Journal of Happiness Studies最新文献

This study examines subjective well-being among individuals in Singapore, explores the factor structure of the Personal Well-being Index (PWI), and evaluates its association with socio-demographic characteristics, physical and mental health, and leisure activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondary data analysis was conducted using a cross-sectional nationwide survey (n = 5872). Subjective well-being was assessed using the PWI scale, while depression and anxiety symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaire, respectively. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, chronic physical health conditions, leisure time and lifestyle activities were also obtained. Multivariable linear regression was used for analysis. The mean (SD) PWI score in the general population was 71.34 (± 16.29) which is comparable to the findings in other studies. Higher PWI scores were observed among individuals aged 50–65 years old (vs. 15–34 years), of Indian ethnicity (vs. Chinese), economically inactive/student (vs. employed/self-employed), and those with an income above SGD$2000 (vs. no income/below SGD$2000). Participants who were male (vs. female), single (vs. married) or separated/widowed/divorced (vs. married), and those with one or more chronic physical health conditions (vs. none) were significantly more likely to have lower PWI scores. Participants with higher PWI scores were less likely to have moderate or severe depressive or anxiety symptoms. Individuals who engaged in physical leisure time activities frequently or sometimes had higher PWI scores compared to those who rarely or never did. The study findings support the significant association between physical and leisure time activities and subjective well-being. Our study results highlight the relevance of adapting the PWI instrument in the population setting to enable the implementation of targeted interventions and holistic programmes for the general population. Additionally, the PWI could be a valuable tool for policymakers to understand the personal well-being of population groups, especially in a multiracial community.

Most studies regarding the effect of social capital on subjective well-being suggest that having friends makes us happier and healthier. However, causal evidence exploiting individual-level national panel data and utilizing rigorous modelling approaches is scarce. In this paper, we pursue three goals. First, we replicate the findings of the previous literature by applying fixed effects (FE) models to three major European panel datasets (German Socio-Economic Panel, Swiss Household Panel, and the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study) following a rigorous modeling approach only controlling for potential confounders. Secondly, we enhance the literature by accounting for the potential influence of unobserved individual time-constant and time-varying heterogeneity by using random trend models (fixed effects with individual slopes (FEIS)). Thirdly, we inspect the impact of feedback by applying first-difference (FD) models. The results of FE, FEIS, and FD models show that the number of friends has a small positive effect on life satisfaction, confirming previous findings. Our study provides robust evidence and may be useful for social and public health policies tailored to the enhancement of social capital to promote subjective well-being.

Psychological detachment from work implies mentally disconnecting from work during off-job time. Using representative longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, we identify psychological detachment from work as a key driver of employee well-being. This finding holds for a broad set of well-being indicators, including emotional responses, job satisfaction, life domain satisfactions, and global life satisfaction. Importantly, heterogeneity analyses reveal that detachment affects different subgroups of employees to a similar extent, indicating that the impact of detachment on employee well-being is universal. We further find that detachment mattered for employee well-being before as well as during the Covid-19 pandemic. Overall, organizations and policy makers could foster psychological detachment to increase employee well-being. Given that employees nowadays search for happiness at work, ensuring psychological detachment becomes also relevant in the war for talent.

Recent studies indicate a robust relationship between subjective well-being (SWB) and exercise behavior. Past research has successfully uncovered various mechanisms through which exercise boosts SWB. However, little is known about how SWB influences exercise. The present research proposes that SWB affects individuals’ beliefs about exercise benefits, which in turn impact their exercise behavior. In particular, we hypothesize that happier individuals believe in both the psychosocial benefits (i.e., benefiting one’s emotional, cognitive, and social health) and physical benefits of exercise more than less happy individuals, with a larger gap in psychosocial benefits (Hypothesis 1). Furthermore, we hypothesize that beliefs about psychosocial (vs. physical) benefits play a more significant mediating role in the relationship between happiness and exercise (Hypothesis 2). We tested the hypotheses across three studies involving 997 participants from the United States and South Korea. Studies 1 and 2 developed and validated a scale to measure both the psychosocial and physical benefits of exercise. Study 3 tested and confirmed the mediation hypothesis. The findings suggest that happier individuals exercise more, primarily because they perceive psychosocial benefits more. We discuss the implications, limitations, and potential avenues for future research.

Approximately 12–14% of Black adults meet the criteria for PTSD each year. Mindfulness is associated with lower rates of PTSD and lower PTSD symptom severity in Black adults. Hope and mindfulness are associated with higher levels of well-being in Black adults. The present study examines the unique, latent associations of hope and mindfulness with PTSD and three domains of well-being among Black adults. 403 adults who identified as African American/Black and reported experiencing a traumatic event on the Life Events Checklist 5 completed questionnaires on hope, mindfulness, PTSD, and well-being. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) via Mplus were used to quantify the independent associations of hope and mindfulness with PTSD, psychological, subjective, and social well-being. Mindfulness and hope were associated with greater well-being and lower PTSD. Mindfulness and hope were associated with greater well-being when accounting for one another. Hope had unique, significantly larger relationships with psychological and subjective well-being than mindfulness but did not have an independent association with PTSD when accounting for mindfulness. Mindfulness maintained a unique association with PTSD and the three domains of well-being when accounting for hope. Hope and mindfulness were associated with greater well-being and lower PTSD symptom severity in trauma-exposed Black adults. Mindfulness had a unique relationship with PTSD and well-being, whereas hope had independent associations with well-being. Hope had substantially larger associations with psychological and subjective well-being than mindfulness. Additional research on the differential relevance and effectiveness of such traits among Black adults is needed.

This study aims to explore the single and joint contributions of temperament and family functioning to subjective happiness in emerging adulthood. A sample of 332 Spanish college students completed measures of temperament, family functioning and subjective happiness. Results revealed that resilient and reserved temperaments showed higher levels of subjective happiness than those which were non-desirable. Regarding family functioning, students who live in healthy families showed higher levels of subjective happiness than those in unbalanced family systems. Finally, the resilient, reserved and non-desirable temperament profiles varied significantly in their contribution to subjective happiness depending on the family profile of the student. Overall, results provide new knowledge regarding the contribution of both temperament and family functioning to the subjective well-being of young people.

Given the rising demands of chronic conditions and mental health challenges, there is an urgent need to reduce burden on formal, statutory services. Local communities are under-utilised yet offer many opportunities to facilitate the key determinants of health and wellbeing. Local Area Coordination (LAC) provides a practical, asset-based approach in which purposefully recruited coordinators meet and build relationships with community members, use their strengths and leverage community assets to help them build their version of ‘the good life’. Here we report on the impact of LAC on wellbeing outcomes and explore potential mechanisms underpinning the approach. A rigorous mixed-methods design was implemented including data from psychophysiological synchrony, a quantitative survey, and qualitative ripple effects mapping. The presence of in-phase cardiac synchrony was found during conversations between coordinators and community members, suggesting physiological attunement during interaction. Survey data analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling found that relationship rapport significantly predicted community integration, which in turn, predicted the wellbeing of community members. Longer meeting durations predicted improved relationship rapport, whilst the frequency of meetings did not. Qualitative feedback indicated that the person-centred approach was a key mechanism underpinning its success and that fostering a safe, trusting relationship is crucial for bridging people into the community. Overall, Local Area Coordination’s community-led approach is a promising opportunity to harness community assets, empower individuals, and contribute to a more inclusive and connected society.

Gratitude practices have been shown to increase subjective well-being and other positive outcomes; however, research on gratitude training has focused primarily on the practice of journaling. Further research examining alternative gratitude practices may yield valuable insights on the comparative efficacy of various gratitude interventions, and could suggest additional gratitude practices that warrant further study. This study examined the efficacy of the My Best Self 101 (MBS101) gratitude module: an online training resource that provides psychoeducation about gratitude along with a menu of empirically-based gratitude practices anchored in the research literature. Using mixed effects models of repeated measures, we examined gratitude and subjective well-being outcomes for participants assigned to either the MBS101 gratitude module or a traditional gratitude journaling practice. Participants were 290 adults recruited online from the general population and from a university student research pool. Mixed effects models of repeated measures were also used to analyze the interaction between time spent on gratitude practice, group assignment, and timepoint (post-test). Although both groups showed significant improvements, compared to the gratitude journaling group, the MBS101 group had significantly better outcomes on gratitude and subjective well-being. Additionally, when the time, group, and timepoint interaction was added, the MBS101 group had limited benefits for gratitude and mixed benefits for subjective well-being with increased time spent. These findings support the possibility that using a flexible, menu-based approach to gratitude training may yield improved outcomes and increase the likelihood of ongoing engagement with gratitude practices.

The present study examined the effect of happiness goals (i.e., the degree to which individuals want to be happy) on experiences of happiness. A daily diary study was conducted among 100 French participants. Each evening over a 1-month period, participants reported their experience of happiness during the day, their engagement in savoring and rumination during the day, and their wish to be happy tomorrow. Two main results were obtained. First, as expected, at the between-individual level, individuals with higher happiness goals were more likely to experience intense happiness, partly because they engaged more in savoring. Second, as expected, at the within-individual level, when an individual displayed higher happiness goals for tomorrow than usual, the individual was more likely to experience intense happiness during the next day than usual, partly due to stronger engagement in savoring. The results suggest that, on average, happiness goals foster happiness experiences by eliciting happiness-promoting behaviors.

Divorce and separation are some of the most traumatic life events experienced by women, posing serious consequences for wellbeing. The impact of later-life relationship dissolution has been neglected in the literature. This study aimed to compare decades-long life satisfaction trajectories of Australian middle-aged women who did, and did not, experience relationship dissolution, and to examine why some women adjust better than others. Prospective longitudinal data came from nine waves of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. Women who divorced or separated during the study (n = 1462) were propensity-score matched to women who remained married or partnered (n = 2587). Results from Bayesian piecewise latent growth curve modelling indicate stable life satisfaction before relationship dissolution, a sudden decline in the years surrounding the event, and long-term increases thereafter. Matched controls showed stability and slight increases in life satisfaction across the observation period, which suggests that at least some change in life satisfaction experienced by divorced and separated women is associated with relationship dissolution. Social support, perceived control, and subjective income were significant positive moderators of women’s adjustment to relationship dissolution. Implications regarding wellbeing interventions for middle-aged women are discussed.