scholarly journals Happy just because. A cross-cultural study on subjective wellbeing in three Indigenous societies

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251551
Author(s):  
Victoria Reyes-García ◽  
Sandrine Gallois ◽  
Aili Pyhälä ◽  
Isabel Díaz-Reviriego ◽  
Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares ◽  
...  

While cross-cultural research on subjective well-being and its multiple drivers is growing, the study of happiness among Indigenous peoples continues to be under-represented in the literature. In this work, we measure life satisfaction through open-ended questionnaires to explore levels and drivers of subjective well-being among 474 adults in three Indigenous societies across the tropics: the Tsimane’ in Bolivian lowland Amazonia, the Baka in southeastern Cameroon, and the Punan in Indonesian Borneo. We found that life satisfaction levels in the three studied societies are slightly above neutral, suggesting that most people in the sample consider themselves as moderately happy. We also found that respondents provided explanations mostly when their satisfaction with life was negative, as if moderate happiness was the normal state and explanations were only needed when reporting a different life satisfaction level due to some exceptionally good or bad occurrence. Finally, we also found that issues related to health and–to a lesser extent–social life were the more prominent explanations for life satisfaction. Our research not only highlights the importance to understand, appreciate and respect Indigenous peoples’ own perspectives and insights on subjective well-being, but also suggests that the greatest gains in subjective well-being might be achieved by alleviating the factors that tend to make people unhappy.

2004 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jungsik Kim ◽  
Elaine Hatfield

This cross-cultural research explored the relationship between Hatfield & Rapson's (1993) love types and subjective well-being. College students from an individualistic culture (USA) and a collectivist culture (Korea) completed the Passionate Love Scale (PLS; Hatfield & Rapson), the Companionate Love Scale (CLS; Sternberg, 1986), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS; Pivot & Diener, 1993), and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS; Watson, Clarke, & Tellegen, 1988). It was found that two love types are related to subjective well-being in a different way: life satisfaction was more strongly predicted by companionate love than by passionate love, whereas positive and negative emotions were more accounted for by passionate love than by companionate love. No culture and gender difference was found in this overall relationship, but gender difference was found in the extent of the association between companionate love and satisfaction with life, and between passionate love and emotional experiences, respectively.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eka Septarianda ◽  
Mohammad Nursalim Malay ◽  
Khoiriyah Ulfah

ABSTRACT: RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FORGIVENESS AND SUBJECTIVE WELL BEING AMONG ORPHANAGE ADOLESCENTSThis study aims to determine the relationship between forgiveness and subjective well-being in adolescents who are in the orphanage, through the three components contained in it, i.e. life satisfaction, positive affect and negative affect. The subjects of this study were 58 adolescents in the Budi Mulya Muhammadiyah Sukarame orphanage. Data collection method using three scales, those are Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and Possitive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The data analysis technique used is the product moment correlation. The results of the analysis of this study explain that there is a positive relationship between forgiveness and subjective well-being through the three components in SWB. The results of this study have implications about the importance of forgiveness in increasing subjective well being in orphanage adolescent.Keywords: Forgiveness, Subjective Well-Being, Orphanage AdolescentPenelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubungan forgiveness dengan subjective well-being pada remaja yang berada di panti asuhan, melalui tiga komponen yang terdapat di dalamnya, yaitu life satisfaction, positive affect dan negative affect. Subjek penelitian ini adalah 58 remaja panti asuhan Budi Mulya Muhammadiyah Sukarame. Metode pengumpulan data menggunakan tiga skala, yaitu Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) dan Possitive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). Data dianalisis dengan korelasi product moment. Hasil penelitian ini menerangkan bahwa terdapat hubungan yang positif antara forgiveness dengan subjective well-being melalui tiga komponen dalam SWB. Hasil penelitian ini memberi implikasi tentang pentingnya forgiveness dalam meningkatkan subjective well being pada remaja dipanti asuhan.Kata Kunci: Forgiveness, Subjective Well Being, Remaja Panti Asuhan 


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.


2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 1581-1588 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. STUBBE ◽  
D. POSTHUMA ◽  
D. I. BOOMSMA ◽  
E. J. C. De GEUS

Background. Subjective well-being (SWB) can be partitioned into the components life satisfaction and affect. Research on factors influencing these components of well-being has mainly focused on environmental characteristics. The aim of this study was to investigate the relative contribution of genes and environment to individual differences in life satisfaction in a large sample of Dutch twins and their singleton siblings.Method. Life satisfaction of 5668 subjects registered with The Netherlands Twin Registry (NTR) was measured with a Dutch version of the self-reported Satisfaction with Life Scale. An extended twin design was used to obtain correlations in life satisfaction scores for monozygotic twins, dizygotic twins and sibling pairs and to estimate the contribution of genes and environment to the variation in life satisfaction.Results. No differences between males and females were found in the mean level of life satisfaction. Broad-sense heritability was 38%. Non-additive genetic factors explained all or most of the genetic influences. The remaining 62% of the variance in life satisfaction could be attributed to unique environmental factors, both persistent and transitory, plus measurement error.Conclusions. Individual differences in life satisfaction are determined in part by genetic factors that are largely or entirely non-additive in nature.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 164-175
Author(s):  
Zh.Yu. Bruk ◽  
S.V. Ignatjeva

The research presented in the article aims to identify the joint influence of family, school relationships and relationships with friends on overall life satisfaction and subjective well-being in children. The experiment was implemented within the framework of the International Survey of Children’s Well-being — Children’s Worlds (ISCWeB).In the course of the study we have developed a special set of tools for classifying children’s satisfaction with family, school, and friends. The analysis of the formed clusters allowed us to take into account the multidimensionality and heterogeneity of the phenomenon. The adaptation and testing of the proposed technique was carried out on a sample of 1959 schoolchildren of the Tyumen region, aged 10 and 12 years. According to the results, the number of clusters formed and their qualitative composition are not uniform, which confirms the age dynamics of the phenomenon.10-year-old children are more categorical in assessing their well-being and satisfaction with life: they are either satisfied with life or not satisfied.12-year-old children are more detailed in assessing life satisfaction; they are able to identify various spheres and aspects of their lives and to carry out a differentiated assessment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorea Azpiazu Izaguirre ◽  
Arantzazu Rodríguez Fernández ◽  
Eider Goñi Palacios

Adolescence is a stage characterized by many biological and psychosocial changes, all of which may result in a decrease in subjective well-being. It is therefore necessary to identify those factors that contribute to increased life satisfaction, in order to promote positive development among young people. The aim of this study is to examine the dynamics of a set of variables that contribute to life satisfaction. A total of 1,188 adolescents (aged between 12 and 16 years) completed the Perceived Social Support from Family and Friends and Perception of the School Environment Questionnaires, the Trait Meta Mood Scale (TMMS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) for social support, emotion regulation, resilience, and life satisfaction. By applying structural equation modeling (SEM), the results reveal a direct prediction of family support, emotion regulation, and resilience on life satisfaction. Support from friends and emotion regulation was also found to explain resilience, and support from family and teachers was found to predict emotion regulation. In conclusion, emotion regulation and social support were found to indirectly affect life satisfaction among adolescents through resilience. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marialena Kostouli ◽  
Despoina Xanthopoulou ◽  
Christina Athanasiades

The aim of this dyadic study was to investigate whether the economic strain (i.e., perceived deterioration of the financial situation and difficulty to respond to family obligations) experienced by married couples with children relates to their satisfaction with life, and whether marital satisfaction and parental self-efficacy mediate this relationship. To this end, we took both actor (i.e., partners' economic strain was expected to relate to their own life satisfaction via their own marital satisfaction and parental self-agency), as well as partner (i.e., partners' economic strain was expected to relate to their spouses' life satisfaction via their spouse's marital satisfaction and parental self-agency) effects into account. A total of 134 married couples with children participated in the study. Dyadic analyses revealed that wives’ perceived difficulty to respond to family obligations related to their husbands’ life satisfaction, via their husbands’ parental self-agency. Moreover, annual family income related negatively to wives’ life satisfaction, via wives’ difficulty to respond to their family obligations. In addition, husbands’ deterioration of their financial situation related negatively to their life satisfaction, via their marital satisfaction. Last but not least, husbands’ deterioration of their financial situation related negatively to their wives’ marital satisfaction and parental self-agency. These findings have important implications for counseling because they suggest that married couples' subjective well-being suffers in times of financial turmoil, while gender differences determine the psychological processes through which economic strain relates to husbands' and wives' life satisfaction.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (53) ◽  
pp. 51-74
Author(s):  
Alba Guijarro Gallego ◽  
Antonia Martínez Pérez ◽  
Visitación Fernández Fernández ◽  
Mavi Alcántara-López ◽  
Maravillas Castro Sáez

Introduction. Theory and research support the idea that subjective well-being (positive / negative affect and life satisfaction) is a substantial construct in understanding psychological well-being and mental health. The relevance of life satisfaction in variables affecting psychological well-being has been studied. Life satisfaction in adolescents and its association with sex, age, parental educational styles, peer attachment and emotional intelligence was researched. Groups were compared according to degree of life satisfaction and its relationship with these variables. Method. The sample was composed of 285 secondary school students (49.8% male), average age 15.09 years (12 to 19), and self-report measures of variables were applied to be analyzed: Satisfaction with Life Scale-Child (SWLS-C), Parental Educational Style of Adolescents, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA) y Trait Meta-Mood-Scale-48 (TMMS-48). Results. Results showed a significant high level of satisfaction among adolescents. A significant higher score among boys compared to girls was confirmed, as in the younger compared to older. Correlations were statistically significant between life satisfaction and all dimensions from Parental Educational Style analyzed, except Behavioral Control; with Alienation and Confidence of Peer Attachment; and with Emotional Intelligence Clarity and Repair, as well as statistically significant differences among satisfaction groups in 12 of the 19 variables analyzed. Discussion and Conclusion. Promoting life satisfaction in adolescents is increasingly relevant, due to the role it may play in achieving good psychological adjustment, thus contributing to the promotion and prevention of mental health.


2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 38
Author(s):  
Petia Genkova

<p>Until now it has not been analysed in previous research if and how cultures affect the well-being of people. It was the aim of this investigation to find conform and different patterns of subjective cultural well-being in the examined cultures of Bulgaria, France, Germany and China. Overall, 280 test persons from these countries were surveyed, namely 70 persons from each country. These samples are connected with different cultural traditions. A cohort design was used with subject to age and sex to assure comparability and to be able to meet the demands for a variance analysis. Overall, the results show that the relationships between the cultural patterns and the subjective specific well-being are not as strong as assumed, but significant. The sociodemographic variables do not influence subjective well-being.</p>


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