scholarly journals People adaptively use information to improve their internal and external states

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Cogliati Dezza ◽  
Christina Maher ◽  
Tali Sharot
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Adaptive Strategy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Expectations ◽  
Total N ◽  
Internal States ◽  
Affect And Cognition ◽  
Standard Models ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Better Than

Information can strongly impact peoples’ affect, their level of uncertainty and their decisions. It is assumed that people seek information with the goal of improving all three. But are they successful at achieving this goal? Answering this question is important for assessing the impact of self-driven information consumption on people’s well-being. Here, over four experiments (total N = 518) we show that participants accurately predict the impact of information on their internal states (e.g., affect and cognition) and external outcomes (e.g., material rewards), and use these predictions to guide information-seeking choices. A model incorporating participants’ subjective expectations regarding the impact of information on their affective, cognitive, and material outcomes accounted for information-seeking choices better than standard models currently used in the literature, which include objective proxies of those subjective measures. This model also accounted for individual differences in information-seeking choices. By balancing considerations of the impact of information on affective, cognitive and material outcomes when seeking knowledge, participants became happier, more certain and earned more points when they purchased information relative to when they did not, suggesting they adopted an adaptive strategy.

People adaptively use information to improve their internal states and external outcomes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Cogliati Dezza ◽  
Tali Sharot ◽  
Christina Maher
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Adaptive Strategy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Expectations ◽  
Total N ◽  
Internal States ◽  
Affect And Cognition ◽  
Standard Models ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Better Than

Information can strongly impact peoples’ affect, their level of uncertainty and their decisions. It is assumed that people seek information with the goal of improving all three. But are they successful at achieving this goal? Answering this question is important for assessing the impact of self-driven information consumption on people’s well-being. Here, over four experiments (total N = 518) we show that participants accurately predict the impact of information on their internal states (e.g., affect and cognition) and external outcomes (e.g., material rewards), and use these predictions to guide information-seeking choices. A model incorporating participants’ subjective expectations regarding the impact of information on their affective, cognitive, and material outcomes accounted for information-seeking choices better than standard models currently used in the literature, which include objective proxies of those subjective measures. This model also accounted for individual differences in information-seeking choices. By balancing considerations of the impact of information on affective, cognitive and material outcomes when seeking knowledge, participants became happier, more certain and earned more points when they purchased information relative to when they did not, suggesting they adopted an adaptive strategy.

scholarly journals Conflict Interpretation: A Comparison of Canadian and Italian Aggressive and Non-Aggressive Youth

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Smorti ◽  
Enrica Ciucci ◽  
Anne McKeough McKeough ◽  
Jennifer Malcolm ◽  
Dawn Bremner
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Aggressive Youth ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Better Than

The impact of persistent aggression on youths’ social and psychological well being is well documented. What is less well understood is the shaping effect of cultural differences on how such conflict is experienced and responded to. In this study, we asked youth to write a story about a conflict they experienced and describe their associated feelings. Participants included Canadian and Italian girls and boys from grades 4 and 7 who were rated by their teachers as either aggressive or non-aggressive. Results indicated that although there were no significant main effects for behavioural group or country in the description of the conflict, significant differences appeared in participants’ descriptions of associated feelings. Specifically, non-aggressive participants were significantly better at generating psychological interpretions of actors’ intentions and experienced significantly more congruent associated feelings. Additionally, Canadian participants were significantly better than Italian participants in generating psychological interpretation of conflicts.

Interest-Free Microfinance Arrangements and Its Impact on the Livelihood of Women in India

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-48
Author(s):  
Dr Faizan Khan Sherwani ◽  
Sanna Zafar Shaikh ◽  
Zoya Zafar Shaikh
Keyword(s):  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Living Standards ◽  
Women Empowerment ◽  
Education Development ◽  
Women's Participation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Women In India ◽  
Better Than

This study is based on the impact of interest-free microfinance arrangements on the livelihood of women in India. Studies revealed the existence of interest-free microfinance, as well as its outcome on the livelihood of weaker sections of society (particularly women), improved their well-being. Moreover, the interest-free microfinance model can also offer an alternative paradigm for millions of poor individuals who are currently not accommodated by conventional microfinancing. However, the association to Interest Free Micro Financing may be due to religious constraints, easy documentation & procedure, and low rates of processing fees, or any other motive. Interest-free microfinance products like Zakat, Sadaqah, and Karze Hasna will successfully meet micro financing core objectives of poverty alleviation, women empowerment, gender equality, prosperity, and employment. Interest-free microfinance agencies are working as unorganized institutions and not availing any support from the State. In this study, data was drawn from interest-free microfinance users in the areas of 20 districts in 5 states in India, namely UP, Bihar, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Kerala. The discussions in the study are mainly concerned with the empirical review of the impacts and influences of interest-free microfinance on the lifestyle of microfinance users before a loan and after a taken loan i.e., their income, expenditure, saving, entrepreneurship, consumption, and women's participation in earning income in India. The analysis showed that the performance of interest-free microfinance consumers is better than conventional microfinance consumers. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Livelihood, Education Development, Living Standards, Women Empowerment

scholarly journals Care Home Life and Identity: A Qualitative Case Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 655-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Paddock ◽  
Christine Brown Wilson ◽  
Catherine Walshe ◽  
Chris Todd
Keyword(s):  
Social Comparison ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Qualitative Case Study ◽  
Care Home ◽  
Adaptive Strategy ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Framework Analysis ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
The Impact

AbstractBackground and ObjectivesThe transition to a care home can involve multiple changes and losses that can affect an older person’s well-being and identity. It is not clear how older people perceive and manage their identity within a care home over time. This study explores how living in a care home affects the identities of residents and how they address this in their daily lives.Research Design and MethodsA multiple qualitative case study approach incorporated interview and observational data. Eighteen semistructured interviews and 260 hr of observations were conducted over 1 year with care home residents, relatives, and staff across three care homes within Greater Manchester, UK. Data were analyzed using framework analysis, drawing on the social identity perspective as an interpretive lens.ResultsFour themes were identified: (a) changing with age, (b) independence and autonomy, (c) bounded identity, and (d) social comparison. The impact of aging that initially altered residents’ identities was exacerbated by the care home environment. Institutional restrictions jeopardized independence and autonomy, provoking residents to redefine this within the allowances of the care home. Strict routines and resource constraints of well-meaning staff resulted in the bounded expression of personalities. Consequently, to forge a positive identity, residents without dementia engaged in social comparison with residents with dementia, emphasizing their superior cognitive and physical abilities.Discussion and ImplicationsSocial comparison as an adaptive strategy has previously been unidentified in care home literature. Residents need more support to express their identities, which may reduce the necessity of social comparison, and improve interrelationships and well-being.

scholarly journals More questions about multiple passions: Who has them, how many do people have, and the impact of being polyamorously passionate on well-being

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. I. Schellenberg ◽  
Daniel Seth Bailis
Keyword(s):  
Personality Trait ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Total N ◽  
Harmonious Passion ◽  
Dualistic Model Of Passion ◽  
Potent Predictor ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

People are often passionate toward multiple activities in their lives. However, more has been learned about passion toward any single activity than about passion toward multiple activities. Relying on the dualistic model of passion (Vallerand 2015), this research addressed the antecedents and consequences of polyamorous passion. In four pre-registered studies (total N = 1,322) and one mini meta-analysis, we found that (a) people tend to report being passionate for between 2 and 4 activities; (b) harmonious passion becomes a less potent predictor of well-being as it is directed toward less-favored activities; (c) harmonious passion does not contribute to the prediction of well-being beyond a second-favorite activity; and (d) openness to experience is a personality trait that is positively associated with the number of passionate activities that people have in their lives. These results contribute to our understanding of who has multiple passions, how many passionate activities people tend to have, and the relationship between polyamorous passion and well-being.

scholarly journals Subjective Well-Being and Conflicting Social Identities in the Frontier Regions of Russia

2019 ◽  
pp. 1541-1558
Author(s):  
Anna V. Nemirovskaya
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Public Attitudes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Income Group ◽  
Social Identities ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Total N ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Regions Of Russia

This study analyses how subjective well-being indicators and territorial social identities vary in the Russian frontier and core regions. It is assumed that the frontier history of settlement and border location of the regions has an impact on various socio-cultural and socio-political features of its communities, thus shaping the specific territorial social identities of people living on the front lines of Russia. These identities might be in conflicting relations, especially when taken as a factor for shaping specific public attitudes and moods, in particular, satisfaction with life. Based on the surveys in four border, or frontier and two central, or core, regions, conducted in 2016 (total n of respondent = 5000), the paper presents an explanatory model for life satisfaction in a comparative aspect, where different factors of socio-economic, socio-demographic, psychological, attitudinal, and cultural nature are considered. The impact of different territorial social identities on life satisfaction in the frontier and central regions was revealed. For both groups of the regional samples, the assessment of the state of affairs in the region, and the country as well, demonstrated a stable positive effect on life satisfaction, as well as the factors of locus of control, income group, and economic optimism. The predictor of social cohesion appeared to be significant only for frontier regions of Russia, in line with the classical concepts of the frontier. At the same time, age and religiosity factors predicted life satisfaction in the core regions only. This study contributes to the research on the border and frontier areas, as well as regional specifics of Russian regions, representing it as a vast and heterogeneous in terms of socio-cultural and socio-economic division country

scholarly journals Yogic Interventions for Psycho-Physical Well-Being Under Covid-19 Times & After

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 80-88
Author(s):  
Nishtha Malik ◽  
Aditi Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Belief System ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional Challenges ◽  
Fresh Perspective ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Better Than

Health indeed is Wealth. The Corona Virus Pandemic has impacted the best health-care systems world-wide; even as the world grapples with the massive loss of human life causing pain to millions. The Pandemic is no more just a medical health challenge; it has thrown up spiritual and emotional challenges as it is affecting our belief system.  Prevention is Better than Cure is the mantra. Since, there is no allopathic medicine solution available; people are adopting various measures like social distancing and personal sanitization. There is an urgent need to assist the individuals to take all the preventive measures possible to boost their immunity, improve the respiratory system, and lessen the anxiety, stress, and depression. It can be difficult to not feel anxiety and sometimes panic over the coronavirus outbreak, with the onslaught of updates on news and social media.  Yoga has emerged as the perfect tool that an individual can follow to establish physical, mental, and spiritual balance to develop robust health and combat physical and emotional challenges. Yoga offers another path, a fresh perspective with which to deal with events that are beyond our control. The different asanas of yoga can help us to prevent COVID-19 by boosting our immune system and managing the stress that one is going through in this time of uncertainty. This study tries to specifically evaluate the impact of the preventive measures undertaken through Yoga practice. 126 respondents from different states of India were requested to perform yoga daily for 30 days. Significant changes were observed and are mentioned in detail. 

scholarly journals Is any job better than no job? A systematic review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sian Price ◽  
Hannah Shaw ◽  
Fiona Morgan ◽  
Rocio Rodriguez-Lopez ◽  
Kirsty Little ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Study Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Mental Well Being ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Better Than

Objectives This systematic review addresses the question Is any job better than no job? Specifically, it compares health and well-being outcomes in those who are unemployed with those who are in jobs that could be considered poor or low quality and the impact of any movement between them. Method We conducted a systematic review following a PROSPERO-registered protocol (CRD42020182794). Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, HMIC, ASSIA, TRIP, Google Scholar and 10 websites were searched in April 2020 and again in May 2021 without date limits. Two reviewers working independently screened search results against the inclusion/exclusion criteria. A checklist for quantitative studies reporting correlations was used to critically appraise articles included at full text. We undertook synthesis without meta-analysis (narrative synthesis) and explored a range of variables (for example, study design and quality, type of outcome measure) that we considered might have an impact on the association between exposure and outcome. Results We included 25 studies reported in 30 journal articles. All 25 studies involved secondary analysis of data from national cohorts, including six from the UK. The most frequent outcomes reported were measures of mental well-being. There was considerable heterogeneity across included studies in terms of design, population, definition of poor/bad or low quality job and outcome types and measures. Overall the quality of the included studies was moderate. The evidence base is inconsistent. There are studies that suggested either labour market position might be preferable, but a number of studies found no statistically significant difference. Cohort and case-control studies looking at mental well-being outcomes showed some support for a poor job being better than unemployment. However, we did not find sufficient numbers of well-designed studies showing a strong association to support a causal relationship. Most included study designs were unable to distinguish whether changes in employment status occurred before a change in outcome. Three studies looking at employment transitions found that moving to a poor job from unemployment was not associated with improved mental health, but moving from a poor job to unemployment was associated with a deterioration. Conclusion Evidence that better health and well-being outcomes are more likely to be associated with a poor/bad or low quality job than with unemployment is inconsistent. Studies conducted in the UK suggest that a poor job is not significantly associated with better health and well-being outcomes than unemployment. The studies we identified do not allow us to distinguish whether this lack of association is the result of a state welfare regime preventing some of the worst ills associated with unemployment, or a reflection of job quality. The evidence base has significant limitations in study design and conduct. In summary, the evidence we found suggests it is not safe to assume that, in the UK, any job will lead to better health and well-being outcomes than unemployment.

scholarly journals Cyberchondria and its Impact on Self-Medication and Self Care in CovId-19 Pandemic – A Cross Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 2235-2244
Author(s):  
Ainsy Goldlin T. J ◽  
Prakash M
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Self Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Medical Practitioners ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

Background: Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has brought several impacts on the health of people. The infodemic which accompanied the pandemic can lead to cyberchondria, fear and anxiety accompanying excessive online search of COVID-19 related information. Most of the people try to avoid getting infected with this virus by taking adequate protective measures. Hence the aim of this study was to analyze the impact of COVID-19 related cyberchondria on self-medication and self care. Materials and Methods: An online cross-sectional semi-structured questionnaire based study was done and a total of 323 responses were obtained. Participants were segregated into two clusters based on the cyberchondria severity score which included four constructs using k-means cluster analysis considering the score obtained in each construct. The impact of cyberchondria on self care and self care among medical practitioners between the clusters was analyzed using independent t-test. Qualitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: This study found that 35% of the participants were categorized in the cluster with high cyberchondria score. A marked proportion of the participants who have taken self-medication for COVID-19 prophylaxis belonged to this cluster. A statistically significant difference was observed in the mean of the scores used to assess self care between the clusters (p = 0.003) whereas no significant difference was observed among registered medical practitioners (p=0.222). Conclusion: Anxiety related with excessive online COVID-19 information seeking behaviour had effects in terms of enhanced self care and self-medication in the respondents. Hence it is important to use internet wisely for self well being.

How do immigrant legalization programs play out in informal labor markets? The case of Senegalese street hawkers in Argentina

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Feline Freier ◽  
Bernarda Zubrzycki
Keyword(s):  
Labor Markets ◽  
Legal Status ◽  
Experimental Situation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Subjective Expectations ◽  
Informal Labor ◽  
Informal Labor Markets ◽  
The Impact

Abstract In this article, we take advantage of the quasi-experimental situation of the 2013 legalization program for Senegalese citizens in Argentina to study its effects on immigrant street hawkers’ incorporation into the formal labor market, their working conditions, social integration, and collective mobilization. In order to understand the impact of legalization programs, it is important to acknowledge that in informal labor markets, the effects of amnesties are likely less pronounced than in predominantly formal markets. Furthermore, the scope of socioeconomic rights granted to unauthorized migrants and migrants’ subjective expectations and aspirations need to be taken into consideration. Based on 50 in-depth interviews and a small N survey, our study suggests that the legalization effect on Senegalese street hawkers’ access to the formal sector is limited. However, legal status does benefit migrants’ subjective well-being and their disposition to engage in collective action for labor and human rights.

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