scholarly journals A New Model of Subjective Well-Being

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Igor Kopsov

Background:We propose a new approach to evaluation of SWB, which we specify as a combination of two states, momentary SWB and projected SWB. The former is a measure of satisfaction with transient life experiences, the latter a reflection of expected probability of satisfaction of future aspirations. These two states, independent, but complementary to each other, consist of distinct components associated with different human needs.Methods:By postulating need satisfaction as the sole course of attainment of happiness, it allows us to define SWB through functional equations that link level of attained SWB to a need satisfaction ratio, a need ranking, and an estimated probability of future need satisfaction.Findings:Subsequently, we present a model of SWB through the lens of our proposed algorithm of human behaviour, which demonstrates the needs satisfaction process. The algorithm consists of several interdependent phases and feedback mechanisms. The theorized feedback mechanisms result in a continuous redefinition of dominant needs due to needs satisfaction. Feedback mechanisms create dynamic and non-linear interrelations between needs, the degree of their attainment and subsequent happiness.Conclusion:Through this approach, we explain such phenomena as deflation of happiness, psychological adaptation to hardship, and multiplicity of strategies to attain happiness. The proposed model allows integration of a number of existing SWB theories into a unified concept.

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aisyah Abu Bakar ◽  
Mariana Mohamed Osman

The two notions discussed in the paper are Life Satisfaction, under Subjective Well-Being (SWB) field; and Maslow hierarchy of human needs. Issue: Human needs satisfaction is not an all-or-nothing phenomenon. Individuals are not required to completely satisfy one need in order for the next need to appear in the hierarchy. Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the level of life satisfaction in relation to the difficulty and convenience of achieving human needs. Approach: Mann Whitney U-Tests were conducted to determine the mean of SWL across difficulty and convenient of fulfilling 24 human needs. These human needs are the necessities and life conditions commonly and widely struggled for. Findings: The ease with which the majority of human needs can be met increases life satisfaction significantly. The findings also revealed that for five human needs for which life satisfaction did not differ significantly, meeting these human needs was unlikely to influence life satisfaction. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs classified these needs as biological and physiological needs, safety and security needs, and esteem needs.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia Xiaohua Chen ◽  
Jacky C. K. Ng ◽  
Bryant P. H. Hui ◽  
Algae K. Y. Au ◽  
Wesley C. H. Wu ◽  
...  

AbstractThe spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected both physical health and mental well-being around the world. Stress-related reactions, if prolonged, may result in mental health problems. We examined the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health in a multinational study and explored the effects of government responses to the outbreak. We sampled 18,171 community adults from 35 countries/societies, stratified by age, gender, and region of residence. Across the 35 societies, 26.6% of participants reported moderate to extremely severe depression symptoms, 28.2% moderate to extremely severe anxiety symptoms, and 18.3% moderate to extremely severe stress symptoms. Coronavirus anxiety comprises two factors, namely Perceived Vulnerability and Threat Response. After controlling for age, gender, and education level, perceived vulnerability predicted higher levels of negative emotional symptoms and psychological distress, whereas threat response predicted higher levels of self-rated health and subjective well-being. People in societies with more stringent control policies had more threat response and reported better subjective health. Coronavirus anxiety exerts detrimental effects on subjective health and well-being, but also has the adaptive function in mobilizing safety behaviors, providing support for an evolutionary perspective on psychological adaptation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jefim Vogel ◽  
Julia K. Steinberger ◽  
Daniel W. O'Neill ◽  
William F. Lamb ◽  
Jaya Krishnakumar

<p>Meeting human needs at low levels of energy use is fundamental for avoiding catastrophic climate change and securing the well-being of all people. In the current international political-economic regime, no country does so.</p><p>Here, we assess which socio-economic conditions might enable societies to satisfy human needs at sustainable levels of energy use, and thus reconcile human well-being with ambitious climate mitigation. Applying a novel analytical framework and a novel regression-based moderation approach to data from 106 countries, we analyse how the relationship between energy use and six dimensions of human need satisfaction varies with a wide range of socio-economic factors relevant to the provisioning of goods and services (‘provisioning factors’).</p><p>We find that higher achievements in provisioning factors such as income equality, public service quality, democracy and electricity access are associated with greater need satisfaction and lower energy dependence of need satisfaction. Conversely, higher levels of economic growth and extractivism are associated with lower need satisfaction and greater energy dependence of need satisfaction. Our analysis suggests that countries with beneficial configurations of key provisioning factors are much more likely to reach high levels of need satisfaction at low(er) levels of energy use. Based on our statistical models, countries with highly beneficial configurations of several key provisioning factors could likely achieve sufficient need satisfaction within levels of energy use found compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5 °C without negative emissions technologies. Achieving this would be very unlikely for countries with detrimental provisioning configurations.</p><p>Improvements in relevant provisioning factors may thus be crucial for ending human deprivation in currently underproviding countries without exacerbating climate and ecological crises, and for tackling the ecological overshoot of currently needs-satisfying countries without compromising sufficient need satisfaction. However, as key pillars of the suggested changes in provisioning run contrary to the dominant political-economic regime, a broader political-economic transformation may be required to organise provisioning for the satisfaction of human needs within sustainable levels of energy use.</p><p>Our findings have important implications for climate mitigation, poverty eradication, development discourses, and efforts towards Sustainable Development Goals and socio-ecological transformation.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Linlin Feng ◽  
Lelin Zhang

We linked self-determination theory and prosociality, and explored the mediating role of three dimensions of basic psychological needs satisfaction, namely, competence, autonomy, and relatedness, in the relationship between prosocial tendencies and subjective well-being. We explored these relationships using a cross-sectional research design with 1,106 Chinese adults. Results show that the public prosocial tendencies of men (vs. women) were higher, and competence, autonomy, and relatedness mediated the positive relationship between prosocial tendencies and subjective well-being. The indirect effect of relatedness was stronger than those of competence and autonomy, demonstrating the importance of relatedness in a collectivistic society like China. Our findings deepen understanding of the underlying mechanisms between prosociality and subjective well-being as mediated by basic psychological needs satisfaction, and may encourage people to engage in prosocial behavior.


2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (05) ◽  
pp. 1371-1395
Author(s):  
CHANTAL HERBERHOLZ ◽  
NATTAYA PRAPAIPANICH

Empirical evidence of the conspicuous consumption theory is limited and ambiguous. It has been shown, however, that the consumption of life experiences makes people happier than the consumption of material goods. Yet, these studies typically conduct dichotomous comparisons and do not distinguish between conspicuous and inconspicuous consumption. Conspicuous and inconspicuous online social networking devices (OSND) are experiential goods and as such fall between life experiences and material goods. The objective of this paper, thus, is to examine the relationship between conspicuous consumption of OSND and subjective well-being, which is proxied by happiness and mental health. Cross-sectional data ([Formula: see text]) were collected in 2015 using probability sampling. The ordered logistic regression results reveal that conspicuous consumption of OSND is negatively related with happiness and mental health in all regressions as hypothesized, while the coefficient on inconspicuous consumption of OSND is positive. Also, the number of virtual friends is negatively associated with happiness. Among the control variables, it is noteworthy that respondents with high blood pressure, used to capture physical health, have lower happiness and mental health, while respondents with higher education and high own monthly income exhibit higher happiness and mental health. Respondents, whose personality can best be characterized as “agreeable”, have lower happiness and mental health which is in line with the old saying that “nice guys finish last”.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 595-613
Author(s):  
Ruben Hoffmann ◽  
Carl-Johan Lagerkvist ◽  
Malin Hagberg Gustavsson ◽  
Bodil Ström Holst

AbstractAlthough various benefits of cats and dogs have been extensively studied, their fundamental economic value is poorly understood. Economic values are, in contrast to monetary values, determined subjectively and guide individuals in their decisions. This study presents a conceptual economic model of the value of cats and dogs which provides a basis for future research. Benefits of cats and dogs identified in the literature are categorized in relation to the model. The multidimensional value of these nonhuman animals includes different use and non-use values, for caretakers and other humans. Data from an online survey on the salience (importance of attributes in memory) of cats and dogs in Sweden provide support for the proposed model. It is argued that the subjective well-being approach developed in psychology provides a good starting point for estimating many of the economic values of these animals, but that different types of values may require different approaches.


2019 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miroslav Filip ◽  
Kateřina Lukavská ◽  
Iva Poláčková Šolcová

We examined two contradictory views of Erikson’s concept of ego integrity: as an outcome of the tension between integrity and despair, or as a dialogical process of balancing positive and negative life experiences. One hundred sixty-seven Czech older adults participated in the study. Dialogically integrated, outcome-integrated, and outcome-despairing participants were selected based on the Ego Integrity Scale and based on methods mapping life-reviewing dialogue. The three subsamples were compared in their psychological adaptation. The results showed that the dialogically integrated participants scored similarly in well-being and meaningfulness of life as outcome-integrated participants and better than outcome-despairing participants. However, the dialogically integrated participants were also prone to experiencing negative emotions. As they were older than the other two subsamples and reported worse physical health, we concluded that the life-reviewing dialogue helps them maintain a sense of meaning in life and a certain level of well-being. Hence, the results support relevance of the dialogical-process view.


1998 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 15-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun Saunders ◽  
Don Munro ◽  
Miles Bore

AbstractMaslow's (1954) theory of a hierarchy of human needs has generated little research, perhaps because of the lack of specific, concrete operationalisation of concepts such as ‘psychological well-being’ and basic need satisfaction. The Need Satisfaction Inventory (NSI: Lester, 1990) was developed to measure basic need satisfaction and 157 undergraduate subjects completed both it and the Beck Depression (BDI) and Anxiety Inventories (BAI), as well as Spielberger's (1986) Anger-Expression questionnaire (AX). The latter three questionnaires represent an operationalisation of Spielberger, Ritterband, Sydeman, Reheiserdc Unger's (1995) notion that emotions act as indicators of psychological well-being. The hypothesis that scores on the NSI would be significantly correlated with the BDI, BAI, and AX was supported. Ss also completed the Richins and Dawson (1992) materialism index, and it was hypothesised that if hoarding material goods does in fact represent compensatory neurotic behaviour, then materialism would also be negatively correlated with the NSI. The hypothesis was confirmed, providing further evidence for Maslow's (1970) theory that basic need satisfaction is associated with psychological health. However, in the absence of norms for the NSI, there was no conclusive evidence to suggest that basic needs reside in a consistent, and strict global hierarchy.


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