Life Satisfaction Judgments Research Articles

Are Danes really happier than Swedes and Australians? A comparative analysis of subjective well-being measurement issues in Denmark, Sweden, and Australia

This study examines the reliability of cross-national subjective well-being (SWB) survey data, by corroborating the persistently high SWB-rankings of Denmark through a comparison to Sweden and Australia, two countries with similar or superior social, economic, and health indicators. Our research focuses on both the affective and the cognitive component of SWB, with a special emphasis on the affective component. We investigate four potential measurement issues that could contribute to Denmark’s elevated SWB scores: linguistic inconsistencies in survey translations, variations in answering scale usage, recall bias of affect, and positivity bias in life satisfaction judgments. To address these concerns, we utilize multi-group confirmatory factor analysis, analyse emotion-focused anchoring vignettes, examine affect items across varying time frames, and contrast overall life satisfaction assessments with those of domain-specific satisfaction. Despite accounting for various potential measurement issues, our results reveal that Danes consistently report higher SWB than their Swedish and Australian counterparts, although the differences are small for several of the measures. This finding implies that the SWB survey-data is reliable in this case, and that Denmark's high SWB rankings are not attributable to measurement biases but may indeed signify genuinely high levels of SWB. This paper adds to the growing body of literature on cross-national SWB comparisons and might provide insights for researchers aiming to compare well-being across countries.

Sub-national patterns and correlates of depression among adults aged 45 years and older: findings from wave 1 of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India

Depression is a major public health challenge linked with several poor health outcomes and disabilities among adults aged 45 years and older in India. We aimed to describe the prevalence of depression and its association with a variety of sociodemographic correlates and co-existing health conditions for this age group in India and its states. In this prospective cohort study, data from wave 1 (baseline) of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India were used to estimate the national and subnational state level age-standardised prevalence of depression-major depressive episodes-using the internationally validated Composite International Diagnostic Interview-Short Form (CIDI-SF) scale. Hierarchical mixed effect multivariate logistic regression models were used to study the sociodemographic correlates and co-existing health conditions of major depressive episodes among the nationally representative sample of 72 250 adults aged 45 years and older from 35 states or union territories (except the state of Sikkim). Associations between depression and self-rated health, co-morbid conditions, functional health, and life satisfaction measures were also examined. A total of 40 335 (58·3%) females and 29 407 (41·7%) males aged 45 to 116 years (median age 58 years) participated. The overall age-standardised prevalence of depression based on CIDI-SF scale was 5·7% (95% CI 5·5-5·8) compared with 0·5% (0·5-0·6) self-reported prevalence of depression among adults aged 45 years and older in India. Wide sub-national variations were seen in depression prevalence, ranging from 0·8% (95% CI 0·3-1·3) in Mizoram state to 12·9% (11·6-14·2) in Madhya Pradesh. Prevalence was higher in females (6·3% [95% CI 6·1-6·6] vs 4·3% [4·1-4·6]) for India, and this higher prevalence was more pronounced in some of the northern states. The risk of depression was higher in those residing in rural areas, widowed, with no or low education, and in the poorest quintile. Depression showed a strong positive association with poor self-rated health (OR 2·39 [95% CI 2·21-2·59]; p<0·0001), with one or more limitations in the activities of daily living (ADL; OR 1·60 [1·46-1·75]; p<0·0001), instrumental ADL limitations (OR 1·51 [1·40-1·64]; p<0·0001), and low cognitive judgment of life satisfaction (OR 1·94 [95% CI 1·78-2·10]; p<0·0001). Despite the substantial burden, depression remains undiagnosed and strongly linked with poor health and wellbeing outcomes in adults aged 45 years and older in India. The ageing population of India and the subnational variations amplify the implications of this new evidence to address the substantial gaps in prevention and treatment of depression. LASI was funded by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, the National Institute of Ageing, USA and the United Nations Population Fund, India.

Contribution of Academic Satisfaction Judgments to Subjective Well-Being.

The role of academic satisfaction (AS) on persistence and successful academic behavior has been the focus of research for decades. Nevertheless, driven by positive educational psychology, subjective well-being has been highlighted as another central feature in the academic path of students. Studies aimed at identifying the variables that contribute to explain different aspects of academic performance have been widely investigated, although studies aimed at identifying the determinants of subjective well-being are still limited. The present paper examined the contribution of AS judgments on subjective well-being (SWB). To this end, it was hypothesized that SWB levels depend on the balance between positive/negative emotions and life satisfaction judgments. Furthermore, it was stipulated that AS has an indirect contribution on SWB, through life satisfaction, whereas the balance of emotions influences both AS judgments and life satisfaction. Using an analysis strategy based on structural equation modeling, the results indicated that the model fitted satisfactorily, explaining 32% of the variance of SWB. Particularly, it was observed that AS judgments contributed to life satisfaction judgments (β = 0.34). Although no direct contribution of AS on SWB was reported, a total contribution partially mediated by life satisfaction judgments was revealed (total β = 0.19). These findings support the importance of academic satisfaction judgments, not only because of their importance in academic terms, but also because of their impact on university students’ subjective well-being and health.

An Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Temporal Satisfaction With Life Scale.

The Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale measures judgements of life satisfaction using 15 items, according to three temporal dimensions: past, present, and future. However, only seven studies have looked at the psychometric properties of the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale, and this has been individually across vastly different countries and cultures (Canada, China, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and United-States), and with different populations, such as undergraduate students, adults, and older adults. In addition, these studies have highlighted issues regarding the replicability of the validity of the scale structure and optimal number of items. In this study we use a large international and multicultural sample (n = 6,912) from the International Wellbeing Study and investigate the scale structure of the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale, resulting in the recommendation that a shortened 12-item version provides a better model fit compared to the original 15-item version. More in-depth correlates with aspects of wellbeing and illbeing, in relation to past, present, and future life satisfaction, are also presented than have been previously, which found positive correlations between the temporal dimensions of the Temporal Satisfaction with Life Scale and wellbeing, as well as negative correlations with illbeing measures.

Frontoinsular cortical microstructure is linked to life satisfaction in young adulthood.

Life satisfaction is a component of subjective well-being that reflects a global judgement of the quality of life according to an individual's own needs and expectations. As a psychological construct, it has attracted attention due to its relationship to mental health, resilience to stress, and other factors. Neuroimaging studies have identified neurobiological correlates of life satisfaction; however, they are limited to functional connectivity and gray matter morphometry. We explored features of gray matter microstructure obtained through compartmental modeling of multi-shell diffusion MRI data, and we examined cortical microstructure in frontoinsular cortex in a cohort of 807 typical young adults scanned as part of the Human Connectome Project. Our experiments identified the orientation dispersion index (ODI), and analogously fractional anisotropy (FA), of frontoinsular cortex as a robust set of anatomically-specific lateralized diffusion MRI microstructure features that are linked to life satisfaction, independent of other demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors. We further validated our findings in a secondary test-retest dataset and found high reliability of our imaging metrics and reproducibility of outcomes. In our analysis of twin and non-twin siblings, we found basic microstructure in frontoinsular cortex to be strongly genetically determined. We also found a more moderate but still very significant genetic role in determining microstructure as it relates to life satisfaction in frontoinsular cortex. Our findings suggest a potential linkage between well-being and microscopic features of frontoinsular cortex, which may reflect cellular morphology and architecture and may more broadly implicate the integrity of the homeostatic processing performed by frontoinsular cortex as an important component of an individual's judgements of life satisfaction.

Mediation of Problematic Use in the Relationship Between Types of Internet Use and Subjective Well-Being in Schoolchildren.

Subjective well-being is a broad category of phenomena that includes people’s emotional responses, domain satisfactions, and global judgments of life satisfaction. This research investigates how schoolchildren’s subjective well-being is affected by the different types of technology use, in personal contexts, and, concurrently, whether these effects are different when the use of technology is problematic. The central hypotheses are as follows: (1) the use of the Internet affects the subjective well-being of schoolchildren negatively only when this use is problematic and (2) the effect on subjective well-being is different according to the type of Internet use. To respond to the objectives of the research, a survey was applied to 15-year-old adolescents (2,579 cases), distributed in 330 public schools, beneficiaries of a government program for the delivery of personal computers and Internet for a year. The different uses of the Internet were measured using frequency scales by type of activity (social, recreational, and educational). Problematic use scale measured the perception of negative consequences of the intensity of Internet use on a daily basis. Subjective well-being was measured by the Personal Well-Being Index-School Children (PWI-SC). Subsequently, for analytical purposes, three simple mediation models were created, whose dependent variable was PWI-SC, while its independent variables were Internet use scales differentiated by purpose (social, recreational, and educational) and problematic use as a mediating variable, as well as attributes of the subjects and their social environment, which were incorporated as control variables. The main results show that only if Internet use is expressed as problematic does it negatively affect subjective well-being. On the contrary, when the use of the Internet is not problematic, the effect is positive and even greater than the simple effect (without mediation) between these two variables. This finding is relevant, since it allows us to provide evidence that suggests that, when studying the effect that the intensity of the Internet, firstly, one must consider the mediating effect exerted by the network’s problematic use and, secondly, that not all types of use have the same impact. Therefore, it is useful to enrich the discussion on subjective well-being and social integration of schoolchildren in the digital age.

The Contribution of Positive and Negative Affect to Life Satisfaction across Age

People rely on their recent emotional experiences when constructing life satisfaction judgments. However, the role of positive and negative affect in life satisfaction across different age groups has rarely been examined in prior research. This study sought to investigate the contribution of positive and negative affect to life satisfaction across five age groups in a large sample of Serbians between 16 and 65 years of age (N = 3287, 59.9% females). Multi-group structural equation modeling was used to establish measurement invariance and to examine the relationships between affect and life satisfaction across the age groups. Full metric invariance was supported for life satisfaction and positive and negative affect across the groups. The results showed that positive affect had strong effects on life satisfaction across the groups, whereas negative affect had weak or nonsignificant effects. The effects of positive and negative affect on life satisfaction were found to be invariant across age groups. Our findings indicate that people rely more on positive emotional experiences than on negative emotional experiences when constructing life satisfaction judgments, and that age does not moderate the effects of affective experiences on life satisfaction.

Construct validity of global life-satisfaction judgments: A look into the black box of self–informant agreement

Life-satisfaction judgments are ubiquitously used as indicators of wellbeing. The construct validity of these judgments relies heavily on self–informant agreement. However, agreement is necessary, but not sufficient to claim that life-satisfaction judgments are valid. In addition, self–informant agreement should be based on the use of valid information about satisfaction with important life domains. An alternative possibility is that agreement is based on impressions about personality traits. We tested these two hypotheses in a model that predicted self-ratings and informant ratings of life satisfaction from shared perceptions of personality and satisfaction with life domains. In a round-robin study of families, we found that life-domains were the key predictor of self–informant agreement. However, the Depressiveness facet of Neuroticism had a small direct effect. In addition, it was indirectly related to self–informant agreement because it predicts lower satisfaction in important life-domains that were used to form life-satisfaction judgments.

Validation of a general subjective well-being factor using Classical Test Theory.

BackgroundSubjective Well-Being (SWB) is usually conceptualized in terms of an affective (i.e., judgements of biological emotional reactions and experiences) and a cognitive component (i.e., judgements of life satisfaction in relation to a psychological self-imposed ideal). Recently, researchers have suggested that judgements of harmony in life can replace or at least complement the cognitive component of SWB. Here, however, we go beyond that suggestion and propose that harmony in life should be seen as SWB’s social component since it is the sense of balance between the individual and the world around her—a process that comprises acceptance, adaptation, and balance. By adding judgements of one’s social interactions (i.e., harmony in life) to judgments of one’s life satisfaction (psycho) and judgements of one’s emotional reactions (bio), we propose a tentatively biopsychosocial model of SWB. As a first step, we used different factorial models in order to determine if both a general factor and specific sub-factors contribute to the biopsychosocial model of SWB.MethodA total of 527 participants responded to the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; 20 items), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; five items), and the Harmony in life Scale (HILS; five items). We conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to validate the biopsychosocial model of subjective well-being and a general factor (SWBS).ResultsThe 20 PANAS items reflected a mixture of general latent structure saturation and specific latent structure saturation, but contributed to their respective specific latent factor (PA: 48%; NA: 49%) more than to the general latent SWBS factor (positive affect: 25%; negative affect: 32%). The five SWLS items contributed to a larger degree to the general SWBS factor (72%) than to life satisfaction itself (22%), while the five HILS items contributed to even a larger degree to the general SWBS factor (98%) than to harmony in life (0%). The bifactor model was the best model compared with all other models we tested (χ2 = 1,660.78, df = 375, p < 0.001); Satorra Bentler χ2 = 1,265.80, df = 375, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.92; Tucker–Lewis Index = 0.91; RMSEA = 0.067. This model of a general SWBS factor explained about 64% of the total variance in the model, while specific SWBS components together explained 15% of the total variance.ConclusionOur study suggests SWB as a general factor in a multidimensional biopsychosocial model. Indeed, as much as 64% of the variance of SWB was explained by this general factor. The SWB components, however, contributed to a different degree to each corresponding factor in the model. For instance, while the affective and cognitive components seem to be their own constructs and also part of the general SWB factor, the social component tested here contributed 0% to its own variance but 98% to the general factor.

Effects of Momentary Affect on Satisfaction Judgments

Abstract. This study aims to examine the effect of affect on satisfaction, both at the between- and the within-person level for momentary assessments. Affect is regarded as an important source of information for life satisfaction judgments. This affective effect on satisfaction is well established at the dispositional level, while at the within-person level it is heavily under-researched. This is true especially for momentary assessments. In this experience sampling study both mood and satisfaction scales were administered five times a day for 7 days via hand-held devices ( N = 74 with 2,122 assessments). Several hierarchical linear models were fitted to the data. Even though the amount of between-person variance was relatively low, both positive and negative affect had substantial effects on momentary satisfaction on the between- and the within-person level as well. The within-person effects of affect on satisfaction appear to be more pronounced than the between-person ones. At the momentary level, the amount of between-person variance is lower than in studies with longer time-frames. The affect-related effects on satisfaction possibly have a curvilinear relationship with the time-frame used, increasing in intensity up to a point and then decreasing again. Such a relationship suggests that, at the momentary level, satisfaction might behave in a more stochastic manner, allowing for transient events/data which are not necessarily affect-related to affect it.

The Relationship Between Domain Satisfaction and Domain Importance: The Moderating Role of Depression

A study involving a large-scale social survey was administered to a representative German sample provided evidence demonstrating three information processing principles associated with life satisfaction judgments: (1) judgments of domain satisfaction tend to influence judgments of domain importance; (2) the effect of domain satisfaction on domain importance tends to be moderated by depressive realism; and (3) depression tends to influence domain satisfaction judgments. Specifically, depression mitigates the influence of domain satisfaction on domain importance. Nondepressed individuals tend to use compensation (an ego-enhancing strategy) to inflate the importance of domains they experience high satisfaction as well as deflate the importance of those domains they experience low satisfaction. As such, the effect of domain satisfaction on domain importance is accentuated for the nondepressed compared to the depressed.

Life satisfaction of informal care recipients: Findings from the German Ageing Survey.

Global judgements of life satisfaction are a core aspect of subjective well-being, and of central relevance to understanding how those in need of care view their lives. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between the receipt of informal care and life satisfaction in a longitudinal setting. Longitudinal analysis of a population-based data set of community-dwelling individuals aged 40years and older. Data from the German Ageing Survey were used (Waves 2002, 2008, 2011, 2014). Fixed effects regression analysis was implemented to investigate the longitudinal association between receipt of informal care (no/yes) and life satisfaction (Satisfaction with Life Scale), while controlling for sociodemographic data (e.g., age) and health-related factors (e.g., physical and mental health). Results from fixed effects longitudinal models revealed that transitioning from not receiving informal care to receiving informal care predicted a decrease in life satisfaction. This result remained stable when specific types of receipt of informal care were used as predictors. Receiving informal care is associated with a decrease in life satisfaction, irrespective of the type of informal care received. These results highlight the necessity of taking the care recipient's perception into consideration, and indicate the imminent need for the care situation to be improved, if the life satisfaction of care recipients is to be maintained. Statement of contribution What is already known on the topic? In general, few studies investigate the care recipients' perspective regarding outcomes associated with the receipt of informal care. Particularly, studies on the association between receipt of informal care and life satisfaction, and especially longitudinal population-based studies, are rare. What does this study add? Evidence of a population-based longitudinal study in a sparsely investigated field of research Our longitudinal study found recipients of informal care to report reduced life satisfaction This negative association remained stable when investigating different tasks of informal care.

The association between life satisfaction and affective well-being

We estimate the correlation between life satisfaction and affect—two conceptually distinct dimensions of subjective well-being. We propose a simple model that distinguishes between a stable and a transitory component of affect, and which also accounts for measurement error in self-reports of both variables, including current-mood bias effects on life satisfaction judgments. The model is estimated using momentarily measured well-being data, from an experience sampling survey that we conducted on a population sample of Swedes aged 18–50 (n=252). Our main estimates of the correlation between life satisfaction and long-run affective well-being range between 0.78 and 0.91, indicating a stronger convergence between these variables than many previous studies that do not account for measurement issues.

The short-term stability of life satisfaction judgments.

Life satisfaction judgments are thought to reflect people's overall evaluation of the quality of their lives as a whole. Because the circumstances of these lives typically do not change very quickly, life satisfaction judgments should be relatively stable over time. However, some evidence suggests that these judgments can be easily manipulated, which leads to low stability even over very short intervals. The current study uses a unique data set that includes multiple assessments of life satisfaction over both long (up to 4 years) and short (over the course of a single interview) intervals to assess whether information that is made salient during the course of an interview affects life satisfaction judgments at the end of the interview. Results suggest that this intervening information has only small effects on the final judgment and that placement within an interview has little influence on the judgment that people provide. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Core self-evaluations are associated with judgments of satisfaction with life via positive but not negative affect

Core self-evaluations (CSE) are associated with a range of indicators of positive personal and job outcomes. Current research suggests that CSE may be a precursor of judgment of life satisfaction but little is known about the factors that mediate the relationship. Affect is a potential mediator of the relationship and so we investigated whether positive and negative affect mediated the relationship between CSE and life satisfaction in two independent Spanish samples. Three hundred and fifty-two university students (Sample 1) and 520 adults (Sample 2) completed self-report measures of core self-evaluation, positive and negative affect and life satisfaction. In both samples, the association between CSE and life satisfaction was mediated by positive, but not negative affect. If replicated in longitudinal research, these results would provide evidence that CSE is associated with greater positive affect, which might influence life satisfaction judgments. These findings also highlight the importance of CSE and affect components that could take into consideration in positive psychology interventions aimed at increasing well-being.

Retrospective time travel in life satisfaction judgment: A life history approach

We are products of past events and experiences, but only a few of them linger in our memory to affect our present lives. The current research examined whether there are individual differences in how far people look back to judge their present life satisfaction using the evolutionary framework of life history theory. The results showed that perceived ecological uncertainty interacts with a key aspect of life history strategy (childhood socioeconomic status; SES) to influence the span of retrospective mental time travel. When asked to list past events that had crossed their minds during life satisfaction judgments, individuals who grew up in low-SES environments mentioned more recent events, whereas individuals who grew up in high-SES environments wrote more distant past events. This difference was found only when the perception of ecological uncertainty was high, but not when it was low. It appears that life history strategy shapes people's retrospective lens during life satisfaction judgments.

The effect of mood on judgments of subjective well-being: Nine tests of the judgment model.

Life satisfaction judgments are thought to represent an overall evaluation of the quality of a person's life as a whole. Thus, they should reflect relatively important and stable characteristics of that person's life. Previous highly cited research has suggested that transient factors, such as the mood that a person experiences at the time that well-being judgments are made, can influence these judgments. However, most existing studies used small sample sizes, and few replications have been attempted. Nine direct and conceptual replications of past studies testing the effects of mood on life satisfaction judgments were conducted using sample sizes that were considerably larger than previous studies (Ns = 202, 200, 269, 118, 320, 401, 285, 129, 122). Most of the 9 studies resulted in nonsignificant effects on life satisfaction and happiness judgments, and those that were significant were substantially smaller than effects found in previous research. (PsycINFO Database Record

Emotional intelligence in older adults: psychometric properties of the TMMS-24 and relationship with psychological well-being and life satisfaction.

Aging is a process during which important changes occur in different areas of development and emotional intelligence plays an essential role. The objective of this study was twofold: first, to validate the TMMS-24 in an older population; and second, to examine the mediating role of life satisfaction in the relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological well-being. The sample consisted of 215 older adults (60.15% women) with a mean age of 69.56 (SD = 6.42), without cognitive impairment. Data on emotional intelligence, satisfaction with life, and psychological well-being were obtained through the TMMS-24, the SWLS, and Ryff's psychological well-being scales, respectively. Confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation modeling were conducted. Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the three-dimensional structure of the TMMS-24. The total scale showed an internal consistency of 0.90, ranging from 0.84 to 0.85 for the subscales. Structural equation modeling indicated that emotional intelligence exerted an influence on psychological well-being both directly and indirectly through life satisfaction. These findings show that the TMMS-24 has adequate psychometric properties for assessing emotional intelligence in elderly participants, and they indicate that emotional intelligence influences cognitive and affective judgments of life satisfaction, with these judgments of life satisfaction predicting psychological well-being.

Bienestar emocional en la vejez avanzada: estudio comparativo por edad y género

Resumen: En la vejez avanzada, los estados emocionales se convierten en el motivo más importante para mantener la satisfacción con la vida. En este estudio se ha examinado el papel de las emociones positivas y negativas sobre el juicio de satisfacción vital en la vejez avanzada, así como las diferencias de edad y género en una muestra de 400 personas muy mayores de Salamanca, con edades comprendidas entre los 75 y 104 años. Los resultados muestran una mayor frecuencia de emociones positivas, siendo las más frecuentes estar atento, sentirse activo y fuerte y, las menos frecuentes, estar entusiasmado e inspirado. Entre los sentimientos negativos más frecuentes destacan sentirse inquieto, expectante y nervioso, y como menos frecuentes sentirse culpable, hostil y avergonzado. Además, aparecen diferencias de edad (quienes tienen entre 75 y 84 años se sienten más activos, entusiasmados e inspirados) y de género (las mujeres muy mayores se sienten más inquietas, nerviosas, orgullosas, temerosas, asustadas y perturbadas). Por otra parte, el análisis de regresión múltiple pone de manifiesto que permanecer animado, alegre, vigilante y alerta frente a los sucesos resulta funcional en el mantenimiento de la satisfacción vital de las personas de 75 y más años. Estos resultados confirman que las emociones positivas son un recurso potencial para la resiliencia psicológica en la vejez avanzada. Emotional well-being in advanced old age: comparative study by age and gender Abstract: In very old age, emotional states become the most important reason to maintain life satisfaction. In this study we examined the role of positive and negative emotions on the judgment of life satisfaction in advanced old age and the age and gender differences in a sample of 400 elderly people of Salamanca, aged between 75 and 104. The results show a higher frequency of positive emotions than negative, with the most frequent of the former being attentive, active and strong, and the less frequent ones being excited and inspired. Among the more frequent negative emotions are feeling jittery, nervous and alert, and the less frequent ones are feeling guilty, hostile and ashamed. In addition, there are differences in terms of both age (people aged between 75 and 84 are more active, enthusiastic and inspired) and gender (very old women are more jittery, nervous, proud, afraid, scared and upset). Moreover, multiple regression analysis showed that remaining lively, happy, interested and alert to events is essential for maintaining the life satisfaction of people aged over 75. These results confirm that positive emotions are a potential resource for psychological resilience in advanced old age.

Examining the effect of affect on life satisfaction judgments: A within-person perspective

While extant studies have examined between-person relationships between life satisfaction and current affect, the nature of this relationship is fundamentally a within-person question. We define this effect of affect on life satisfaction as the proportion of total variance in life satisfaction explained by changes in affect over time. In a study of life satisfaction judgments (N=92 with 353 assessments), we found that the effect of current affect on life satisfaction was relatively inconsequential.