Experimental research in the field of subjective well-being

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maitta Spronken ◽  
Rob Holland ◽  
Bernd Figner ◽  
Ap Dijksterhuis
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Research ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Experimental Control ◽  
The Past ◽  
Correlational Research ◽  
Lab Experiments ◽  
Experimental Approaches

Over the past years, there has been a surge in research on subjective well-being. Most of this research relies on correlational methods. As correlational research has important limitations, the field of subjective well-being is in need for more experimental approaches. While longitudinal experimental studies provide maximum ecological validity, field and (especially) lab experiments provide more experimental control. However, investigating subjective well-being experimentally poses several challenges. First, the question arises whether happiness and satisfaction can be measured in brief experiments. Second, experiments may undermine people’s basic need for autonomy. Third, the conclusions of experiments on subjective well-being may not always extend beyond the experimental context. We discuss potential solutions for these challenges, accompanied by a few examples of successful experiments that may inspire future experimental research in the field of subjective well-being.

scholarly journals Psychocapital and Shangri-Las: How happiness became both a means and end to governmentality

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Mckay
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
The Past ◽  
Means And Ends ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Mental Well Being ◽  
Politics Of Happiness

In this paper a paradox is revealed in the politics of well-being over the means and ends of happiness. That paradox, in brief, is that although happiness is argued to be the ultimate end of all governmentality, in order to serve as that end, it first needs to be translated into a means for bolstering the economy, for only that way can a teleology of happiness gain a foothold in a world which prioritizes economic growth as an end in itself. To show this the paper gives a history of subjective well-being (SWB) research, and contrasts it with the politics of happiness in the UK, where SWB has in the past decade been translated into a discourse around the psychological wealth of the nation via the concepts of mental capital (MC) and mental well-being (MWB).

Facebook and Subjective Well-Being Among College Students: A Systematic Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul D. Loprinzi ◽  
Emily Frith
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Innovative Strategies ◽  
Facebook Use ◽  
Pubmed Search ◽  
The Impact

This systematic review evaluates various theoretical underpinnings, which may contribute to abetter understanding of the effects of Facebook use on subjective well-being among college students. Theauthor conducted a PubMed search of experimental studies conducted within a young adult population.Eligible participant data was delimited to undergraduate or graduate students, who were required to becurrent Facebook users. Six studies were chosen for the review. The findings suggest that Facebook usagemay be positively associated with subjective well-being via several theoretical mechanisms founded in socialpsychology. These findings provide preliminary evidence that Facebook may offer its users unique opportu-nities to tailor their online self-presentation to assuage the impact of negative psychosocial stimuli presentedin real-world environments. Innovative strategies should be conceived to assess the possible relationshipbetween Facebook use and enhanced subjective well-being.

Remittances and subjective well-being: A static versus dynamic panel approach to happiness

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mduduzi Biyase ◽  
Bianca Fisher ◽  
Marinda Pretorius
Keyword(s):  
Instrumental Variable ◽  
National Income ◽  
Probit Model ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Income Dynamics ◽  
Dynamic Panel ◽  
The Past ◽  
Static Versus Dynamic ◽  
Dynamic Panel Models

Using all five waves of the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) panel dataset, we examine the effect of domestic remittances on the static and dynamic subjective well-being (SWB) of recipient individuals in South Africa, by using a random effects ordered probit model that accounts for individual heterogeneity. Moreover, we check the robustness of our static model results by making use of an instrumental variable for migrants’ remittances. Two major empirical findings emerge from this paper: firstly, domestic remittances are consistently found to have a positive and statistically significant impact on the happiness of recipient individuals. Moreover, this finding persists in both the static and dynamic panel models. Secondly, the coefficient on lagged SWB (derived from the dynamic model) is found to be positive and statistically significant, confirming that SWB today is significantly influenced by SWB in the past.

scholarly journals Source of funding and results of studies of health effects of mobile phone use: systematic review of experimental studies

2008 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1005-1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anke Huss ◽  
Matthias Egger ◽  
Kerstin Hug ◽  
Karin Huwiler-Müntener ◽  
Martin Röösli
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Telecommunications Industry ◽  
Outcome Data ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Radiofrequency Radiation ◽  
Methodologic Quality ◽  
Health Related

There is concern regarding the possible health effects of cellular telephone use. We conducted a systematic review of studies of controlled exposure to radiofrequency radiation with health-related outcomes (electroencephalogram, cognitive or cardiovascular function, hormone levels, symptoms, and subjective well-being). We searched Embase, Medline, and a specialist database in February 2005 and scrutinized reference lists from relevant publications. Data on the source of funding, study design, methodologic quality, and other study characteristics were extracted. The primary outcome was the reporting of at least one statistically significant association between the exposure and a health-related outcome. Data were analyzed using logistic regression models. Of 59 studies, 12 (20%) were funded exclusively by the telecommunications industry, 11 (19%) were funded by public agencies or charities, 14 (24%) had mixed funding (including industry), and in 22 (37%) the source of funding was not reported. Studies funded exclusively by industry reported the largest number of outcomes, but were least likely to report a statistically significant result. The interpretation of results from studies of health effects of radiofrequency radiation should take sponsorship into account.

scholarly journals Advances and Open Questions in the Science of Subjective Well-Being

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ed Diener ◽  
Richard E. Lucas ◽  
Shigehiro Oishi
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Experimental Designs ◽  
Active Area ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
National Accounts ◽  
Policy Decisions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Process Oriented

Subjective well-being (SWB) is an extremely active area of research with about 170,000 articles and books published on the topic in the past 15 years. Methodological and theoretical advances have been notable in this period of time, with the increasing use of longitudinal and experimental designs allowing for a greater understanding of the predictors and outcomes that relate to SWB, along with the process that underlie these associations. In addition, theories about these processes have become more intricate, as findings reveal that many associations with SWB depend on people’s culture and values and the context in which they live. This review provides an overview of many major areas of research, including the measurement of SWB, the demographic and personality-based predictors of SWB, and process-oriented accounts of individual differences in SWB. In addition, because a major new focus in recent years has been the development of national accounts of subjective well-being, we also review attempts to use SWB measures to guide policy decisions.

Standing in the glory or shadow of the past self: Cultures differ in how much the past self affects current subjective well-being.

Emotion ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 1111-1117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Young-Hoon Kim ◽  
Huajian Cai ◽  
Matthew Gilliland ◽  
Chi-Yue Chiu ◽  
Stephen Xia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
The Past

scholarly journals Relative Income, Happiness, and Utility: An Explanation for the Easterlin Paradox and Other Puzzles

2008 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew E Clark ◽  
Paul Frijters ◽  
Michael A Shields
Keyword(s):  
Utility Function ◽  
Relative Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Thomas Carlyle ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Easterlin Paradox ◽  
The Past ◽  
Average Happiness ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
And Migration

The well-known Easterlin paradox points out that average happiness has remained constant over time despite sharp rises in GNP per head. At the same time, a micro literature has typically found positive correlations between individual income and individual measures of subjective well-being. This paper suggests that these two findings are consistent with the presence of relative income terms in the utility function. Income may be evaluated relative to others (social comparison) or to oneself in the past (habituation). We review the evidence on relative income from the subjective well-being literature. We also discuss the relation (or not) between happiness and utility, and discuss some nonhappiness research (behavioral, experimental, neurological) related to income comparisons. We last consider how relative income in the utility function can affect economic models of behavior in the domains of consumption, investment, economic growth, savings, taxation, labor supply, wages, and migration. Every pitifulest whipster that walks within a skin has had his head filled with the notion that he is, shall be, or by all human and divine laws ought to be, “happy.” Thomas Carlyle

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