Happiness Ratings Research Articles

Economics of Happiness: What Really Counts?

The study of happiness was initially examined psychologically, then expanded to incorporate social and, finally, economic aspects to investigate the reasons for the disparities in happiness levels across countries. Numerous scholars from various fields of expertise have developed an interest in studying happiness as a topic, as it has become a global issue. The notable work of Easterlin known as “Easterlin Paradox” postulates that happiness varies linearly with income at a point in time, both within and across nations. However, the long-term growth rates of happiness and income are not significantly linked. The economics of happiness is a multidisciplinary study of the relationship between economic conditions and subjective well-being or happiness. Happiness economics can be examined from both a microeconomic and macroeconomic perspective, providing valuable insights into both individual well-being and societal gain. The economics of happiness has received a lot of attention recently, especially in terms of understanding the differences in life satisfaction between rich and developing countries. Wealthier countries are happier as a group than poorer countries; happiness seems to increase with wealth up to a limit, but not beyond it. Public policy has a substantial impact on happiness economics by changing the well-being of individuals and society through numerous mechanisms such as fiscal policy, public spending, health impact assessment, and family assistance. The expanding national emphasis on subjective well-being accentuates the need to include happiness in governmental decisions. Keywords: happiness, subjective well-being, Easterlin Paradox

Laughter in everyday life: an event-based experience sampling method study using wrist-worn wearables.

Laughter is a universal, nonverbal vocal expression of broad significance for humans. Interestingly, rather little is known about how often we laugh and how laughter is associated with our personality. In a large, event-based, experience sampling method study (N = 52; k = 9,261 assessments) using wrist-worn wearables and a physical analogue scale, we analyzed belly laughs and fit of laughter events in participants' everyday life for 4 weeks. Additionally, we assessed associations with laughter frequency such as personality, happiness, life satisfaction, gelotophobia (i.e., fear of being laughed at), and cheerfulness. Validating our new measurement approach (i.e., wearables, physical analogue scale), laughter events elicited higher happiness ratings compared to reference assessments, as expected. On average, participants reported 2.5 belly laughs per day and on every fourth day a fit of laughter. As expected, participants who were happier and more satisfied with their life laughed more frequently than unhappier, unsatisfied participants. Women and younger participants laughed significantly more than men and older participants. Regarding personality, laughter frequency was positively associated with openness and conscientiousness. No significant association was found for gelotophobia, and results for cheerfulness and related concepts were mixed. By using state-of-the-art statistical methods (i.e., recurrent event regression) for the event-based, multi-level data on laughter, we could replicate past results on laughing.

Dynamic cocoa agroforestry: 25 years of experience in Alto Beni, Bolivia

Despite cocoa traditionally being grown in agroforestry systems, monoculture farming now dominates in major producing countries like Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana. Globally, interest is growing to return once more to cocoa agroforestry, due to its many benefits, including biodiversity conservation, temperature and water cycle regulation, and carbon sequestration. The article reports on a study which analysed cocoa agroforestry plots of smallholder farmers in Alto Beni, Bolivia. These systems are characterised by the high diversity and density of companion trees. The model plot, managed under dynamic agroforestry principles, showed variability in cocoa yields but these increased over time. Additional income was also yielded from companion crops, which provide timber for harvest and fruits for sale and consumption, improving income diversification, food security and food sovereignty. Dynamic agroforestry systems, therefore, have higher labour intensity but also higher income compared to monocrop cocoa production systems, which is supported by the the SysCom Bolivia trial of 2017–2019. Dynamic agroforestry systems are also shown to increase biodiversity, offer resilience against climate change, and improve farmer’s ratings of happiness. The article emphasises the importance of agroforestry systems for sustainable cocoa production, highlighting its provision of economic benefits alongside environmental and social advantages. To maximise the potential of agroforestry systems, there is a need for continued research and long-term data collection for continuous improvement of management practices.

Socio-economic development of tourist destinations: A cross-country analysis

The study aims to investigate the characteristics of socio-economic development in the context of countries’ tourism advancement. The paper analyzes the Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) and the Happiness Rating (HR). The sample covers data from 102 countries for the year 2021. The analysis showed that there are differences in the relationships between TTDI and HR, as well as their sub-indices, among groups of countries distributed according to income level. The research methodology includes the use of such methods as correlation analysis to determine the relationships between indicators like factor analysis to identify the degree of indicators' influence on the sample and a graphical method to visualise the analysis results. The study uses the World Bank approach to classify countries into income groups. The study confirms that a country's welfare level is one factor that determines patterns in various areas, including tourism.

Quantile and Threshold Effect of Electricity Consumption on Happiness in Central Asia

The study for the 1st time examines electricity-happiness nexus in Central Asia over the period 1996-2022 employing Panel methods such as Quantile and threshold regressions. The findings document that the association between electricity and happiness is negative in general. However, the results reveal that economic development stage plays a crucial role in the context of electricity-happiness nexus. More specifically the negative effect of electricity on happiness decreases as economic development grows. Policy implications that focus on developing the economies in a sufficient level to achieve stable electricity supply and transition on renewable energy, should be encouraged consequently the rate of happiness will increase in Central Asian region.

The effect of comprehensive psychological interventions on the mental health of the community elderly.

To observe the intervention effect of comprehensive psychological interventions on the mental health of the elderly population. 133 elderly aged 60 and above in two urban districts of Tianshui City from January 2020 to December 2020 were selected and divided into the intervention group (n=67) and the control group (n=66). The intervention group received comprehensive psychological interventions, with no intervention given to the control group. The anxiety rate, depression rate, loneliness rate and happiness rate of the two groups were collected and compared pre- and post-intervention. Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA) and Memorial University of Newfoundland Scale of Happiness (MUNSH) were used to compare the psychological status of the elderly pre- and post-intervention. Differences in the inter-group main effects and time-point main effects for SAS, SDS, UCLA, and MUNSH scores of the intervention group were significant (all p<0.05). The SAS, SDS, and UCLA scores of the intervention group were higher than those of the control group after intervention. Meanwhile, the SAS and SDS scores of the intervention group were lower than those of the control group after intervention (all p<0.05). Moreover, the MUNSH score of the intervention group was higher than that of the control group at 1-year follow-up post-intervention (p<0.05). Compared with pre-intervention values, the proportions of anxiety, depression loneliness, and happiness in the intervention group were improved at 1-year follow-up post-intervention (all P<0.05). This study provides basis and important support for further investigations and the monitoring of health indicators in a population as fragile as the elderly. Targeted comprehensive psychological interventions can improve the negative emotions of community-dwelling elderly and maintain their physical and mental health. The "community-hospital linkage" mental health service model can improve the mental health status of community-dwelling elderly.

Анализ зависимости удовлетворенности жизнью от уровня экономического развития общества

The problem of increasing the quality of human life is multicomponent and multifaceted. In this context, there is a need to conduct scientific research that can comprehensively reflect the level of development of the state, assess the attractiveness of a country or region not only from an economic point of view, but also from the position of comfort, stability and people’s subjective perception of the state of civil society. This problem, according to the authors, is solved by studying life satisfaction. It involves analyzing and assessing the factors that determine the perception of a person’s quality of life in order to determine priorities in increasing the population’s life satisfaction. In this article, life satisfaction is understood as an individual’s subjective assessment of his economic and social situation. When determining the happiness rating, both objective socio-economic indicators and indicators of the development of civil society, including subjectively perceived ones, are used. The results of the analysis of life satisfaction can form the basis for the formation of macroeconomic policy of the state. Achieving high scores in the happiness rating creates an attractive image of the country, which has a positive effect on the establishment of favorable diplomatic relations and creates conditions for the influx of investments. The purpose of this article is to determine the level of influence of economic well-being on life satisfaction. The study carried out an analysis of macroeconomic indicators and indicators used in the formation of happiness ratings. Using the example of the economy of the Republic of Moldova, the effect of the Easterlin paradox is demonstrated. The authors calculated the correlation coefficient between GDP per capita indicators and the level of happiness, which showed the presence of a moderate, rather than strong, relationship between them.

Extraverts suffer from social distancing: A 30-day diary study

Public health emergencies such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic force policymakers to implement appropriate measures including social distancing to curb the spread of the virus. Although most people assume that such measures impact mental health, the extent of the impact may vary considerably between individuals. Using data from a 30-day diary study that captured daily happiness ratings (N = 611; 15,607 observations) during the worst wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, we used multi-level modeling to test whether the Big Five personality factors moderated the relationship between enforced social distancing and happiness. We observed that people's happiness was stable throughout the enforcement and easing of social distancing. During the study period, both extraversion and agreeableness were found to be positively associated with happiness. Those high in extraversion were less happy when the distancing measures were enforced than when they were lifted. Our findings point to extraversion as a risk factor in public health emergencies and the importance of identifying people at risk to ensure immediate intervention during a pandemic.

Development and validation of a questionnaire for assessment of happiness with reference to behavioral determinants of health. The Indian happiness rating scale III

Background: Recent surveys indicate that the prevalence of happiness is more common in developed countries compared to developing countries, which is considered due to better availability of affordable medical care, more satisfaction in life and economic development. It is possible that chronic anxiety, aggression and depression may be associated with lack of happiness which may predispose poor social, and physical health, leading to unhappiness. This study aims to develop and validate questionnaire for assessment of happiness with greater accuracy, in the behavioral risk factors, so that the same can be used as a tool in the population studies. Subjects and methods: This cross-sectional survey was conducted at Halberg Hospital and Research Institute, Moradabad, India. All subjects; 980 urban (495 men and 485 women), 900 rural (510 men and 390 women) above 25 years of age were randomly selected and recruited from urban and rural populations. Clinical data as well as risk factors were recorded with the help of case record form using the validated questionnaires. Assessment of happiness was made by a new more detailed modified questionnaire involving happiness of mind by including questions related to social, emotional and psychological health behaviours with reference to behavioural risk factors. Results: The prevalence of happiness was 62.2% (n=612) among urban and 63.2% (n=569) among rural subjects. The prevalence of very happy and satisfied (20.2 vs 22.2 %), moderately happy and satisfied (23.7 vs 22.9 %) and the modestly happy and satisfied (18.4 vs 17.9 %) were not significantly different among urban and rural subjects. It seems that the accuracy of the Indian Happiness Rating Scale III is good enough to assess happiness in other populations. The prevalence of behavioral risk factors; alcoholism, alcohol intake in moderation, sedentary behavior, western type diet intake, sleep disorders, emotional stress disorders, breakfast missing, late night dinner, night shift work, were significantly greater among urban subjects compared with rural subjects. However, among subjects with happiness, the frequency of moderate alcohol intake was significantly greater compared to subjects with no happiness among urbans. There were no gender differences in happiness. Conclusions: It is possible that this modified questionnaire with 16 attributes, may accurately assess the status of happiness and successfully used for assessment of happiness rates in urban and rural populations. The questionnaire allowed us to identify approximately two third subjects with happiness, among both urban and rural populations. Similar prevalence of happiness among urban and rural subjects, despite more behavioral risk factors among urbans, indicate that economic development may not be necessary for happiness. Further studies are necessary to find out the role of happiness in relations to health and behavioral risk factors.

Positive imagery in depressive suicidal patients: A randomized controlled trial of the effect of viewing loved ones’ photos on mood states and suicidal ideation

According to research, it has been suggested that individuals who are affected by depression could potentially engage in the creation and experience emotional advantages relating to positive events directed towards the past or future, with the condition that they are provided with suitable mental imagery techniques. The main aim of this study was to assess the impact of utilizing positive imagery, specifically through the utilization of photographs featuring loved ones, on mood states and suicidal ideation among individuals diagnosed with depression and exhibiting suicidal tendencies. This randomized, double-blind, controlled crossover trial was conducted among 78 hospitalized depressive patients at three psychiatric services between April and August 2019. The patients participated in four individual picture-viewing sessions on four consecutive days. The four categories of pictures were included: loved ones, neutral faces of strangers, natural landscapes, and optical illusions. Directly prior to and immediately following the observation of the visual stimuli (photographs), the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) and the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSSI) were completed by the patients. Repeated measures ANOVAs conducted in this study revealed a significant main effect of time on ratings of tension, depression, fatigue, vigor, calmness, and happiness (P values < 0.001). Additionally, statistically significant interactions were identified between picture category and time in relation to the variables of tension, depression, fatigue, vigor, calmness, and happiness (P values < 0.001). The analysis did not reveal a significant main effect of time on ratings of anger, confusion, and suicidal ideation (P values > 0.05). Likewise, the interaction between picture category and time did not yield significant results for the variables of anger, confusion, and suicidal ideation (P values > 0.05). The positive imagery procedure using the presentation of loved ones’ photos showed beneficial effects on the mood states of depressed patients. The findings of this study suggest that incorporating a greater emphasis on positive imagery within the context of clinical depression may offer potential advantages. This highlights the potential for novel opportunities in the treatment of depression. Trial registrationThe study has been registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (registration number: IRCT20180808040744N1; first registration date: December 22, 2018; website: https://en.irct.ir/trial/33186).

Ratings of valence, arousal, happiness, anger, fear, sadness, disgust, and surprise for 24,000 Dutch words.

Emotion is a fundamental aspect of human life and therefore is critically encoded in language. To facilitate research into the encoding of emotion in language and how emotion associations affect language processing, we present a new set of emotion norms for over 24,000 Dutch words. The emotion norms include ratings of two key dimensions of emotion: valence and arousal, as well as ratings on discrete emotion categories: happiness, anger, fear, sadness, disgust, and surprise. We show that emotional information can predict word processing, such that responses to positive words are facilitated in contrast to neutral and negative words. We also demonstrate how the ratings of emotion are related to personality characteristics. The data are available via the Open Science Framework ( https://osf.io/9htuv/ ) and serve as a valuable resource for research into emotion as well as in applied settings such as healthcare and digital communication.

Being a game changer with happy workers: The Ziraat Bank example

Many companies have been implementing strategies in recent years to increase employee happiness, which has become one of their primary corporate objectives. Research has explored which initiatives are effective in promoting employee happiness, the extent to which happiness affects employee performance, and the importance of numerical evidence in this regard. Studies have found a positive correlation between employee happiness and organizational performance, making employee happiness rate a crucial indicator for measuring the health and sustainability of an organization.The aim of this research was to examine the connection between performance scores and happiness, drawing on Fisher's “happy-super worker” hypothesis proposed in 1980. Data analysis was conducted on seven quarters (21 months) of information from 4,277 employees, and the results confirmed that happiness and performance are positively correlated. The study revealed that happiness had a beneficial impact on performance at both low- and high-performance score levels, albeit with a gradual effect. In contrast, happiness had a more rapid impact on success at medium-performance levels. However, a positive association was found between happiness and success across all performance scores, including low, medium, and high performance.The study revealed a curvilinear relationship between happiness and performance. Furthermore, panel data modeling showed that an increase of 1 unit in individual happiness at any given time led to an average increase of 3.41 units in their performance score.

(221) Impacts of COVID 19 on the Mental Health of LGBTQIA+ People: An Integrative Review

Abstract Introduction The pandemic scenario is a global crisis that has affected not only the physical/biological dimension, but also aspects of mental health and well-being. Even prior to the pandemic, sexual and gender minorities have experienced acts of prejudice and discrimination. These actions result in social exclusion through low employability rates, high unemployment rates, difficulty in accessing housing, food, health care, as well as the shortage of qualified professionals to meet the demands of this specific population. For this reason, some groups are in a position of greater vulnerability facing the COVID-19 crisis, such as the LGBTQIA+ community. Objective This integrative review aimed to verify the impacts of the pandemic context on the mental health of the LGBTQIA+ people, seeking to assess the mental health conditions and well-being of this population in the pandemic. Methods Characterized as an integrative review with a qualitative approach, with a descriptive and transversal scope. The inclusion criteria were: 1) to present a relation between LGBTQIA+ people and the COVID-19 pandemic context; 2) to address aspects of mental health in LGBTQIA+ people during the COVID-19 pandemic, 3) to include empirical data. The exclusion criteria were: 1) review articles, clinical trials or editorial letters; 2) articles that are not in Portuguese or English; 3) articles that address stressors in a decontextualized way of the COVID-19 pandemic; 4) Duplicate articles. Therefore, we used the descriptors “Sexual and Gender Minorities”, “COVID19”, “COVID-19”, “Pandemic”, “Mental Health”, “Depression”, “Anxiety” “Stress”, “Distress”, “Gay”, “Lesbian”, “Trans” and “Minority Stress” on scientific databases (PubMed and Scientific Electronic Library Online). The initial research resulted in 307 registers that were filtered using the Rayyan software, this process was described using a PRISM flowchart. The final sample consisted in 30 articles that were analyzed using Bardin's content analysis. Results Five categories emerged through content analysis: 1) Negative outcomes in mental health, well-being and happiness; 2) Access to physical and psychological health care; 3) Coping strategies, alcohol and other substances use; 4) Economic damage and precarious living conditions and 5) Different experiences and vulnerabilities within the LGBTQIA+ community. Significant relations were found between specific stressors regarding the experience of sexual and gender minorities, such as discrimination, stigmatization from parents and relatives, inability to express one's own gender or sexual orientation, distancing from a support network and community and high rates of symptoms related to stress, anxiety, depression and suicidality, as well as low rates of well-being and happiness. Conclusions This study encourages future studies that provide a broader and, at the same time, more detailed view of this population, contemplating people from different socioeconomic contexts and ethnoracial characteristics, as well as delving into the realities of the various identities of each letter within the LGBTQIA+ community. Disclosure No

Why so slangry (sleepy and angry)? Shorter sleep duration and lower sleep efficiency predict worse next-day mood in adolescents.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the relationships of actigraphic nighttime sleep duration and quality with next-day mood among urban adolescents using a micro-longitudinal design. A subsample (N = 525) of participants from the Fragile Families & Child Wellbeing Study (mean age: 15.4 years; 53% female; 42% Black non-Hispanic, 24% Hispanic/Latino, 19% White non-Hispanic) in the United States between 2014 and 2016 concurrently wore a wrist actigraphic sleep monitor and rated their daily mood in electronic diaries for about 1 week. Multilevel models tested the within-person temporal associations of nightly sleep duration and sleep maintenance efficiency with next-day reports of happiness, anger, and loneliness. The models also tested the between-person associations of sleep variables and mood. Models adjusted for sociodemographic and household characteristics, weekend, and school year. After nights when adolescents obtained longer sleep duration than their usual, they reported lower ratings of anger (B = -.03, p < .01) the next day. After nights when adolescents had higher sleep maintenance efficiency than their usual, they reported higher ratings of happiness (B = .02, p < .01) the next day. Adolescents who had longer average sleep duration reported lower ratings of anger (B = -.08, p < .01) and loneliness (B = -.08, p < .01) compared to others. There was no within-person association of sleep duration or efficiency with loneliness. Sleep duration was not associated with happiness between adolescents, and sleep maintenance efficiency was not associated with any mood measure between adolescents. Improvements to nightly sleep may help increase happiness and decrease anger the following day in adolescents. Promoting sleep health is recommended to improve mood.

Trait Hostility Moderates the Relationships between Work Environments and Ambulatory Blood Pressure and Momentary Affect.

Hostility is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality, but less is known about when hostility poses greatest risk. Work environments can be characterized by features that are reactive for high hostile individuals. Using a person by environment approach, this paper tested whether hostility interacted with work location to predict the cardiovascular disease risk factors of ambulatory blood pressure (ABP) and momentary affect. Community participants (n = 108; aged 20-68, M = 36.52, SD = 11.96; 66.06% men; primarily 35.62% non-Hispanic Black, 31.51% non-Hispanic White, and 15.07% Latino/Hispanic) completed a measure of trait hostility followed by two 24-hour ABP monitoring sessions. After each ABP reading, ecological momentary assessment was used to capture participants' current location and ratings of anger, sadness, happiness, and anxiety. 4,321 observations were recorded. Multilevel models tested the relationship between work location, trait hostility, and their interaction on ABP and momentary affect. Participants higher on hostility had higher systolic ABP, diastolic ABP, anger, and sadness (but not happiness nor anxiety) when at work compared to when not at work; no differences were observed for those lower on hostility. A more consistent pattern of results was found for the William hostility subscale than a traditional measure. Results suggest mechanisms for how trait hostility can lead to cardiovascular disease and mortality and highlight the importance of studying traits like hostility within context. Future research should consider the role of social determinates of health like socioeconomic status and features of the work environment to better understand this relationship.

Acute Mood-Elevating Properties of Microdosed Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Healthy Volunteers: A Home-Administered Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundMicrodosing psychedelic drugs is a widespread social phenomenon with diverse benefits claimed for mood and cognition. Randomized controlled trials have failed to support these claims, but the laboratory-based dosing in trials conducted to date may have limited ecological validity. MethodsHealthy male volunteers were randomized into lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) (n = 40) and placebo (n = 40) groups and received 14 doses of either 10 μg LSD or an inactive placebo every 3 days for 6 weeks. First doses were given in a supervised laboratory setting, with other doses self-administered in a naturalistic setting. Results of safety data, blinding, daily questionnaires, expectancy, and pre-/postintervention psychometrics and cognitive tasks are presented here. ResultsThe most notable reported adverse event was treatment-related anxiety, which prompted the withdrawal of 4 participants from the LSD group. Daily questionnaires showed credible evidence (>99% posterior probability) of improved ratings of creativity, connectedness, energy, happiness, irritability, and wellness on dose days compared with nondose days, and these effects remained when controlling for preintervention expectancy. No questionnaire or cognitive task showed a credible change between baseline and 6-week assessment time points. ConclusionsMicrodosing LSD appears to be relatively safe in healthy adult men, notwithstanding a risk of anxiety. While microdosing elicited transient increases in scales associated with mood-elevating effects, it was not sufficient to promote enduring changes to overall mood or cognition in healthy adults. Future microdosing trials in clinical populations will require the use of active placebos to control for placebo effects and dose titration to adjust for interindividual variability in drug response.

Voluntary or reluctant? Social influence in charitable giving: an ERP study.

Social information has substantial influences on prosocial behavior. In this study, we performed an event-related potential (ERP) experiment to examine the effect of social influence on giving. The participants were allowed to form an initial decision on how much money to donate to a charity provided the program's average donation amount and to make a second donation decision. Social influence varied in different directions (upward, downward and equal) by altering the relative donation amount between the average donation amount and the participants' first donation amount. The behavioral results showed that participants increased their donation amount in the upward condition and decreased it in the downward condition. The ERP results revealed that upward social information evoked larger feedback-related negativity (FRN) amplitudes and smaller P3 amplitudes than in the downward and equal conditions. Furthermore, the pressure ratings, rather than the happiness ratings, were associated with the FRN patterns across the three conditions. We argue that people in social situations are more likely to increase their donations owing to pressure than voluntary altruism. Our study provides the first ERP evidence that different directions of social information evoke different neural responses in time course processing.

Is the excellent air quality a protective factor of health problems for Taitung County in eastern Taiwan? Perspectives from visual analytics

Taitung, an agricultural country in Eastern Taiwan, was famous for its fresh air with less industrial and petrochemical pollution. Air pollution may induce cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and stroke, poor air quality also resulted in a higher depression rate and less feeling of happiness; therefore, our study aims to use visualization tools to demonstrate the association between air quality index (AQI) and the among negative factors and try to find that whether Taitung got the benefit of good air quality on health issues. We retrieved data from the government of Taiwan and other open sources in the year 2019, then visual maps and generalized association plots with clusters demonstrated the relationship between each factor and each county/city. Taitung had the lowest AQI and asthma attack rate, but AQI had a negative relationship to air pollution-caused death (R = −0.379), happiness index (R = −0.358), and income (R = −0.251). The GAP analysis revealed that smoke and overweight were the nearest to air pollution causing death, also counties and cities were divided into two major clusters initially based on the air pollution-related variables. In conclusion, the World Health Organization (WHO) definition and the weight of each air pollution cause death may not be suitable for Taiwan due to too many confounding factors.

Cultural values and changes in happiness in 78 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of data from the World Happiness Reports.

The concept of happiness is consistent across cultures to a significant extent, and encompasses both internal (subjective) and external (situational) aspects. Cultural values and norms shape emotions and behavior from an early age, and hence play a key role in influencing cross-national variations in happiness. Cross-national variations in culture can thus play a key role in influencing the relationship between adverse circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and happiness. The current study examines the relationship between the six dimensions of culture, defined by Hofstede and his colleagues, and subjective ratings of happiness in 78 countries, obtained before (2017-19) and during (2020-21) the COVID-19 pandemic, based on data from the most recent World Happiness reports. The key results were: (a) countries were as likely to experience an increase as a decrease in self-reported happiness during this period; (b) distinct domains of culture were significantly correlated with happiness at each time point, though there was a certain degree of overlap; (c) pre-pandemic levels of happiness were negatively associated with changes in happiness during the pandemic; and (d) among cultural dimensions, long-term orientation was positively associated with changes in subjective happiness, while indulgence was negatively associated with this variable. Certain cultural values may play an important part in fostering a path to well-being in the face of stressful or traumatic circumstances. This path may be similar to the concept of mature happiness, derived from existential philosophy, which is characterized by achieving a balance between the positive and negative aspects of one's life.

Orthodontic treatment with Orthoworld Fastbraces®: a retrospective analysis of treatment duration, outcomes, and patient satisfaction

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of orthodontic treatment using Orthoworld FASTBRACES® and assess patient satisfaction with various treatment parameters. A total of 559 eligible patients out of 20,240 cases treated between 2010 and 2023 were included in this review. Patients were categorized into two groups based on the type of brackets used: 29 patients with ceramic brackets and 530 patients with metal brackets. Following completion of orthodontic treatment, patients were invited to complete a comprehensive questionnaire, which assessed treatment duration, number of visits, brackets and wires used, types of issues encountered, patient understanding of treatment, overall comfort level, compliance, and satisfaction with the speed of treatment. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 20,240 orthodontic cases treated with Orthoworld FASTBRACES® between 2010 and 2023. From this pool, 559 patients met the inclusion criteria for this study. The adult patient group was considered age 18 and older. The adult patient cohort was divided into two groups: 27 patients with ceramic brackets and 368 patients with metal brackets. All patients underwent comprehensive orthodontic treatment using the Orthoworld FASTBRACES® system. Results: Among the 559 patients included in this review, a detailed analysis of treatment outcomes and adult patient satisfaction was performed. The mean treatment duration was calculated for both the ceramic bracket group (n = 363.04 days) and the metal bracket group (n = 439.20 days). The average number of visits required for each group was recorded at 16.82 days for the ceramic bracket group and 14.67 days for the metal bracket group. During treatment, various issues were encountered and categorized as bracket-related, wire-related, tooth-related, patient- related, allergic reactions, soft tissue irritation, bracket placement issues, performance-related issues, and hard tissue complications. Metal group had the highest number of issues with patients complaining of tooth issues (n=32), bracket issues (n=18), and soft-tissue issues (n=8). Both groups reported low numbers ( n &lt; 8) for bracket performance issues (metal: n=4; ceramic n=0), placement issues (metal: n=2; ceramic n=1), wires issues (metal: n=5; ceramic n=0), hard tissue issues (metal: n=3; ceramic n=0), ingestion issues (metal: n=1; ceramic n=0), and allergic reactions (n=0 for both groups). Following the completion of orthodontic treatment, patients were asked to complete a questionnaire evaluating their understanding of the treatment, overall comfort level, compliance, and satisfaction with the speed of treatment. Patient responses were collected and analyzed to determine the rating of patient understanding, comfort, compliance, and happiness with the treatment duration. The average score for patient responses ranged between 3.14 to 3.42 (i.e., above average) for treatment evaluation survey (Avg: 3.25 ceramic group vs 3.37 metal group). Conclusion: This analysis of orthodontic treatment with Orthoworld FASTBRACES® provides valuable insights into treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction. The findings shed light on the treatment duration, number of visits, brackets and wires utilized, and types of issues encountered during the course of treatment. Patient feedback regarding their understanding of treatment, comfort level, compliance, and satisfaction with the speed of treatment further contributes to the assessment of FASTBRACES® as an orthodontic treatment modality. The metal bracket group had a larger number of cases and a slightly longer average duration of treatment compared to the ceramic bracket group. However, the differences in average scores for patient understanding, comfort, satisfaction, and compliance were minimal between the two groups.