Subjective Well-being Research Research Articles

Inequalities and Social Capital as Factors of Subjective Well-Being: Case Study from Western Province, Zambia

Understanding well-being’s complexities, including its subjective and context-dependent nature, is crucial for informing policy decisions and development interventions aimed at enhancing quality of life and reducing poverty. Unfortunately, subjective well-being (SWB) research, particularly in the context of Global South, has received relatively less attention, despite its fundamental importance in the field of human development. This research aims to contribute to the discussion on SWB by examining its association with diverse forms of inequalities and deprivations. Specifically, we investigate the impact of these deprivations, both at the societal and intra-household levels, on SWB among the rural population of the Western Province in Zambia. The study underscores low levels of SWB in the surveyed area. It reveals the impact of intra-household inequalities, demonstrating that the presence of a more educated individual in the household positively affects well-being. On the other hand, having responsibilities related to decision-making power within households diminishes SWB, probably due to related stress and anxiety. As expected, limited access to resources in the household also negatively affects SWB. Our main finding in the realm of societal inequalities revolves around the assertion that fostering social capital through active participation in formal or informal groups significantly enhances SWB. Empowering individuals through education and knowledge sharing, and promoting inclusivity and diversity in social interactions are key strategies that policymakers can adopt to enhance SWB in the Muoyo-Mukukutu area and similar regions.

Arthur Grimes: A Pioneer in Applied Subjective Wellbeing Research

Arthur Grimes: A Pioneer in Applied Subjective Wellbeing Research

Public Health and Children’s Subjective Well-Being

In recent years, the study of children's subjective well-being has garnered escalating global attention, with its research themes becoming increasingly diverse. However, this field still lacks a systematic review and analysis. Drawing upon the Web of Science database, this study retrieved 32,112 relevant articles published between 2003 and 2022, focusing on the theme of children's subjective well-being. After rigorous screening, 23,711 publications were ultimately retained for analysis. Utilizing bibliometric methods, this study conducted network visualization analysis across multiple dimensions, including countries, institutions, journals, authors, and keywords, aiming to comprehensively reveal the current research landscape of children's subjective well-being. Furthermore, theme modeling techniques were employed to delve into the patterns of theme evolution, and cluster analysis was conducted to categorize related themes. Through qualitative analysis, this study uncovered the developmental trajectory and future research directions in the field of children's subjective well-being. The findings indicate that, in the realm of children's subjective well-being research, developed countries such as those in Europe, America, and Australia have contributed over 30% of the research efforts, both in terms of publication volume and impact. Among them, the United States holds a leading position. The research themes have gradually evolved from an initial focus on the children themselves to exploring their surrounding environments and further delving into the psychological impacts and well-being of children amidst public health emergencies. Notably, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted scholars to delve deeper into children's well-being, shifting the focus of research from mere exploration of mental health to a more nuanced investigation of psychological impacts. Looking ahead, areas such as public health, psychological impacts, and children's dietary health will emerge as crucial directions for future exploration in the field of children's subjective well-being research, offering significant potential for investigation.

Unraveling the Nexus: A Bibliometric Analysis of Subjective Wellbeing, Individualism-Collectivism and Sustainable Consumption Research in The Last Decade

Purpose: This paper intends to contribute to the academic field by pointing out trends in studies on subjective wellbeing and exploring the possibility of new interconnections with different constructs, especially in a scenario of significant changes in consumption behavior, such as the post-pandemic one. In the managerial area, it aims to collaborate by providing relevant information on the effects of sustainable consumption on subjective wellbeing, particularly for marketing professionals and the development of marketing strategies. Method: The study conducts descriptive and bibliometric analyses of the 236 selected articles found in the literature over the last ten years, establishing connections between the main theories. Results and conclusion: Although the studies found do not directly associate the three main constructs that are the focus of the research, there is a clear relationship between them. Studies show individualistic or collectivistic orientation as an antecedent of sustainable consumption; the influence of culture on the level of subjective wellbeing; as well as a positive relationship between sustainable consumption habits and subjective wellbeing and an inversely proportional relationship between individualism and sustainable consumption. Research implications: We can understand as relevant that future studies on sustainable consumption should take into account individualism-collectivism and wellbeing, seeking a comprehensive and systematic approach to sustainable consumption, considering the role of individual citizens in society, and exploring the link between the provision of sustainable products and diverse sustainable consumption practices. It is necessary to consider the complex and multifaceted nature of wellbeing, as well as the cultural and societal factors that influence it, and take a holistic approach that considers the interplay between individual, community, and social wellbeing. Originality/value: The study contributes to the integration of constructs, since the article seeks to fill a gap by exploring the interconnection between three main constructs - subjective wellbeing, individualism/collectivism and sustainable consumption. In doing so, it provides an integrated view that can enrich theoretical discussions in these areas. In addition, the bibliometric analysis reveals recent trends in the literature, highlighting the areas that have received the most attention and those that are less explored. This information can guide researchers for future studies and explore knowledge gaps. By considering the influence of culture on the relationships between the constructs, the article also contributes to a deeper understanding of how cultural differences can shape perceptions of wellbeing and sustainable consumption practices.

The art of sustainable wellbeing: an eastern philosophy approach to cultivating happiness

ABSTRACT Our jobs are now less secure and more reliant on technology, where knowledge is shared in real time irrespective of the location or time. Although we now have more flexibility in how we work, our work-life boundaries are getting affected, thus becoming blurred. When boundaries are porous, it creates role conflicts and promotes insecurity and tension in one’s life. The existing subjective well-being (SWB) research focuses on observing, measuring, and controlling what is external to the individual and showing ‘what happens’ to SWB when subjective and objective variables are at play. By drawing on Eastern philosophical and spiritual approaches, this paper provides insights into the true nature of our perceived situational awareness of the present moment. It suggests that with techniques such as mindfulness and insight (Vipassana), it is possible to get a deeper understanding of the root causes and effects of consciousness and shape our perceived worldviews and subjective well-being.

Use and misuse of Locke’s range-of-affect hypothesis in subjective well-being research

Use and misuse of Locke’s range-of-affect hypothesis in subjective well-being research

Comparison of the Big Five and the HEXACO Models of Personality in the Prediction of Emotional Wellbeing: an Experience Sampling Study

AbstractAlthough the associations between personality traits and subjective wellbeing (SWB) are well established, personality still remains important in the research on SWB. The big five/five factor model of personality is the most frequently used by SWB researchers. However, there is a possibility that an alternative six-factor personality model (HEXACO), which broadens personality structure with a sixth factor (honesty-humility), might also be useful when wellbeing is of interest. In the current study (N = 669) we try to assess which of the two personality models constitutes a better taxonomic framework for SWB research. To measure wellbeing as both a momentary and more stable phenomenon, an experience sampling procedure was used. Personality was assessed with the HEXACO-60 and the TIPI personality questionnaires. The current study findings showed some predictive advantages of the big five/five factor model over the HEXACO in predicting both momentary and stable wellbeing. However, both personality models added the unique variance to the prediction of SWB. Based on the results of the study, the recommendations for researchers investigating general personality traits in the context of subjective wellbeing are provided.

Adjusting the social footprint methodology based on findings of subjective wellbeing research

PurposeFollowing some years of practical application, some weaknesses have been identified in the original 2018 version of the ‘social footprint’ methodology, where wellbeing was seen as exclusively related to consumption activities and as inseparably linked to production through the budget constraint, implying that the value of wellbeing was limited to be a mirror of the value of production. Several improvements in both methodology and data are presented here.MethodsThe theoretical improvements are inspired by the suggestion of Juster et al. (Rev Income Wealth 27: 1–31, 1981) that wellbeing can be seen as the sum of the value added generated from work and the intrinsic activity benefits, i.e. the positive affect from performing or taking part in specific work or leisure activities. This implies a relatively low preference for income relative to intrinsic activity benefits, which is confirmed by recent findings of subjective wellbeing research. Other findings of subjective wellbeing research provide a constraint on the conversion factor between Disability-Adjusted Life-Years (DALY) and Quality-Adjusted person-Life-Years (QALY), leading to a surprising 0.3 QALY/DALY, against the more intuitive 1 QALY/DALY. These theoretical improvements, combined with the availability of more recent country-specific data on impacts on wellbeing, allow to calculate a global potential level of wellbeing of 0.958 QALY/person-life-year, replacing the global potential productivity of the 2018 version of the ‘social footprint’ methodology.Results and discussionThe new country-specific data allows the valuation of impacts on wellbeing to be assessed separately from the valuation of inequality, the latter now done with equity weights relative to country-specific average income baselines, rather than to the global baseline used in the 2018 version.ConclusionThe new data confirm the dominating role of impacts of missing governance, now quantified at 78% of all sustainability impacts, which was the original motivation and rationale behind the 2018 version of the ‘social footprint’ methodology.

Global research trends in the subjective well-being of older adults from 2002 to 2021: A bibliometric analysis.

PurposeThis study aimed to explore current developments and trends in the field of subjective well-being (SWB) of older adults at a macro level and identify research hotspots.MethodsWe included reviews and articles on the SWB of older adults in the Web of Science Core Collection published from 2002 to 2021. We used CiteSpace to draw a knowledge map of the authors, institutions, countries, references, and keywords for visual analysis and used Microsoft Excel tables to count basic information details.ResultsA total of 354 papers were included, and the number of papers published over the past two decades showed a pattern of growth. The core force of publications was primarily attributed to studies conducted in Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania, which have relatively major issues of aging and good economic strength. However, links between states, institutions, and authors were relatively weak. Cluster analysis showed that the research field could be divided into eight topics: the application of social psychology in the study of the SWB of older adults, aging in older adults, health condition of older adults, achieving successful aging, interventions for SWB, age differences in SWB research, an economic perspective of SWB research and social support for older adults. Current research frontiers are socioeconomic status, community, intervention, participation, adjustment, validation, and personality.ConclusionThe results of the present study provided a comprehensive picture in the research field of SWB of older adults. It showed that the mechanism, especially the bidirectional effect, between the SWB of older adults and its influencing factors is still worthy of further exploration. More research on evidence-based and intervention strategies should be conducted in the future.

Does the Survey Mode Affect the Association Between Subjective Well-being and its Determinants? An Experimental Comparison Between Face-to-Face and Web Mode

Subjective well-being research increasingly uses web surveys to understand how subjective well-being indicators are related to other concepts of interest. Although we know that mean scores on these indicators may differ between modes, we know little about whether a move to web will influence the conclusions we draw about our conceptual models. This study uses data from a unique mixed-mode survey collected in Croatia and Germany as part of the Generations and Gender Programme to examine whether the relationships between a range of subjective well-being indicators and a set of objective and subjective determinants differ between respondents answering these questions in face-to-face or web mode. Although respondents report lower subjective well-being in web than in face-to-face mode, the relationships between these variables and a range of objective and subjective indicators are relatively stable across modes. This suggests that substantive conclusions about antecedents of subjective well-being do not depend on whether data are collected via a face-to-face interview or through web survey.

Mindfulness and Nondual Well-Being – What is the Evidence that We Can Stay Happy?

Research into subjective well-being (SWB) focuses on conducive life conditions, healthy cognitive-affective processes and adaptive behaviours, however, in this model, well-being fluctuates based on changing mental and physical phenomena. This inquiry explores the possibility that we can have a nondual experience of well-being that is unaffected by such movements and investigates if the literature supports this. The assertion in traditional mindfulness that the sense of self is constructed and responsible for such fluctuations is explored, along with what evidence there is that mindfulness practices deliver relevant cognitive and behavioural correlates associated with such a way of being. Proposed preconditions include (a) nondual awareness or the perception of no-self; (b) increased positive affect, decreased negative affect, and increased self-lessness; (c) increased capacity to maintain (or protect) well-being including heightened emotional self-regulation and resilience to aversive stimuli. Research findings provide some evidence that the sense of self can be both constructed and deconstructed, and that mindfulness training may target psychological dimensions that could contribute to an experience of well-being that transcends the impact of life conditions. Recommendations are made for a collaborative relationship between SWB research and mindfulness to expand the inquiry into possible causes and conditions of ‘nondual well-being’.

Protocol for a systematic review exploring the psychometric properties of self-report health-related quality of life and subjective wellbeing measures used by adolescents with intellectual disabilities

BackgroundWhilst there are studies that have systematically reviewed the psychometric properties of quality of life measures for children and young people with intellectual disabilities, these narrowly focus on disease or health conditions. The objective of this planned systematic review is therefore to collate, summarise, and critically appraise the psychometric properties of self-report health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and subjective wellbeing measures used by adolescents (aged 11–16) with an intellectual disability.MethodsWe designed and registered a study protocol for a systematic review of studies which explores the psychometric properties of self-report HRQoL and subjective wellbeing measures used by adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Electronic databases including PsycINFO, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and ERIC will be searched using predefined search terms to identify relevant studies. Quantitative and mixed-methods studies, and studies published in peer-reviewed journals or grey literature, will be included. Review papers, editorials, and case studies will be excluded. Eligible studies should identify self-report measures which assess HRQoL and subjective wellbeing among adolescents with intellectual disabilities. The methodological quality of the included studies will be assessed by applying the COSMIN Risk of Bias checklist. The quality of the evidence (i.e. the total body of evidence used for the overall ratings on each psychometric property of an instrument) will be evaluated in accordance with the modified GRADE guidelines.DiscussionThis systematic review will be among the first to systematically explore the psychometric properties of self-report HRQoL and subjective wellbeing measures used by adolescents with intellectual disabilities. By providing evidence-based knowledge about measures being used in HRQoL and subjective wellbeing research amongst this population, and more importantly how reliable and valid these measures are, the most suitable for use will be identified. Our findings will be of potential interest to clinicians, researchers, and service providers who need information about the methodological quality and the characteristics of measures to make informed decisions about the most reliable and valid tool for a specific purpose. The findings from this study will contribute to the knowledge surrounding available and appropriate measures to use for measuring HRQoL and subjective wellbeing of adolescents with intellectual disabilities, which are necessary to inform intervention development and future health policy.Systematic review registrationThe protocol has been registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO). The registration number is CRD42021231697.

Does bestial make you a happy human? The impact on happiness from participation in an obstacle running event

PurposeThe main research questions addressed by this study focus on Subjective Well-Being (SWB) and to what extent the individual's SWB relates to the individual's need for personal growth. Specific interest is devoted to the effects of intentions (to have personal goals) and behavior (to achieve personal goals).Design/methodology/approachCan SWB and happiness research help to explain the tremendous growth in demanding amateur sport event participation? Most research on SWB and events has, so far been undertaken on cultural events leaving a gap related to sport events, especially obstacle running events. Bestial is an obstacle race event held in Arucas on Canary Islands, Spain. Apart from competitiveness, the race also contains elements of altruism as many competitors do help each other at various obstacles along the route, in groups (mainly) teams. A sample of 700 participants answered questions about behavior, attitudes and SWB.FindingsThe results show significant relations between SWB and both intentions and behavior but also that intentions and behavior are not correlated.Research limitations/implicationsThe “Bestial” is different from an average running event in some respects. It is a rather local event for Gran Canaria without international participation. For some participants it is more challenging and enduring but for others it is a team sport where one helps other team members to complete the race. In this study, these two types of participation have not been separated. The test of whether the SWB of participants is higher than the SWB of the average citizen is not satisfactory. Data for the average of SWB in Spain had to depend on a study from another year and where standard deviation was not available.Practical implicationsThe results of this work are useful for event managers to improve their design and develop the most appropriate marketing messages.Social implicationsThe study aims for an explanation to why demanding physical activities, such as obstacle races, are so popular. In this study of obstacle race participation, hedonia is regarded as less relevant and focus is on eudaimonia and an assumption that participants in an obstacle race have a high SWB since they can feel that they make progress towards goals. One intended contribution of this study is to distinguish between “to have a goal” and “to progress towards a goal”. Thus, the model proposed is based on hypotheses that SWB is influenced by both. Two types of goals are studied: first a mainly individualistic goal of becoming physically fit and second a more altruistic goal of “becoming a better person”.Originality/valueIn the conclusions, the importance for a happy life of simply having goals for personal growth and the value of anticipation for happiness is discussed.

Ed Diener (1946-2021).

Memorializes Ed Diener (1946-2021). Although academic articles on wellbeing are now commonplace, this has not always been the case. Ed Diener helped to establish this growing and important topic of research. Ed published the Psychological Bulletin article entitled "Subjective Well-Being" in 1984, launching subjective well-being (SWB) research. The following year, Ed and his students published the Satisfaction With Life Scale, one of the most widely used measures of well-being and a paper that has been cited more than 30,000 times. His impact on psychology lives on in the journals he helped found, the Journal of Happiness Studies and Perspectives on Psychological Science, as well as with his many collaborators, graduate students, and postdocs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Visual Analysis of the Subjective Well-Being of the Elderly Based on Citespace

Objective: To analyze the hotspots and trends of the elderly's subjective well-being research from 2010 to 2021, and hope to provide new research ideas for domestic researchers. Methods: Using CiteSpace software, based on CNKI database, 678 literatures from 2010 to 2021 were visually analyzed. Results the number of published papers showed an overall upward trend, and research hotspots focused on social support, loneliness, pension institutions, mental health, and physical exercise. Conclusion: More and more scholars pay attention to the subjective well-being of the elderly. With the progress of society, new research directions will be born in the future. After nearly ten years of visualization research, the research direction of the elderly's subjective well-being has shifted from happiness, square dancing, death attitude, etc. to the elderly's social support and social capital. The status quo, influencing factors and coping strategies of the elderly's subjective well-being were identified, which provided theoretical support for the scientific construction of the social service security system for the elderly in my country.

Are all Life Domains Created Equal? Domain Importance Weighting in Subjective Well-Being Research

Are all Life Domains Created Equal? Domain Importance Weighting in Subjective Well-Being Research

Nový přístup v testování ekvivalence na příkladu měření subjektivního blahobytu

Survey-based measures of subjective well-being are more and more often analyzed cross-culturally. However, international comparison of these measures requires measurement invariance. Therefore, the major goal of this study was to investigate the cross-country comparability of the five-item subjective well-being scales used in the International Social Survey Programme (2011, 2017). This study applied both the traditional exact and the more recent Bayesian approximate approach to assess whether the subjective well-being scales were measurement invariant. The Bayesian approach detected several non‑invariant items that were problematic for cross-national comparison and could be dropped from the scales. Consequently, measurement invariance was established in all countries for the reduced scales, allowing researchers to meaningfully compare their latent mean scores and the relationships with other theoretical constructs of interest. Thus, the study highlighted the advantages of using multiple indicators and the necessity of measurement invariance testing in subjective well-being research.

Psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the satisfaction with life scale in a sample of individuals with mental illness.

BackgroundHealth assessment among individuals with mental health problems often involves measures of ill-being (e.g., anxiety, depression). Health is, however, defined as a state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease (WHO, 1948, 2001). Hence, in order to address mental illness during the 21st century, we need to develop methods for the prevention, identification and treatment of mental illness; but also, for the promotion, identification, and maintenance of well-being. In this context, over three decades of subjective well-being research have resulted in the development of measures of positive aspects of human life, such as the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener et al., 1985). Our aim was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Satisfaction with Life Scale in a Swedish population of individuals with mental illness using both Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT).MethodA total of 264 participants (age mean = 43.46, SD = 13.31) diagnosed with different types of mental illness answered to the Swedish version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (five items, 7-point scale: 1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree).ResultsWe found positive and significant relationships between the five items of the scale (r ranging from 0.37 to 0.75), good reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.86), and that the one-factor solution had best goodness of fit (loadings between 0.52–0.88, p < 0.001). Additionally, there were no significant differences in comparative fit indexes regarding gender and occupation status. All items had high discrimination values (between 1.95–3.81), but item 5 (“If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing”); which had a moderate discrimination value (1.17) and the highest estimated difficulty on response 7 (3.06). Moreover, item 2 (“The conditions of my life are excellent”) had less discrimination and redundant difficulty with both item 1 (“In most ways my life is close to my ideal”; 2.03) on response 7 and with item 3 (“I am satisfied with my life”; –1.21) on response 1. The five items together provided good information, with especial good reliability and small standard error within −1.00 up to about 2.00 and the highest amount of test information at 0.00 of the level of life satisfaction within this population.ConclusionsConsistent with previous research, the scale had good reliability and provided good information across most of the latent trait range. In addition, within this population, sociodemographic factors such as gender and occupation status do not influence how individuals respond to the items in the scale. However, the items couldn’t measure extreme levels of low/high life satisfaction. We suggest replication of these findings, the test of additional items, and the modification of items 2 and 5 in order to use the scale among individuals with mental illness.

The Impact of Cultural Festivals on Subjective Well-being of The Visitors: Case Study of Alva's Virasat, A National Cultural Festival in India

This research examined the relationship between cultural festival experience and subjective well-being among festival attendees. In this connection, this study captured the perceptions of 192 festival attendees' attending the cultural festival of "Virasat" in India on the four subdimensions of festival experiences (i. e., music experience, festival atmosphere, social experience, separation experience) and subjective well-being. Accordingly, this study adopted structural equation modeling (SEM) and hierarchical regression analysis to examine the relationship between the study constructs. Results that emerge from this study point towards the presence of a significant positive relationship between cultural festival experience and subjective well-being. Furthermore, of the four dimensions of festival experience, music experience and separation experience, in that order, were found to be the most potent predictors of subjective well-being. Social experience and festival atmosphere only minimally augmented predictability of subjective well-being over and above music experience and separation experience. Accordingly, the findings of this study are expected to aid cultural festival organizers to design events that elicit exhilarating festival experiences that, in its turn, is expected to augment subjective well-being among event attendees. Drawing extensively from subjective well-being research in India that suggests factors like sociodemographics, personal characteristics, economic conditions, and purchasing power parity contribute only moderately, if not significantly, to the levels of subjective well-being among the residents in India, the findings of this study situates cultural festival experience as a possible trigger that augments subjective well-being among Indians in a collectivist cultural context.

The Day of the Week Effect on Subjective Well-Being in the European Social Survey

Abstract. In large-scale social surveys, respondents are typically interviewed on different days of the week. Because previous research established systematic daily fluctuations of people’s mood, it was hypothesized that subjective well-being ratings might be similarly affected by the day the interview takes place. Therefore, an individual-participant meta-analysis of 221 representative samples from the European Social Survey including 408,637 participants is presented. The random-effects meta-analysis found a negligible day of the week effect on life satisfaction and happiness ratings, even after accounting for selection and interviewer effects. Although significantly different ratings were observed on Sundays, the size of the obtained effects was trivial. These findings provide little evidence that the interview day has a meaningful impact on subjective well-being research in cross-sectional, large-scale studies.