, included 1144 students. The researcher used several international standards approved in the study and presented the standards to a group of mental health and psychology experts for feedback.
Results: The results show statistically significant differences attributed to gender in favor of males, statistically significant differences due to specialization in favor of humanities faculties, and statistically significant differences due to academic level in favor of elementary grades on the total score of psychological well-being, altruism, and self-transcendence. Finally, the results indicate that self-transcendence and altruism can predict psychological well-being.
Conclusions: Based on the results, the study recommends including the dimensions of self-transcendence, altruism, and psychological well-being in the curricula of secondary schools and university students.
Policy makers’ ultimate goal is to deliver the highest possible level of population welfare. Economists investigate the effect of socio-economic dimensions on wellbeing using unidimensional measures of life satisfaction or happiness as proxies for welfare. However, social psychologists have shown that wellbeing is a much broader construct and that an intervention may have opposite effects on its components. Unidimensional measures may hide these patterns. Most literature focuses on high-income countries. The growing evidence from low- and middle-income countries also largely relies on standard unidimensional measures. This study tests the validity of this reliance by exploring the wellbeing construct of South African women, quantitatively analysing textual data from focus group discussions to investigate whether unidimensional measures are appropriate in this context. It provides evidence against the indiscriminate use of unidimensional wellbeing measures. Cluster and correspondence analysis of the transcripts show that relevant domains of women’s wellbeing include relations with others, autonomy, and a perception of control over their environment (environmental mastery). Results also reveal that participants have a relational view of themselves, distinct from the individuated view predominant in the US and Europe and the collectivist view found in East Asia. Such relational self-perception modifies study participants’ wellbeing construct in ways that are important for policy implementation and evaluation. For example, women’s autonomy and environmental mastery rely on shared peer-identity to redefine rules and meet challenges. Wellbeing measures for policy evaluation would benefit from incorporating these insights to meaningfully measure progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 3 on ‘good health and wellbeing’ in South Africa and other contexts that exhibit similar concepts of wellbeing.
This study is to determine the relationship between perceived stress and resilience with happiness. This study used a descriptive, cross-sectional design. A representative sample of 310 pre-university students were selected through multistage sampling. The study utilized Perceived Stress Scale, Resilience Scale, and Subjective Happiness Scale. The finding reveals that there is a difference between males and females' pre-university students in terms of happiness variable. Female subjects are happier compared to males. There are simple and multiple relationships between perceived stress and resilience with happiness among pre-university students. Increased level of resilience and decreased level of perceived stress are associated with students’ happiness. Based on the results, enhancing the students' level of happiness should receive more attention in order to produce professional graduates who are academically competent, and able to adapt to their environment. Directions for future research are discussed.
We identify 21 predetermined country-level factors that explain marked variations in weekly COVID-19 morbidity and mortality across 91 countries between January and the end of 2020. Besides factors commonly associated with infectious diseases (e.g., population and tourism activities), we discover a list of country characteristics that shape COVID-19 outcomes. Among demographic–geographic factors, the male-to-female ratio, population density, and urbanization aggravate the severity of COVID-19, while education, temperature, and religious diversity mitigate the impact of the pandemic on morbidity and mortality. For the political-legal dimension, democracy and political corruption are aggravating factors. In contrast, female leadership, the strength of legal systems, and public trust in government significantly reduce infections and deaths. In terms of socio-economic aspects, GDP per capita, income inequality, and happiness (i.e., life satisfaction) lead to worse COVID-19 outcomes. Interestingly, technology advancement increases morbidity but reduces mortality. For healthcare factors, SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) experience and healthcare infrastructure help countries perform better in combating the pandemic.
Conceptions of happiness refer to people’s beliefs and ideas about the nature and experience of happiness. They have become an important area for happiness research, and studies have shown that they can affect people’s well-being and mental health. Recently, a new conception of happiness, called fragility of happiness, has been introduced to the happiness literature. Fragility of happiness is the belief that happiness is fleeting and short-lived, and it has been shown to be associated with poor well-being and adjustment. To date, research on fragility of happiness is still limited and no study has examined mediators that account for its negative association with well-being. The present study hence aimed to fill this research gap and examined valuing happiness as one such mediator. A total of 448 Chinese participants in Hong Kong completed an online survey for this study. Results indicated that valuing happiness had an inconsistent mediation effect. The direction of the association between fragility of happiness and well-being was different depending on whether the association was mediated by valuing happiness. In terms of direct effects, fragility of happiness was negatively associated with subjective happiness and life satisfaction. In terms of mediated effects, however, fragility of happiness was positively associated with subjective happiness and life satisfaction through valuing happiness. In sum, higher fragility of happiness itself was related to worse well-being, but when it increased the value of happiness to people, it was related to better well-being. The overall results suggest the relationship between fragility of happiness and well-being may vary as a result of different intervening processes and mechanisms involved. Suggestions for furthering the understanding of fragility of happiness are discussed.
Happiness is frequently posited as an important outcome of quality of life and characteristic of well-adjusted and functioning individuals. Happy individuals are less likely to report adverse mental health. Understanding the importance that individuals place on happiness is less clearly articulated and inconsistent. Valuing or placing higher importance of happiness appear to confer both benefits and risk for mental health outcomes. The primary aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the importance of happiness and mental health outcomes and whether the relationship between happiness and mental health is moderated by the importance individuals place on happiness. We utilised data from two studies, a university student sample (n = 413) and a community sample (n = 248) to examine the study aims. Mental health was operationalised in terms of psychological distress and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Happiness and the level of importance individuals ascribed to happiness were associated with adverse mental health outcomes. In multi-variate analyses, level of happiness was more strongly related to mental health. Interactions between happiness and the importance of happiness revealed that the effect of happiness was moderated by the importance that individuals placed on happiness. Overall happiness and to a lesser extent, the importance of happiness, are significantly associated with mental health outcomes. Happiness was most strongly related to mental health amongst those who rated the importance of happiness more highly.
This study examined how happiness and life satisfaction respectively mediate their individual associations with psychological distress in two explanatory models among 400 community adults (Meanage = 38.03 ± 8.59). In model 1, happiness was specified as a mediator in the relationship between psychological distress and life satisfaction. Model 2 specified life satisfaction as a mediator in the association between psychological distress and happiness. Results of SEM analyses showed that happiness and life satisfaction partially mediated their independent and respective relationships with psychological distress. Differentially, happiness as a mediator showed larger proportion mediation effect size compared to when life satisfaction is a mediator. However, their kappa-squared (k²) effect sizes and standardized mediation effects were almost equal. Interventions aiming subjective well-being (SWB) can proceed from either happiness or life satisfaction. However, an initial focus on happiness from management of psychological distress for an increase in life satisfaction can potentially promote better SWB.
Introduction
Well‐being is an important component of health, while informal care plays a vital role in daily care of the elderly. However, the effects of informal care on the well‐being of the elderly remain unclear. This study was aimed to estimate such effects, in which well‐being was measured by 2 subjective indicators: happiness and life satisfaction.
Methods
Potential endogeneity was purified using instrumental variables. Data were collected from national baseline China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).
Results
Receiving informal care would decrease the elderly's happiness score and life satisfaction score significantly. The health produced from informal care cannot offset the health depreciation caused by aging.
Discussion
To improve the well‐being of the elderly, caregivers have more to do and policymakers can design designated care policies based on our results.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics and sources of a peaceful and happy life. The research uses the sequential exploratory design from the mixed research designs. The grounded theory design has been used in the qualitative part of the study. In-depth interviews were performed in the qualitative section with 26 participants between the ages of 21 and 82. The structural equation model has been used in the quantitative section of the study. A total of 900 participants (548 women) between the ages of 18 and 75 (M = 30.46, SD = 12.94) form the sample of the study. According to the findings from the qualitative stage of the research, peaceful and happy living means having comfort and positive feelings and not having negative feelings. In spite of peace and happiness being related to each other and intertwined, peace is understood to be more permanent, prioritized, and significant compared to happiness. Sufficiency in relationships and trust, personal virtues, social virtues, acceptance, spirituality, developmental strength of problems, optimism, nature, health and economics, as well as activities and superficial solutions constitute the sources of peace and happiness. The quantitative stage of the research has found peace and happiness to positively correlate with the characteristics of tolerance, helpfulness, beliefs and spirituality, responsibility, purposefulness, worthiness, trust, and reliability. Relationships among the variables have been tested using different structural equation models. The research results are considered to contribute to the literature on positive psychology and its applications.
Pursuing happiness can paradoxically impair well-being. Here, the authors propose the potential downsides to pursuing happiness may be specific to individualistic cultures. In collectivistic (vs. individualistic) cultures, pursuing happiness may be more successful because happiness is viewed-and thus pursued-in relatively socially engaged ways. In 4 geographical regions that vary in level of collectivism (United States, Germany, Russia, East Asia), we assessed participants' well-being, motivation to pursue happiness, and to what extent they pursued happiness in socially engaged ways. Motivation to pursue happiness predicted lower well-being in the United States, did not predict well-being in Germany, and predicted higher well-being in Russia and in East Asia. These cultural differences in the link between motivation to pursue happiness and well-being were explained by cultural differences in the socially engaged pursuit of happiness. These findings suggest that culture shapes whether the pursuit of happiness is linked with better or worse well-being, perhaps via how people pursue happiness. (PsycINFO Database Record
The belief that happiness is fragile—that it is fleeting and may easily turn into
less favourable states—is common across individuals and cultures. However, not much is
known about this belief domain and its structure and correlates. In the present study, we
use multigroup confirmatory factor analysis and multilevel modelling to investigate the
measurement invariance, cross-level isomorphism, predictive validity, and nomological
network of the fragility of happiness scale across 15 nations. The results show that this
scale has good statistical properties at both individual and cultural levels, and is associated with relevant psycho-social concepts in expected directions. The importance of the results, limitations, and potential directions for future research are discussed.
The present study examined differences in the endorsement of 3 conceptions of well-being (i.e., eudaimonism, transformative power of suffering, and fear of happiness) in 2 Iranian groups: university students and Basij members. Whereas the university students are among the most westernized groups in Iran, advocating modern and nontraditional values, the Basij is a highly religious and traditional group strongly influenced by the Islamic worldview. It was found as predicted that the Basij members scored significantly higher than the university students on the conceptions of well-being under study. Moreover, full or partial measurement invariance was established for the concepts of well-being scales. Implications of the results are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)
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.
We propose a refined theory of basic individual values intended to provide greater heuristic and explanatory power than the original theory of 10 values (Schwartz, 1992). The refined theory more accurately expresses the central assumption of the original theory that research has largely ignored: Values form a circular motivational continuum. The theory defines and orders 19 values on the continuum based on their compatible and conflicting motivations, expression of self-protection versus growth, and personal versus social focus. We assess the theory with a new instrument in 15 samples from 10 countries (N 6,059). Confirmatory factor and multidimensional scaling analyses support discrim-ination of the 19 values, confirming the refined theory. Multidimensional scaling analyses largely support the predicted motivational order of the values. Analyses of predictive validity demonstrate that the refined values theory provides greater and more precise insight into the value underpinnings of beliefs. Each value correlates uniquely with external variables. The Schwartz (1992) theory of basic human values has spawned hundreds of studies during the past two decades. 1 The vast major-ity of these studies examined how the 10 basic values or the four higher order values relate to various attitudes, opinions, behaviors, personality, and background characteristics. Studies have also as-sessed value transmission and development in childhood and ad-olescence and value change over time (e.g., Bardi, Lee, Hofmann-Towfigh, & Soutar, 2009; Knafo & Schwartz, 2003). Recently,
We propose a refined theory of basic individual values intended to provide greater heuristic and explanatory power than the original theory of 10 values (Schwartz, 1992). The
refined theory more accurately expresses the central assumption of the original theory that research has largely ignored: Values form a circular motivational continuum. The theory defines and orders 19 values on the continuum based on their compatible and conflicting motivations, expression of self-protection vs. growth, and personal vs. social focus. We assess the theory with a new instrument in 15 samples from 10 countries (N=6059). CFA and MDS analyses support discrimination of the 19 values, confirming the refined theory. MDS analyses largely support the predicted motivational order of the values. Analyses of predictive validity demonstrate that the refined values theory provides greater and more precise insight into the value underpinnings of beliefs. Each value correlates uniquely with external variables.
Two studies investigated relations of value priorities to measures of subjective well-being. Samples of students and adults, from Israel and former East and West Germany (N=1261), participated in Part I. Hypothesized direct relations of nine types of values to well-being, based on ‘healthy’ values from the psychotherapy literature, relations of values to needs, self-determination theory, and the emotional resources needed to pursue various values were tested in each sample. Achievement, self-direction, stimulation, tradition, conformity and security values correlated with affective well-being, as predicted, but not with cognitive well-being. Part II tested the hypothesis that well-being depends upon congruence between personal values and the prevailing value environment. Results largely supported specific hypotheses regarding the values conducive to positive and negative well-being among students of business administration (n=40) and psychology (n=42). Hypotheses were derived from the social sanctions, environmental affordances for value attainment, and internal value conflicts likely to be experienced in each department. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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
The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between personal values and well-being. Two correlational studies are
presented with the following random samples: (1) four native samples: two samples from the 2006 European Social Survey (Europe
n1=28,375, Spain n2=1,321) and two Basque samples (n3=1,770; n4=820); and (2) a sample of immigrants in the Basque Country (quasirandom) (n5=1,171). Age range of respondents was 18–60years. The instruments used were for measuring: (1) personal values (Schwartz’s
PVQ-40 or PVQ-21), and (2) well-being (Bradburn’s PNA, Goldberg’s GHQ, and life satisfaction and perceived control items from
the World Value Survey). Partial correlation analysis was applied, with PVQ scale response bias controlled. The data supported
a positive association of hedonic and psychological well-being with openness to experience and individualist values, and a
negative association with power and conservation or collectivist values. Satisfaction with life partially mediated the relationship
between personal values and affect. The results support a universal association of healthy values with well-being.
KeywordsPersonal values–Well-being–Immigrants
As we estimate here, 68% of human beings--4.6 billion people--would say that religion is important in their daily lives. Past studies have found that the religious, on average, have higher subjective well-being (SWB). Yet, people are rapidly leaving organized religion in economically developed nations where religious freedom is high. Why would people leave religion if it enhances their happiness? After controlling for circumstances in both the United States and world samples, we found that religiosity is associated with slightly higher SWB, and similarly so across four major world religions. The associations of religiosity and SWB were mediated by social support, feeling respected, and purpose or meaning in life. However, there was an interaction underlying the general trend such that the association of religion and well-being is conditional on societal circumstances. Nations and states with more difficult life conditions (e.g., widespread hunger and low life expectancy) were much more likely to be highly religious. In these nations, religiosity was associated with greater social support, respect, purpose or meaning, and all three types of SWB. In societies with more favorable circumstances, religiosity is less prevalent and religious and nonreligious individuals experience similar levels of SWB. There was also a person-culture fit effect such that religious people had higher SWB in religious nations but not in nonreligious nations. Thus, it appears that the benefits of religion for social relationships and SWB depend on the characteristics of the society.
As employers respond to intensive global competition through the deregulation of labor, job insecurity has become a widespread problem. It has been shown to have significant health impacts in a growing number of workers, but less is known about its social distribution, the mechanisms through which it may act, and the moderating effects of gender, socioeconomic position, and company size. Utilizing data from a national survey of a representative sample of paid employees in Taiwan, we examined the prevalence of job insecurity and its associations with psychosocial work characteristics and health status. A total of 8705 men and 5986 women aged between 25 and 65 years old were studied. Information on perceived job insecurity, industrial and occupational types, psychosocial work characteristics as assessed by the Job Strain model, and various measures of health status were obtained by a self-administered questionnaire. The overall prevalence of job insecurity was high (50%). Job insecurity was more prevalent among employees with lower education attainment, in blue-collar and construction workers, those employed in smaller companies, and in older women. Insecure employees also reported lower job control, higher job demands, and poor workplace social support, as compared with those who held secure positions. Regression analyses showed that job insecurity was strongly associated with poor health, even with adjustment of age, job control, job demands, and work place social support. The deleterious effects of job insecurity appeared to be stronger in men than women, in women who held managerial or professional jobs than women in other employment grades, and in those working in larger companies than smaller ones. The findings of this study suggest that perceived job insecurity is an important source of stress, and it is accompanied with adverse psychosocial work conditions and poor health. High-risk groups were identified for further investigation.
Appropriately centering Level 1 predictors is vital to the interpretation of intercept and slope parameters in multilevel models (MLMs). The issue of centering has been discussed in the literature, but it is still widely misunderstood. The purpose of this article is to provide a detailed overview of grand mean centering and group mean centering in the context of 2-level MLMs. The authors begin with a basic overview of centering and explore the differences between grand and group mean centering in the context of some prototypical research questions. Empirical analyses of artificial data sets are used to illustrate key points throughout. The article provides a number of practical recommendations designed to facilitate centering decisions in MLM applications.
Extrinsic goals and values become prominent when people "buy into" the messages of consumer culture and organize their lives around the pursuit of money, possessions, image, and status. Intrinsic goals and values involve striving for personal growth, intimacy, and contribution to the community. This chapter demonstrates that a large and growing body of empirical evidence suggests that consumer culture's vision of the goods life, as reflected in the pursuit of extrinsic aim for money, image, and popularity, is associated with a relatively low quality of life. The quality of people's lives can thus be improved by encouraging the intrinsic values and goals reflected in positive psychology and by discouraging the vision of "the goods life" reflected in extrinsic values and our money-driven, consumer culture. One means of implementing this strategy is to develop psychotherapeutic means of helping clients prioritize intrinsic goals and deprioritize extrinsic goals.
Personal values are abstract desirable goals that guide individuals throughout their lives. Sagiv, Roccas, and Hazan proposed three perspectives that consider the relationships between values and well-being. They are the “healthy values” perspective, the “goal-attainment” perspective, and the "value congruency" perspective. This chapter discusses each of the three perspectives, reviewing classic as well as recent research perspective focuses on the context, suggesting that values are likely to lead to well-being when they are congruent with the values that prevail in one's social environment. It includes relevant research that has been conducted in various fields that add to our understanding of the multiple ways through which values are linked to well-being. Finally, it presents some practical implications of the three perspectives and discusses the ways in which individuals and society may rely on personal values to contribute to a positive sense of well-being.
We hypothesize that hedonism (valuing pleasure) as a pathway to happiness is more strongly correlated with happiness in more individualistic (vs collectivistic) cultures. Multi-level modeling is used to test this hypothesis in a sample of 6899 individuals across 19 cultures, controlling for age, gender, and national economic prosperity. As predicted, we find that individualism moderates the relationship between hedonism and happiness, such that hedonism is more strongly related to happiness in more individualistic cultures. These results suggest that culture influences how happiness is most effectively pursued in various cultures.
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.
The revolutionary study of how the place where we grew up constrains the way we think, feel, and act, updated for today's new realities
The world is a more dangerously divided place today than it was at the end of the Cold War. This despite the spread of free trade and the advent of digital technologies that afford a degree of global connectivity undreamed of by science fiction writers fifty years ago. What is it that continues to drive people apart when cooperation is so clearly in everyone's interest? Are we as a species doomed to perpetual misunderstanding and conflict? Find out in Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind.
A veritable atlas of cultural values, it is based on cross-cultural research conducted in seventy countries for more than thirty years. At the same time, it describes a revolutionary theory of cultural relativism and its applications in a range of professions. Fully updated and rewritten for the twenty-first century, this edition:
Reveals the unexamined rules by which people in different cultures think, feel, and act in business, family, schools, and political organizations
Explores how national cultures differ in the key areas of inequality, collectivism versus individualism, assertiveness versus modesty, tolerance for ambiguity, and deferment of gratification
Explains how organizational cultures differ from national cultures, and how they can--sometimes--be managed
Explains culture shock, ethnocentrism, stereotyping, differences in language and humor, and other aspects of intercultural dynamics
Provides powerful insights for businesspeople, civil servants, physicians, mental health professionals, law enforcement professionals, and others
Geert Hofstede, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of Organizational Anthropology and International Management at Maastricht University, The Netherlands. Gert Jan Hofstede, Ph.D., is a professor of Information Systems at Wageningen University and the son of Geert Hofstede.
Simple slopes, regions of significance, and confidence bands are commonly used to evaluate interactions in multiple linear regression (MLR) models, and the use of these techniques has recently been extended to multilevel or hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and latent curve analysis (LCA). However, conducting these tests and plotting the conditional relations is often a tedious and error-prone task. This article provides an overview of methods used to probe interaction effects and describes a unified collection of freely available online resources that researchers can use to obtain significance tests for simple slopes, compute regions of significance, and obtain confidence bands for simple slopes across the range of the moderator in the MLR, HLM, and LCA contexts. Plotting capabilities are also provided.
National accounts of subjective well-being are being considered and adopted by nations. In order to be useful for policy deliberations, the measures of life satisfaction must be psychometrically sound. The reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change of life satisfaction measures are reviewed. The scales are stable under unchanging conditions, but are sensitive to changes in circumstances in people’s lives. Several types of data indicate that the scales validly reflect the quality of respondents’ lives: 1. Differences between nations in life satisfaction associated with differences in objective conditions, 2. Differences between groups who live in different circumstances, 3. Correlations with nonself-report measures of life satisfaction, 4. Genetic and physiological associations with life satisfaction, 5. Systematic patterns of change in the scales before, during, and after significant life events, and 6. Prediction by life satisfaction scores of future behaviors such as suicide. The life satisfaction scales can be influenced by factors such as question order, current mood, and mode of presentation, but in most cases these can be controlled. Our model of life satisfaction judgments points to the importance of attention, values, standards, and top-down effects. Although the scales are useful in research on individual well-being, there are policy questions that need more analysis and research, such as which types of subjective well-being measures are most relevant to which types of policies, how standards influence scores, and how best to associate the scores with current policy deliberations.
The purpose of the present study was to examine the relation between basic value priorities (according to the value theory proposed by Schwartz (1992)) and hedonic (affect balance and life satisfaction) and eudaimonic (psychological and social well-being) aspects of well-being in a sample of Iranian university students (n = 200). According to the bivariate correlation analysis, achievement and tradition values were significantly correlated with both eudaimonic and hedonic aspects of well-being. Power, self-direction, universalism, benevolence and conformity values also were related to eudaimonic aspects of well-being. A canonical correlation analysis was also conducted using the 10 basic values as predictors of the four well-being variables yielding four functions, two of which were considered noteworthy. Collectively, the full model across all functions was statistically significant with the r2 type effect size of .57, indicating that the full model explained about 57% of the variance shared between the variable sets. Implications of the results are discussed with reference to the prior assumptions about the relation between values and well-being.
Positive psychology in practice: Promoting human flourishing in work, health, education, and everyday life
- T Kasser
Kasser, T. (2015). The science of values in the culture of consumption. In S. Joseph (Ed.),
Positive psychology in practice: Promoting human flourishing in work, health, education,
and everyday life (pp. 83-102). New York: Wiley.
1. The relationship between self-directed hedonism and life satisfaction as moderated by self-enhancement
- Fig
Fig. 1. The relationship between self-directed hedonism and life satisfaction as moderated
by self-enhancement.