Differences In Life Satisfaction Research Articles

The global belief that "life gets better and better": National differences in recollected past, present, and anticipated future life satisfaction around the world, across time, and in relation to societal functioning.

National-level differences in individuals' ratings of their recollected past, current, and anticipated future life satisfaction (LS) were examined using results from two pioneering projects comprising national-level results for 14 countries (Cantril, 1965) and 15 regions of the world (Gallup International Research Institutes & Charles F. Kettering Foundation, 1976; Study 1), as well as sequential results from the Gallup World Poll based on 137 countries representing a broad range of nations from around the world surveyed from 2005 to 2018 (Study 2). Results from both studies revealed a robust belief that "life gets better" over time (i.e., recollected past < current < anticipated future LS) in nations around the world. Such beliefs were examined in relation to objective and subjective indicators of societal-level functioning. Results replicated across studies in showing that nations with less positive societal functioning and prosperity were characterized by less recollected past improvements in LS, and yet greater anticipated future improvements in LS. Results from Study 2 also revealed that such expectations were positively biased compared to changes over time in national levels of LS; further, greater bias was related to less positive societal-level functioning. In conclusion, examining national-level differences in LS from a subjective temporal perspective provides valuable new insights concerning human development and prosperity across countries, over time, and around the world. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparison of Life Satisfaction in Persons With Spinal Cord Injury Living in 22 Countries With Different Economic Status

ObjectiveTo analyze and compare life satisfaction (LS) in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) living in 22 countries participating in the International Spinal Cord Injury (InSCI) community survey. The study tested the hypothesis that there are differences in LS across InSCI countries according to the countries’ economic status specified as gross domestic product per capita purchased power parity (GDP-PPP). DesignCross-sectional survey. SettingCommunity setting (22 countries representing all 6 World Health Organization regions). ParticipantsPersons (N=12,108) with traumatic or nontraumatic SCI aged at least 18 years, living in the community and able to respond to one of the available language versions of the questionnaire. InterventionsNot applicable. Main Outcome MeasuresLS measured by 5 items selected from the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment-BREF: satisfaction with overall quality of life, health, daily activities, relationships, and living conditions. LS index was calculated as the mean of these 5 items. ResultsThe highest level of LS was reported by persons with SCI living in the United States, Malaysia, and Switzerland (mean range, 3.76-3.80), and the lowest was reported by persons with SCI living in South Korea, Japan, and Morocco (mean range, 2.81-3.16). There was a significant cubic association between LS index and GDP-PPP. Regression tree analysis revealed the main variables differentiating LS index were GDP-PPP and monthly income, followed by time since injury and education. ConclusionsLife satisfaction reported by persons with SCI related mainly to their country economic situation expressed by GDP-PPP and monthly income. The results of this study underscore the need for policy dialogues to avoid inequalities and improve the life experience in persons with SCI.

Does Initiating Vaginal Sexual Intercourse During a Safer Sex Media Campaign Influence Life Satisfaction Among African American Adolescents?

PurposeAddressing adolescent sexual risk behaviors in the STI/HIV prevention literature is well documented; however, intervention impacts on life satisfaction are relatively unexplored. This study is a secondary analysis of data (N = 1,658) from a randomized, multisite, multilevel safer sex media campaign (Project iMPPACS) analyzing life satisfaction across baseline and follow-up data collected from 2006 to 2008 among participants (mean age 15.08 years) who reported never having had vaginal sex at baseline (n = 787). MethodsParticipants were separated into groups based on whether they reported having vaginal sex (yes/no) at baseline. Then taking into account the nested study design and controlling for confounders, a mixed model repeated measures analysis of variance assessed whether differences in mean total life satisfaction (LS) were associated across time in the media and nonmedia study conditions separately by gender. ResultsA significant interaction between time and media condition was detected (p = .039) where mean total LS increased +.065 units from baseline (M = 5.364) to last contact in media cities and decreased −.084 units from baseline (M = 5.557) to last contact in nonmedia cities when controlling for the effect of initiating vaginal sex. No significant differences in LS at baseline were observed between media and nonmedia intervention cities. Results by gender suggest most positive change in LS was observed for females with mixed findings for males. ConclusionsAlthough Project iMPPACS was not designed with the intent on improving participants’ life satisfaction, results advance the LS literature by demonstrating a temporal sequence for sexual risk taking and LS over time.

Are There Differences in Life-Satisfaction, Optimism, Pessimism and Perceived Stress between Therapeutic and Mastery Exercisers? A Preliminary Investigation

Background. Most incentives for exercise can be grouped into health-related ‘therapeutic’ and challenge or enjoyment-related ‘mastery’ categories. If these incentives are not independent of personal needs and expectations, their associated psychological profiles may vary.Methods. Based on the broaden-and-build theory, we examined the hypothesis that mastery exercise is associated with more favourable psychological profile, as reflected in greater life-satisfaction, optimism, pessimism, and perceived stress, than therapeutic exercise or no-exercise (the control group).Results. The results indicated that people who exercised for a mastery purpose (n = 57) reported greater optimism, lower pessimism and lower perceived stress than non-exercisers (n = 57) but they only scored higher in optimism in contrast to the therapeutic exercisers (n = 129) who did not differ from the controls in any of the measures. A composite score of a psychological profile, obtained by subtracting the sum of negative ratings from the sum of positive ratings, revealed that mastery exercisers exhibited higher scores than non-exercisers who did not differ from therapeutic exercisers.Conclusion. These preliminary findings suggest that two very general motives for exercise might be associated with different psychological profiles, which deserves future research attention in the better understanding of the psychological effects of exercise. Keywords: life-satisfaction, optimism, non-exerciser, perceived stress, pessimism.

Gender Differences in Life Satisfaction Among Children and Adolescents: A Meta-analysis

Gender differences in life satisfaction (LS) have been studied for a long time, and the first meta-analysis on this issue was conducted almost 40 years ago. Since then, the social status of females has changed considerably across different nations and cultures. The individual studies in this area continued to show inconsistent results concerning gender group differences in their respective perception of LS. In this study, 46 empirical studies from 1980 to 2017 (with a cumulated total N = 11,772) were meta-analyzed to examine potential gender differences in LS among children and adolescents, and to explore if some study features could be moderators that could account for the observed inconsistencies in the findings across studies. The findings revealed that LS remains invariant across gender groups, but with a slight difference in favor of male children and adolescents. Our results further suggested that four study features were shown to contribute to the variations of the reported gender difference in LS across individual studies: geographical region, population type, age, and domain specific LS measurements. Such different features across the individual studies could have led to the observed inconsistency of the findings. Understanding how gender differences in LS vary by these study features could allow us to consider more targeted support to increase LS of children and adolescents in different situations.

Life Satisfaction between Chinese-Immigrant Adolescents and Their Counterparts in the United States and China

The objective of this study was to compare the life satisfaction (LS) of Chinese-immigrant children in the United States (US) with their counterparts in America and China by using the Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS). The mean scores of SLSS were examined and compared among three groups. Multivariate linear regression analysis was conducted to identify the differences of LS among comparison groups after adjusting for other potential risk factors. Out of 161 children who completed the surveys, 47 (29%) were Chinese-immigrant children, 81 (50%) were native Chinese children, and 33 (20%) were non-immigrant US children. The results showed that Chinese- immigrant children had higher overall LS than native Chinese children (4.39 ± 0.83 vs 3.79 ± 0.81; p = 0.0001), but lower overall LS than non-immigrant children in the US (4.39 ± 0.83 vs 4.81 ± 0.69; p = 0.0207). Systematic investigation on larger populations will be necessary to identify the potential contributing factors.

Life-satisfaction is a momentary judgment and a stable personality characteristic: the use of chronically accessible and stable sources.

Social cognition research indicates that life-satisfaction judgments are based on a selected set of relevant information that is accessible at the time of the life-satisfaction judgment. Personality research indicates that life-satisfaction judgments are quite stable over extended periods of time and predicted by personality traits. The present article integrates these two research traditions. We propose that people rely on the same sources to form repeated life-satisfaction judgments over time. Some of these sources (e.g., memories of emotional experiences, academic performance) provide stable information that explains the stability in life-satisfaction judgments. Second, we propose that the influence of personality traits on life satisfaction is mediated by the use of chronically accessible sources because traits produce stability of these sources. Most important, the influence of extraversion and neuroticism is mediated by use of memories of past emotional experiences. To test this model, participants repeatedly judged life-satisfaction over the course of a semester. After each assessment, participants reported sources that they used for these judgments. Changes in reported sources were related to changes in life-satisfaction judgments. A path model demonstrated that chronically accessible and stable sources are related to stable individual differences in life-satisfaction. Furthermore, the model supported the hypothesis that personality effects were mediated by chronically accessible and stable sources. In sum, the results are consistent with our theory that life-satisfaction judgments are based on chronically accessible sources.

Stability of Life-Satisfaction Over Time: analysis of change in ranks in a national population

Summary This paper is about constancy of differences in life-satisfaction in society. It analyzes data of a large panel study in Germany, which involved yearly interviews between 1984 and 1994. Yearto-year correlation started at +.45 and increased gradually to +.54. The correlation between the first and later reports declined through the years, the correlation between the 1 st and the 11 th report was only +.29. Observed overtime correlation may result from six effects: Firstly the correlation is attenuated by error: 1) common measurement error, such as haphazard responding, and 2) error in estimating general satisfaction due to passing uplifts and hassles. Both errors may shrink as 3) respondents get experienced in answering questions about life-satisfaction and 4) when they mature. Next, 'true' correlation will depend on: 5) mayor changes in life, such as loss of job or getting married, and 6) stable stocks, such as personal capabilities and social relations. This paper develops models to disentangle these effects. The best fitting model suggests that almost half of the initial variance in life-satisfaction was due to error: 23% to error in responding (effect 1) and 19% to error in estimating one's satisfaction with life (effect 2). In 10 years the error component shrinks by 10%, largely due to learning effect 3) and partly due to aging (effect 4). In the end, life-changes explained 30% of the variance (effect 5) and stable stocks another 29%. (effect 6). These results mark a considerable mobility along the life-satisfaction ladder in a modern society: over a lifetime less than 30% of the original rank order in life-satisfaction will be left. That outcome is at odds with common theories of class and personality.