scholarly journals Self-Transcendent Wisdom Mediates the Association Between Spirituality and Well-Being in Six Nations

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 132-132
Author(s):  
Monika Ardelt ◽  
Juensung Kim ◽  
Michel Ferrari

Abstract Distraught individuals sometimes turn to religion for solace, particularly in old age, so spirituality is not necessarily positively related to well-being. However, spirituality might lead to greater well-being if it promotes self-transcendent wisdom. Using a sample of 307 respondents from six nations (USA, Canada, Serbia, Ukraine, Iran, and China), ranging in age from 59 to 99 years (M=73.00, SD=8.13), this study tested the generalizability of the hypothesized mediated pathway. Results showed only weak correlations between spirituality and well-being measures in the whole sample. Yet, as predicted, spirituality, mediated by self-transcendent wisdom, was indirectly related to greater well-being in all six nations, despite significant differences by nation in variable means. Spirituality had additional direct positive effects on life satisfaction in Canada, Iran, and China and on general well-being in Iran and China. These findings suggest that spirituality likely results in greater well-being when it transcends egocentric concerns.

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (12) ◽  
pp. 3303-3311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsen Joshanloo ◽  
M. Joseph Sirgy ◽  
Joonha Park

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S648-S648 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Cunha ◽  
L. Parente ◽  
A. Galhardo ◽  
M. Couto

IntroductionThe increase in aging population is a major advance in society, but also a great challenge, imposing the need for actions that promote successful aging, with higher subjective well-being and better health.Objectives(1) analyse the possible influence of socio-demographic variables in self-compassion, satisfaction with life, affection, physical and mental health (study variables); (2) understand how is that the study variables are associated with each other in old age; and (3) explore which variables best predict satisfaction with life and health in the elderly.MethodThe study sample consists of 155 individuals, aged between 65 and 94 years old, institutionalised and non-institutionalised.Results(1) significant correlations were found between some demographic and the study variables. (2) Significant associations were also found between self-compassion, subjective well-being and health. (3) linear regression analysis revealed that physical health is best predicted by greater life satisfaction and lower age; mental health is best predicted by increased satisfaction with life, self-compassion and decreased negative affect; and, finally, life satisfaction is predicted by a higher physical health and self-compassion.ConclusionsThese results suggest the importance of developing psychological skills such as warmth, tolerance and the acceptance of suffering bearing in mind that the elderly may experience difficulties resulting from the developmental characteristics of old age. Our findings suggest the possible beneficial effect of compassion, focused therapies designed for this specific population, particularly contributing to the promotion of life satisfaction and mental health of the Portuguese elderly.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-88
Author(s):  
Takeshi Nakagawa ◽  
Yukiko Nishita ◽  
Chikako Tange ◽  
Makiko Tomida ◽  
Kaori Kinoshita ◽  
...  

Prior evidence suggests that subjective well-being (SWB) remains relatively stable across adulthood. However, longitudinal evidence is sparse except in Western societies such as North America and Western Europe. We examined age-related changes in SWB (life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) among middle-aged and older Japanese. We applied multilevel growth models to 14-year seven-wave longitudinal data of a dynamic cohort study. A total of 3,890 participants aged 40–81 at first assessment were included in the analysis. The longitudinal results demonstrated differential trajectories of SWB. Life satisfaction exhibited an accelerated increase in middle age but decreased and leveled off in old age. Positive affect increased in midlife and declined in late life. Negative affect remained stable in middle age but increased in old age. Demographics, health, and methodological correlates did not fully account for age-related changes in SWB. Of note, increases in negative affect in old age remained evident even after controlling for the correlates. In conclusion, life satisfaction was stable across adulthood, which was not the case with positive and negative affect. We discussed the possible mechanisms in these observed trajectories of SWB, in particular, negative affect in late life.


Author(s):  
Nadine Richter ◽  
Marcel Hunecke

AbstractOrientations to well-being, including personal values, motives and goals regarding one’s well-being are often related to the experience of well-being. At the same time, studies show positive effects of mindfulness on well-being. It is conceivable, that the strength of the connection between well-being orientations and experiences depend on the degree of dispositional mindfulness. To explore relationships between orientations and experiences of well-being as well as the potential moderation effect of mindfulness, two cross-sectional online studies with German-speaking participants were conducted. In Study 1 (N = 414) mindfulness moderated the relationship between life of pleasure (measured by the Orientations to Happiness Scale) and life satisfaction (β = −0.10, p = 0.017) as well as the relationship between life of meaning (β = −0.10, p = 0.028). As hypothesized, mindfulness moderated the connection between life of engagement and life satisfaction (β = −0.14, p = 0.001) as well as the negative relationship between search for meaning and life satisfaction (β = 0.15, p < 0.001). In Study 2 (N = 731) none of those effects were statistically replicated. Yet, mindfulness moderated the relationship between hedonia (measured by the Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives for Action Questionnaire) and life satisfaction (β = −0.07, p = 0.048) as well as the relationship between search for meaning and psychological well-being (β = 0.07, p = 0.015). Overall, the results show that mindfulness has no substantial moderating effect on the well-being orientations and experiences relationship. Yet, in both studies, mindfulness and well-being orientations were consistently related to well-being experiences. This points out, that both are related to the experience of well-being, but beyond that not as interacting factors.


2021 ◽  
pp. 016402752198909
Author(s):  
Jong Hyun Jung ◽  
Christopher G. Ellison

This study examines the effects of prayers at mealtime on change in life satisfaction among older U.S. adults. In addition, it assesses the ways that marital status conditions these psychological effects of prayers at mealtime. Using two waves of longitudinal data from the Religion, Aging, and Health Survey (2001–2004), a representative sampling of adults aged 65 and older, the analyses reveal that the frequency of prayers at mealtime is associated with an increase in life satisfaction over time. Further, the positive effects of prayers at mealtime on change in life satisfaction are greater for nonmarried older adults than their married counterparts. The findings in the study reinforce claims of the beneficial effects of religion on mental well-being in later life. Moreover, they elaborate on the resource substitution thesis by showing that religion provides greater psychological benefits for older adults who do not have alternative resources for well-being—a marital partner.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Montero ◽  
Miguel Vargas ◽  
Diego Vásquez

Our aim is to cast light on socioeconomic residential segregation effects on life satisfaction (LS). In order to test our hypothesis, we use survey data from Chile (Casen) for the years 2011 and 2013. We use the Duncan Index to measure segregation based on income at the municipality level for 324 municipalities. LS is obtained from the CASEN survey, which considers a question about self-reported well-being. Segregation’s impact upon LS is not clear at first glance. On one hand, there is evidence telling that segregation’s consequences are negative due to the spatial concentration of poverty and all the woes related to it. On the other hand, segregation would have positive effects because people may feel stress, unhappiness, and alienation when comparing themselves to better-off households. Additionally, there is previous evidence regarding the fact that people prefer to neighbor people of a similar socioeconomic background. Hence, an empirical test is needed. In order to implement it, we should deal with two problems, first, the survey limited statistical significance at the municipal level, hence we use the small area estimation (SAE) methodology to improve the estimations’ statistic properties, and second, the double causality between segregation and LS; to deal with the latter, we include lagged LS as a regressor. Our findings indicate that socioeconomic segregation has a positive effect on LS. This result is robust to different econometric specifications.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Olivos ◽  
Pablo Olivos-Jara ◽  
Magdalena Browne

The aim of this study is to understand the effect of asymmetric social comparison on subjective well-being, and how it differs due to reciprocity. Our approach considers the social network of individuals as a local reference group. We tested competing hypotheses on negative and positive effects of comparison with worse-off (downward) and better-off (upward) targets with a representative sample of 1,596 Chileans over the age of 18. The findings support that life satisfaction is influenced by social comparison. By considering the social network as a reference group, the positive effect of downward comparison and the negative effect of upward comparison are confirmed. Upward comparison seems to be more substantial than downward comparison. Additionally, the positive effect of downward comparison decreases slightly with a reciprocal exchange of support between respondents and targets. The application of social network analysis opens a path to understanding the mechanisms underlying social comparison processes.


Author(s):  
Philipp K. Masur

The question of whether and how digital media use and digital communication affect people’s and particularly adolescents’ well-being has been investigated for several decades. Many studies have analyzed how different forms of digital communication influence loneliness and life satisfaction, two comparatively stable cognitive indicators of subjective well-being. Despite this large body of empirical work, the findings remain ambivalent, with studies resulting in positive, negative, or nonsignificant effects. Several meta-analyses suggest that the overall effect of digital communication on life satisfaction is probably too small to suggest a detrimental effect. The net effect of digital communication on loneliness, by contrast, is positive, but likewise small. Yet the studies on which these meta-analyses are based suffer from several limitations. They often adopt a limited perspective on the phenomenon of interest as a disproportionate amount of work focuses on interpersonal differences instead of intra-individual, contextual, and situational effects, as well as their interactions. Furthermore, studies are often based on cross-sectional data, use unvalidated and imprecise measurements, and differ greatly in how they conceptualize digital communication. The diversity in studied applications and forms of digital communication also suggests that effects are most likely bidirectional. Passive digital communication (e.g., browsing and lurking) is more likely to result in negative effects on well-being. Active and purposeful digital communication (e.g., posting, liking, conversating), by contrast, is more likely to result in positive effects. Future research should therefore investigate how the various levels of digital communication (including differences in devices, applications, features, interactions, and messages) interact in shaping individuals’ well-being. Instead of expecting long-term effects on comparatively stable cognitive indicators such as life satisfaction, scholars should rather study and identify the spatial and temporal boundaries of digital communication effects on the more fluctuating affective components of well-being.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 415-432
Author(s):  
Sangmoon Kim

This study has two objectives: (1) to investigate the changes in the frequency, duration, and timing of solitary, family, and social meals in South Korea, and (2) to examine the effects of these meals on subjective well-being (i.e., life satisfaction). As for the latter objective, it was hypothesized that solitary and desynchronized meals would be associated with lower life satisfaction, whereas family, social, and synchronized meals would be linked with higher life satisfaction. Analyses of the time-use data between 1999 and 2014 revealed that family meals were being rapidly replaced by both solitary and social meals. Contrary to the thesis of temporal destructuration, however, the collective rhythms of eating became more pronounced in South Korea. Regarding the effects of the meals, eating together had positive effects on life satisfaction, whereas eating alone did not. The effects of solitary meals varied across individuals, based upon the level of voluntariness and scheduling. Moreover, eating together, especially with family members, protected individuals from the adverse impacts of a desynchronized eating rhythm.


Author(s):  
Elias Olukorode Wahab

How security provision impacts on life satisfaction at old age in Nigeria is not well understood. This has become essential in order to improve preparation for old age and to formulate comprehensive social security system for the elderly. Quantitative data was collected through individual-based questionnaire, involving 810 respondents. Multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to select local government areas, enumeration areas and individuals for the study. Only about one-third of the respondents reported being satisfied with the old age security provisions. The level of education is statistically related to level of satisfaction with old age security provision; the elderly in extended families are more likely to report satisfaction with old age security provisions. Family type is somewhat statistically related to satisfaction with old age security provisions. This underscores the inadequacy of their income from pension. The idea that old-age security and well being in Nigeria should remain the primary responsibility of the family is untenable. Government must assume the primary responsibility in a partnership in which the family also continues to play a significant role.


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