Orientations To Happiness Research Articles

More than preferences: exploring Chinese middle-class parents’ happiness promises in school choice

Parents’ happiness orientation has garnered early attention in school choice studies but has not been cautiously examined. Drawing on Aristotle’s framework of Eudaimonia and Hedonia, along with Ahmed’s concept of the happiness promise, this study transcends a perspec­tive of preference and examines how parents understand and pursue happiness in school choice. Based on interviews with 32 Shanghai middle-class parents, this study indicates five happiness objects: bachelor’s degree, expertise, non-cognitive development, good physical and mental health, and hobby. These happiness objects shape parents’ school choice preferences. In pursuing happiness objects, parents follow the philosophies of ‘no sweet without sweat’ and ‘prioritize sweet with due consideration to sweat’ and employ an authoritative approach when making choices. This study challenges the cultural stereotype that Chinese parents are solely academic-oriented and authoritarian in school choice. Instead, parents integrate happiness and academics and strive to balance children’s future fulfilment and present enjoyment.

Paranormal belief, psychopathological symptoms, and well-being: Latent profile analysis and longitudinal assessment of relationships.

Within non-clinical samples the relationship between paranormal belief (PB) and well-being varies as a function of level of psychopathology. Accordingly, believers are best conceptualised as a heterogeneous set of sub-groups. The usefulness of previous findings has been restricted by conceptual methodological limitations. Specifically, overreliance on cross-sectional design, the assumption that believers constitute a homogeneous group, and consideration of direct effects. Acknowledging these limitations, the present study investigated whether profile membership derived from PB and psychopathology (schizotypy and manic-depressive experience) predicted well-being (i.e., stress, somatic complaints, life satisfaction and meaning in life) across time. Concurrently, analysis assessed the mediating effect of theoretically important variables (transliminality, happiness orientation, fearful and skeptical attitude). A sample of 1736 (Mage = 52, range = 18 to 88; 883 females, 845 males, eight non-binary) completed self-report measures indexing study constructs across time points. Latent profile analysis at baseline, identified three sub-groups varying in level of PB and psychopathology at baseline: Profile 1, moderate PB and high psychopathology; Profile 2, moderate PB and psychopathology; and Profile 3, moderate PB and low psychopathology. Path analysis demonstrated that Profile 1 (the highest psychopathology scoring profile) predicted higher negative and lower positive well-being over time in comparison with the other profiles. Moreover, Transliminality and Fearful Attitude positively mediated this relationship, whereas Skeptical Attitude produced negative mediation. These outcomes supported the presence of a sophisticated process underpinning the PB and well-being relationship. Overall, PB in the absence of psychopathology had no significant influence on well-being.

Seeking Pleasure or Meaning? Definition, Measurements and Consequences of Happiness Orientations

Seeking Pleasure or Meaning? Definition, Measurements and Consequences of Happiness Orientations

Happiness-Oriented Parents: An Alternative Perspective on Privilege and Choosing Schools

Purpose: Research on privileged parents, defined here as those with the economic, social, and educational resources to navigate school choice processes to their advantage, often depicts such parents as anxious about maintaining social mobility, leading them to “opportunity hoard” desirable or academically competitive schools in ways that exclude other families. In contrast, we identify a subset of privileged parents in urban settings that we term “happiness-oriented parents” who seek schools that prioritize their child’s social-emotional happiness. Research Methods: Using a qualitative meta-analysis combining seven studies conducted by the authors in New York City; Hartford, Connecticut; and a small East Coast city between 2012 and 2021, we reanalyzed interview data from semistructured interviews with 106 privileged parents who have the ability to access and navigate a range of school choice options. Findings: We found a happiness orientation in a diverse group of privileged parents (40% identified as Black, Latinx, Asian American, or multiracial, and the remaining 60% were white). Although these parents were choosing a range of school options in different contexts and they identified different criteria as important to cultivating happiness, they consistently (1) centered happiness, (2) chose for social-emotional and noncompetitive academic factors, and (3) saw this choice as different from the norm. Implications: In identifying this repeated but understudied phenomenon, we consider that happiness-oriented parents’ choices might affect a range of education policy changes and outcomes. In the case of our studies, we examine the potential of these parents as allies in school integration efforts.

Connecting the Dots of Brand Experience and Happiness: The Mediating Role of Happiness Orientations

Purpose:Consumer research studies that have already been conducted on happiness have claimed that businesses should make their customers happier via experiences, but they have not addressed how specific brand experience elements may make customers happier. To address this gap, the main purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of brand experience on happiness via happiness orientations. Methodology:This study uses a survey as a research method. This research uses a cross-sectional time horizon design. The target audience for the study was the restaurant's customers. Data has been collected from 443 customers in different major cities of Pakistan. Findings:SEM is used for CFA and direct hypotheses testing, SEM is used. However, for mediation analysis, PROCESS micro has been used in SPSS. The result reveals that both sensory and emotional brand experience by exception has a positive effect on happiness orientations. Furthermore, happiness orientation mediates the relationship between brand experience dimensions and happiness. Conclusion:The present research found that each of the brand experience aspects had a distinct impact on happiness. It is advised that marketers concentrate on each dimension of brand experience instead of concentrating as a whole.

Associations of hedonic and eudaimonic orientations with subjective experience and objective functioning in academic settings: The mediating roles of academic behavioral engagement and procrastination

The question of how the pursuit of happiness affects an individual’s actual well-being has received much scholarly attention in recent years. However, few studies have investigated the associations of happiness orientation with people’s subjective experience and objective functioning simultaneously. The current research examines the possibility that hedonic and eudaimonic orientations have different relationships with college students’ affective well-being and academic achievement, while taking into consideration the behavioral mechanism that underlies the process. We conducted online surveys to collect data including hedonic and eudaimonic orientations at the beginning of the semester and academic behavioral engagement, procrastination, and affective well-being at the end of the semester with a final sample of 566 Chinese undergraduate students. Their official grade point average for the semester was extracted from the university records system. The results confirmed that overall hedonic orientation was negatively associated with affective well-being and academic achievement, whereas eudaimonic orientation was positively associated with these outcomes. The study further found that both academic behavioral engagement and procrastination played mediating roles in the associations of happiness orientation with positive affect and academic achievement. However, only procrastination mediated the relationship between happiness orientation and negative affect. Theoretical and practical implications were discussed.

직장인의 관광정체성과 관광태도가 삶의 의미에 미치는 영향: 행복지향성의 매개효과를 중심으로

직장인의 관광정체성과 관광태도가 삶의 의미에 미치는 영향: 행복지향성의 매개효과를 중심으로

Values of lifelong learners and their pursuits of happiness and whole-person wellness

Objectives: In this study, we explored the lived experiences of older adults engaged in lifelong learning programs using the Orientations to Happiness (OTH) framework.Methods: Semi-structured interviews employing a phenomenological approach were conducted with Midwestern older adults (aged 65 years and older) who participated in lifelong learning programs. Interviews were transcribed and collaboratively coded using pattern coding.Results: Six themes were identified that described the values expressed by participants: 1) need for novelty, 2) generativity, 3) spirituality, 4) hedonism, 5) active lifestyle, and 6) family. We created a novel diagram representing the intersectionality of the three OTH components (e.g.meaning, engagement, and pleasure) and explored how the six themes fit within our diagram. In doing so, we elucidated various OTH intersections that highlight a variety of happiness-promoting pathways that lifelong learning programs offer older adults.Discussion: Results suggest that these values and experiences can play an important role in maintaining an engaged lifestyle and providing opportunities for achieving and maintaining happiness and whole-person wellness.

The Mediation Model of Grit Among Chinese College Students

Abstract Aims: This research aimed to test the relationship among Happiness Orientations and four aspects of social competence: initiation, supportiveness, self-disclosure and assertive, and reveal whether grit is a mediating variable between happiness orientations and social competence. Methods: This study used correlational design. Participants are 380 college students from China, aged 18 to 25. Data was collected by 3 self-report questionnaires: happiness orientations (Peterson et al., 2005), social competence (Peter, 2008) and grit (Duckworth et al., 2007). Results: (1) The dimensions of happiness orientation, the dimensions of social competence and the dimensions of grit are significantly related; (2) Happiness orientation can positive predictive influence to social competence; (3)Grit have a positive predictive influence to social competence; (4) Grit play a fully intermediary role between the happiness orientation and the social competence.

From Happiness Orientations to Work Performance: The Mediating Role of Hedonic and Eudaimonic Experiences.

In organizations, psychologists have often tried to promote employees’ well-being and performance, and this can be achieved through different pathways. The happy-productive worker thesis states that ‘happy’ workers perform better than ‘unhappy’ ones. However, most studies have focused on hedonic well-being at the expense of the person’s eudaimonic experience. This study examines whether orientations to happiness (i.e., life of pleasure/meaning) are related to hedonic (i.e., perception of comfort) and eudaimonic (i.e., activity worthwhileness) experiences that, in turn, improve performance. We applied multilevel structural equation modeling to diary data (68 office workers; n = 471 timepoints). We obtained significant effects of: life of pleasure on self-rated performance through activity worthwhileness, life of meaning on performance (self-rated, rated by the supervisor) through activity worthwhileness, and life of meaning on performance rated by the supervisor through perception of comfort. Results show more significant paths from/or through eudaimonia to performance than from/or through hedonia. The results suggest that the pursuit and/or experience of eudaimonic happiness is more beneficial for work performance than the pursuit and/or experience of hedonic happiness. Theoretical and practical implications for organizations are discussed.

The Relationship of Youth Family Values with Hedonism and Eudemonia

Introduction. A notable trend in modern society is the transformation of family institution, which has long been considered the most important social and personal value. The change of attitudes of young people towards marriage in Russia is slower than in Europe; however, this process is becoming more obvious today and there is an urgent need to study it. So far, very little research has been carried out. In psychology and other social sciences, it is widely believed that the family formation is hampered by a hedonistic worldview. However, it is well known that the family provides the opportunities to meet many important human needs. This contradiction has prompted the direction of the present research.The aim of this research is to empirically investigate whether there is the conflict of the perceptions of the Russian young people about family values and hedonic and eudemonic orientations.Methodology and research methods. The empirical research was conducted using K. Peterson’s questionnaire “Happiness Orientations”. 173 students (49% female) took part in the research project. To assess the importance of family and different family values, the authors of the present research elaborated a special questionnaire, the reliability of which was confirmed in the course of approbation. The information obtained was processed through the means of correlation, regression analysis and nonparametric statistics in Statistica 10; confirmatory factor analysis of questionnaires was performed in Mplus 7.Results. The results of path analysis of interrelations between hedonism, eudemonia and family values indicated that family values were correlated not only with the orientation to meaningful and dignified life (eudemonia), but also with the orientation to pleasure (hedonism). The orientation hedonism was higher in young women; therefore, multiple regression analysis of the relationship between the studied phenomena was conducted in separate male and female groups of respondents. The results demonstrated that the value of birth and child-rearing in women is correlated with hedonism; the general value of family in male respondents is related with eudemonia.Scientific novelty. This investigation confirms that there is no contradiction between hedonism and family values. The research findings deduce that both eudemonic and hedonic orientations support family values, although the system of relationships between these orientations may vary according to gender. This finding expands our knowledge about hedonism and its role in modern society.Practical significance. The research results expand the understanding of hedonism and its role in modern society, clarifying the content of activities to prepare young people for family life. In order to enhance the effectiveness of such psychological and pedagogical support, one should take into account the hedonic tendencies of young people, revealing the importance of family formation in the context of personal happiness.

Art-of-living: Validation of a novel concept to enhance one’s well-being

Background: Positive Psychology (PP) explores the question of how to lead a fulfilled life with the overarching goal of increasing the general population’s well-being. Established PP approaches focus on individual characteristics such as personality attitudes and traits. A relatively new focus of well-being research that was inspired by ancient Greek philosophy, art-of-living, additionally focuses on the behavior of individuals with high well-being. Art-of-living is a holistic model of self-care strategies that address several areas (body, mind, and soul) and can be integrated into everyday life. The current paper will test the convergent and incremental validity of the art-of-living construct and investigate its potential use for PP research. To do so, we assessed the relationship of art-of-living with both well-being and two well-established concepts shown to promote well-being: happiness orientation as well as character strengths and virtues. In addition, we examined whether the art-of-living concept has added value in terms of predicting well-being as well as how it relates to other interrelated constructs. In doing so, we assume that art-of-living behaviors function as a mediator between global attitudes, character strengths, and well-being. We conducted an online survey with 636 participants from German speaking countries. Our results suggest that art-of-living is a valuable concept worthy of further attention in PP research

Measurement of Hedonic and Eudaimonic Orientations to Happiness: The Spanish Orientations to Happiness Scale.

Understanding happiness and well-being has been one of the central issues for psychologists in recent decades. Happiness orientations have been identified as important pathways toward different types of well-being, and so the development and validation of scales for their measurement is an important step in their study. The present research aims to adapt and validate the Spanish Orientations to Happiness Scale (SOTH), a 6-item scale based on the Orientations to Happiness Questionnaire. This brief scale, which measures hedonic and eudemonic orientations, was administered to 1,647 Spanish workers. Scale structure was subjected to exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analysis to obtain evidence of factorial validity. Evidence for convergent validity was assessed by correlating the scale with two measures of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, and discriminant validity was assessed with the average variance extracted (AVE). Results of EFA showed a two-factor solution, and CFA partially supported this structure, χ2(8, N = 793) = 36.61, p .72) and valid (AVE = .50), and so it is a valuable tool for assessing orientations to happiness in the Spanish context. Finally, the scientific value and practical utility of the scale are discussed.

Exploring differences in well-being across occupation type and skill.

This study examines three orientations to happiness (OTH) – pleasure, engagement, and meaning—and their associations to life satisfaction across different occupations and skill levels associated with certain occupations in a representative sample of the Swiss workforce (N = 1140). Utilizing a broad classification of occupational groups, mean level differences in the OTH within and across occupational groups and skill levels were investigated. Results showed that people in higher skill occupations report a higher life satisfaction and a lower orientation to pleasure than those in lower skill occupations. Also, the orientation to meaning was more closely related to life satisfaction in higher skill than in lower skill occupations. With regard to occupational groups, we found a higher life satisfaction in managers and professionals, and further differences among other occupational groups (e.g., higher levels of pleasure in service and sales workers; or higher levels of engagement in craft and related trade workers). Overall, the effects across occupations were relatively small—which is largely consistent with previous findings in Swiss samples. Nonetheless, the differences across skill levels and occupational groups in the OTH could provide additional information in occupational counseling settings. Also, the current study covered all types of jobs (vs. investigating selected occupation groups), thus allowing first insights into the generalizability of results across studies (and cultures).

ORIENTASI HAPPINESS PADA ORANGTUA YANG MEMILIKI ANAK TUNAGRAHITA RINGAN

The purposes of this study were: 1) assess the orientation of happiness in mothers of children with mild mental retardation, 2) assess the orientation of happiness in the fathers who have children with mild mental retardation. This study is a qualitative study using phenomenological approach. The primary informants are mothers and fathers who have mild mentally disabled children who attend school in SLB C Yakut Purwokerto, while the secondary informants were neighbors. Methods of data collection in this study is the interview. Analysis of the data used interactive model analysis. The results showed: There are differences in the pattern of happiness orientation between the mother and father who have children with mild mental retardation. Orientation mother more happiness are dominated on social engagement, meaning that mother happier if it can be involved in social activities. While the pursuit of happiness if dad can do something fun that is the way the economic needs of the family.

Life satisfaction, well-being and safe driving behaviour in undergraduate psychology students

This study used measures of three self-reported orientations to happiness (engagement, meaning, and pleasure), to examine whether any of the them related to the number of self-reported unwanted driving incidences (crashes, near misses and traffic fines). One hundred and sixty undergraduate Psychology students on a valid New Zealand driver licence were required to fill in the ‘Good Life’ questionnaire and complete a demographics questionnaire in regard to their age, gender, driving experience and number of unwanted incidences in the previous 12months. The results showed that the happiness orientations of meaning and engagement correlated negatively and strongly with the number of incidences the drivers experienced in the previous year. The dimension of pleasure, however, indicated a positive correlation, revealing that the higher the participants rated on that dimension, the more likely they had unwanted driving incidences. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated first that mileage, gender and age groups accounted for a significant 30% of the variance in the number of unwanted incidences – on step 2, the variable ‘meaning’ (having revealed the strongest correlation with the number of incidences) was added to the regression equation and accounted for an additional and significant 21% of the variance in the number of incidences. Finally, on step 3, the variable ‘intention to commit traffic violations’ accounted for a further 13% of the incidences. The results indicate that high levels of happiness relating to life satisfaction and well-being, facilitate pro-social and adaptive behaviour and seem to safeguard drivers against committing deliberate traffic violations that would put them at serious risk.

The Relationship Between Orientations to Happiness and Job Satisfaction One Year Later in a Representative Sample of Employees in Switzerland

There are three different routes to happiness: the pleasant life, the good or engaged life, and the meaningful life. These three orientations are positively related with life satisfaction, but the relation with job satisfaction is still not clear. This study examines the relationship between the three orientations to happiness (OTH) and job satisfaction in a 1-year longitudinal study with a representative sample (N = 752, 387 men) of working adults living in Switzerland. This study is part of a larger survey that includes several self-report measures. Regression analyses showed that engagement was positively related with job satisfaction 1 year later. Moreover, when controlling for sociodemographic variables (i.e., age and gender), work-related variables (i.e., household income, managerial responsibility, and financial responsibility), and the five factors of personality (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) the interaction of the three OTH (i.e., pleasure × engagement × meaning), still predicted job satisfaction significantly. Individuals who endorse the three OTH presented the highest job satisfaction 1 year later. Therefore, although engagement is more important for job satisfaction than pleasure or meaning, the best predictor of job satisfaction is the interaction of the three OTH. Thus, people who are high in the three OTH simultaneously enjoy the highest job satisfaction. Future studies should examine whether this relationship is causal.

Strengths of character, orientations to happiness, life satisfaction and purpose in Singapore

Positive psychology has identified six virtues comprising 24 character strengths of humans. This study examines the relationships among these character strengths, including Happiness, Life Purpose and Life Satisfaction as valued by Singapore Chinese, Malays, Indians and Other Asians and Caucasians. A sample of Singapore adults (N = 304) completed an online survey in English comprising four measures, the Values in Action Inventory of Strengths, the Orientations to Happiness Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Life Engagement Test. Results show that Zest, Hope, Curiosity, Capacity to Love and Gratitude are the top five character strengths of the sampled Singaporeans. Happiness orientation through pursuing a Life of Meaning is preferred by all four ethnic groups. Ethnic differences are found for character strengths of Kindness, Humour, Gratitude, and Religiousness and Spirituality. Life of Meaning and Life of Engagement, Happiness orientations and character strengths of Curiosity and Perseverance are direct predictors of Life Purpose. In turn, Life Purpose and character strengths of Capacity to Love and Gratitude are found to be direct predictors of Life Satisfaction. Despite its other limitations, this study lays the groundwork for future studies using more robust sampling strategies and greater participation from the major ethnic groups in Singapore.

Satisfaction with life and character strengths of non-religious and religious people: it's practicing one's religion that makes the difference.

According to systematic reviews, religious beliefs and practices are related to higher life satisfaction, happiness, and positive affect (Koenig and Larson, 2001). The present research extends previous findings by comparing satisfaction with life and character strengths of non-religious people, religious people, who practice their religion and people that have a religious affiliation but do not practice their religion. We assessed life satisfaction (SWLS), character strengths (VIA-IS) and the orientations to happiness (OTH) in a sample of N = 20538 participants. People with a religious affiliation that also practice their religion were found to be more satisfied with their life and scored higher on life of meaning than those who do not practice their religion and than non-religious people. Also religious people who practice their religion differed significantly from those who do not practice their religion and non-religious people regarding several character strengths; they scored higher on kindness, love, gratitude, hope, forgiveness, and on spirituality. There were no substantial differences between people who had no religious affiliation and those with a religious affiliation that do not practice their religion (all s < 0.009). Altogether, the present findings suggest that people profit from a religious affiliation if they also actively practice their religion.

Orientations to happiness and the experience of everyday activities

The orientation to happiness framework proposes that individuals seek well-being through three behavioral orientations: Pleasure, meaning, and engagement. We investigated how orientations to happiness (OTH) influenced the pursuit and experience of daily activities using experience sampling methods. One hundred and seventy three people responded to three text messages per day for seven days asking how they felt about their current activity. Most participants did not report a dominant orientation to happiness, and the highest rated orientation receiving did not predict which daily activities participants engaged in most. However, trait orientation to happiness related to how activities were experienced. Individuals scoring highly on all three orientations rated their activities highly on momentary pleasure, meaning, engagement, and happiness. Overall, it appears more important for daily well-being to have a balanced and strong portfolio of the three OTH than to have any one particularly dominant orientation.