Events and subjective well-being: Only recent events matter: Erratum.

Reports an error in the original article by E. Suh et al (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1996 [May], Vol 70 [5], 1091–1102). On page 1097, the headings for the second and third columns of Tables 4 and 5 were incorrectly labeled R–2 and R–2 change. The headings should read R and R change, respectively. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1996-01753-014.) The effect of life events on subjective well-being (SWB) was explored in a 2-year longitudinal study of 115 participants. It was found that only life events during the previous 3 months influenced life satisfaction and positive and negative affect. Although recent life events influenced SWB even when personality at Time 1 was controlled, distal life events did not correlate with SWB. SWB and life events both showed a substantial degree of temporal stability. It was also found that good and bad life events tend to covary, both between individuals and across periods of the lives of individuals. Also, when events of the opposite valence were controlled, events correlated more strongly with SWB. The counterintuitive finding that good and bad events co-occur suggests an exciting avenue for explorations of the structure of life events. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality, life events, and subjective well-being: Toward a dynamic equilibrium model.

Using data from 4 waves of an Australian panel study, this study offers a dynamic account of relations between personality, life events, and subjective well-being (SWB). Members of the Victorian Quality of Life panel study were interviewed in 1981, 1983, 1985, and 1987. The initial sample size was 942; 649 respondents remain. The study shows that very stable personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, and openness to experience) predispose people to experience moderately stable levels of favorable and adverse life events and moderately stable levels of SWB. However, contrary to previous research (P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae, 1984) life events influence SWB over and above the effects of personality. A dynamic equilibrium (DE) model is outlined, in which each person is regarded as having "normal" equilibrium levels of life events and SWB, predictable on the basis of age and personality. Only when events deviate from their equilibrium levels does SWB change. The DE model is compared with 3 alternatives: personality models, adaptation level models, and models that treat life events as being wholly exogenous. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Physical attractiveness and subjective well-being.

Three studies were conducted to determine whether physical attractiveness (PAT) is related to subjective well-being (SWB). In the first study (N?=?221), unselected students were photographed and videotaped. In the second study (N?=?131), participants were selected on the basis of extremes in PAT, and in the third study (N?=?155), participants were preselected for extreme scores on SWB. Correlations between SWB and PAT varied from .03 to .33. In Study 1 the mean correlation between PAT and SWB was .13. When appearance enhancers (hair, clothing, and jewelry) were covered or removed in Studies 2 and 3, the correlation between PAT and SWB dropped, suggesting that part of the SWB–PAT relation might be due to happier people doing more to enhance their beauty. The impact of PAT on SWB may be mitigated by the fact that others agree on a target's PAT at only modest levels. It was found that self-perceptions of PAT were correlated with both one's objective PAT and one's SWB. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Overestimated relationships with subjective well-being.

This article is about relationships between subjective well-being (SWB) and variables such as demographics, intentional activities, personality traits, and personal characteristics. Causal interpretation of these relationships is usually asymmetric from the variable to SWB, although the literature also contains interpretations of reverse or bidirectional causality. Evidence reviewed here suggests that heritable personality traits may underlie some of these relationships. A consequence is that covariance may be lower than lower than indicated by phenotypic (within individual) correlations. The article discusses some implications for positive psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personal goals and subjective well-being: A longitudinal study.

This study examined the extent to which 3 dimensions of personal goals (commitment, attainability, and progress) were predictive of students' subjective well-being over 1 semester. At the beginning of a new term, 88 Ss provided a list of their personal goals. Goal attributes and subjective well-being were measured at 4 testing periods. Goal commitment was found to moderate the extent to which differences in goal attainability accounted for changes in subjective well-being. Progress in goal achievement mediated the effect of the goal commitment?×?goal attainability on subjective well-being interaction. Results are discussed in terms of a need for addition and refinement of assumptions linking personal goals to subjective well-being. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Needs and subjective well-being around the world.

Across a sample of 123 countries, we examined the association between the fulfillment of needs and subjective well-being (SWB), including life evaluation, positive feelings, and negative feelings. Need fulfillment was consistently associated with SWB across world regions. Life evaluation was most associated with fulfilling basic needs; positive feelings were most associated with social and respect needs; and negative feelings were most associated with basic, respect, and autonomy needs. Societal need fulfillment predicted SWB, particularly for life evaluation, beyond individuals' fulfillment of their own needs, indicating the desirability of living in a flourishing society. In addition, the associations of SWB with the fulfillment of specific needs were largely independent of whether other needs were fulfilled. These trends persisted when household income was taken into account. The emergent ordering of need fulfillment for psychosocial needs were fairly consistent across country conditions, but the fulfillment of basic and safety needs were contingent on country membership. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The values problem in subjective well-being.

Comments on the special issue of the American Psychologist (2000[Jan], Vol 55[1]) on positive psychology. The author states that the special issue presents a wonderful first attempt at exploring the potentials for research in positive psychology. However, the fact that conceptualizations of well-being are inexorably tied to values presents psychology with a fascinating challenge. This unavoidable issue will require a different approach to research, one that will most likely not be entirely empirical. Historical, hermeneutic, phenomenological, and other modes of inquiry must inevitably be added to the research mix if this research area is to remain both valid and relevant to real-life struggles toward happiness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personal strivings: An approach to personality and subjective well-being.

Examined relations between characteristics of personal goal strivings (e.g., importance, past attainment, effort) and components of subjective well-being (positive and negative affect and life satisfaction). 40 undergraduates generated lists of their personal strivings and rated each striving on a series of dimensions. Ss also recorded their moods and thoughts by use of an experience-sampling method on 84 occasions over a 3-wk period. Positive affect was found to be most strongly related to striving value and past fulfillment, whereas negative affect was associated with low probability of future success, striving ambivalence, and between-striving conflict. Striving importance and instrumentality (low conflict) were the strongest predictors of life satisfaction. Possible explanations for the connections between striving fulfillment and positive affect and between striving conflict and negative affect are discussed. It is concluded that the concept of personal striving is a useful heuristic device for understanding individual differences in subjective well-being. The concept is proposed as an alternative to the traditional trait approach to personality. (71 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological maturity and subjective well-being: Toward a new synthesis.

Tested the hypothesis of H. Alker and F. Gawin (see record 1979-28338-001) that happiness is higher among more psychologically mature individuals and that happiness is qualitatively different for individuals of different levels of maturity. The Loevinger Sentence Completion Test (a measure of developmental maturity), the Bradburn Affect Balance Scale, and 2 additional measures of subjective well-being were administered to 240 men (aged 35–85 yrs). Results do not support the association of maturity with well-being. Further, the personality dispositions of neuroticism and extraversion showed significant relations to happiness regardless of maturity level. It is proposed that developmental level may determine the occasions or interpretations of happiness or unhappiness but that the quality and quantity of the experience of subjective well-being itself is independent of maturity. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Refining the relationship between personality and subjective well-being.

Understanding subjective well-being (SWB) has historically been a core human endeavor and presently spans fields from management to mental health. Previous meta-analyses have indicated that personality traits are one of the best predictors. Still, these past results indicate only a moderate relationship, weaker than suggested by several lines of reasoning. This may be because of commensurability, where researchers have grouped together substantively disparate measures in their analyses. In this article, the authors review and address this problem directly, focusing on individual measures of personality (e.g., the Neuroticism-Extroversion-Openness Personality Inventory; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1992) and categories of SWB (e.g., life satisfaction). In addition, the authors take a multivariate approach, assessing how much variance personality traits account for individually as well as together. Results indicate that different personality and SWB scales can be substantively different and that the relationship between the two is typically much larger (e.g., 4 times) than previous meta-analyses have indicated. Total SWB variance accounted for by personality can reach as high as 39% or 63% disattenuated. These results also speak to meta-analyses in general and the need to account for scale differences once a sufficient research base has been generated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of impulsivity and sociability on subjective well-being.

To investigate the influence of sociability and impulsivity on positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction, 140 undergraduates (68 in Study 1 and 72 in Study 2) completed daily mood reports and were administered the Eysenck Personality Inventory, as well as other well-being measures. Results show that sociability but not impulsivity was strongly related to positive affect, whereas impulsivity tended to correlate more with negative affect. Similarly, sociability but not impulsivity was significantly related to life satisfaction. Possible reasons for the relations observed in this study are offered, and factors underlying the independence of positive and negative affect are discussed. It is contended that the purpose of the present study was not to challenge P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae's (see record 1981-10468-001) argument that 2 sets of factors are responsible for producing the independent positive and negative effect. However, given the magnitude of the correlations obtained, both in Costa and McCrae's and in the present study, it is questioned whether these 2 sets of personality factors are sufficient to account for the independence of the 2 classes of effects. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Culture, identity consistency, and subjective well-being.

All individuals have multiple views of themselves. Whereas the consistency among the different aspects of identity is emphasized in Western cultures, the "multiple selves" are often viewed as coexisting realities in East Asian cultures. This research revisits the classic thesis in psychology that identity consistency is a prerequisite condition of psychological well-being. Between individuals (Study 1), people with a more consistent self-view had a more clear self-knowledge, were more assertive, and, most notably, had self-experiences that were less affected by the perspectives of others. Compared with North American participants (Study 2), Koreans viewed themselves more flexibly across situations, and their subjective well-being was less predictable from levels of identity consistency. Also, consistent individuals received positive social evaluations from others in the United States but not in Korea. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of hassles and personality to subjective well-being.

We examined three personality variables—locus of control, assertiveness, and meaning in life—as possible moderators of the relation between stressors and subjective well-being. Results from a sample of 160 students suggested that any moderating effects were not extensive and were mainly limited to the locus of control variable with female subjects. Replication of the study on a sample of 120 community members found no significant moderating effects. Chronic daily stressors (hassles) were found to have a direct effect on well-being reports. Among the personality variables, meaning in life consistently predicted positive well-being, and internal locus of control and assertiveness had direct but somewhat less consistent effects. Consideration is given to possible explanations for the pattern of results, and implications for the structure of well-being are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factors predicting the subjective well-being of nations.

Subjective well-being (SWB) in 55 nations, reported in probability surveys and a large college student sample, was correlated with social, economic, and cultural characteristics of the nations. The SWB surveys, representing nations that include three fourths of the earth's population, showed strong convergence. Separate measures of the predictor variables also converged and formed scales with high reliability, with the exception of the comparison variables. High income, individualism, human rights, and societal equality correlated strongly with each other, and with SWB across surveys. Income correlated with SWB even after basic need fulfillment was controlled. Only individualism persistently correlated with SWB when other predictors were controlled. Cultural homogeneity, income growth, and income comparison showed either low or inconsistent relations with SWB. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structure of subjective well-being among the elderly.

The present authors interpret subjective well-being within the framework of cognitive theories of emotion. A model consisting of 3 recurrent components of expressions of well-being—positive affect, negative affect, and cognition—was compared with 2 variations of models proposed by J. Liang (see record 1985-19079-001). Ss included 2 groups of individuals aged 65+ yrs (688 in Sample 1 and 689 in Sample 2) who participated in the Myth and Reality of Aging in America Survey. LISREL analyses were completed on 17 items from the Affect Balance Scale and the Life Satisfaction Index—Form A. All models provided an acceptable fit as indicated by ratios of chi-square to degrees of freedom. (62 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Spousal similarity in subjective well-being: The cardiovascular health study.

This study examines the extent to which one spouse's subjective well-being predicts that of the partner (N ?=?1,040 spousal pairs, 65 years or older). Prior research is extended in two ways: (a) The similarity of both affective domains (depressive symptoms, feelings about life as a whole, and satisfaction with the meaning and purpose of life) and nonaffective domains (perceived health) are examined, and (b) known predictors of well-being in older adults (sociodemographic variables, self and spouse health status variables, and exposure to common environmental events) are statistically controlled. Results indicate that one spouse's assessments of well-being and depression predict the other's well-being even after controlling for known predictors of these outcomes. Given the similarity of findings for affective and nonaffective domains, multiple mechanisms, including contagion, mate selection, and common environmental influences, are speculated as likely to contribute to this phenomenon. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived control over development and subjective well-being: Differential benefits across adulthood.

The relationship between perceived control over development (PCD) and subjective well-being (SWB) across adulthood was examined in 3 studies. In Study 1, with 480 adults aged between 20 and 90 years, PCD was closely related to SWB. Chronological age moderated the associations between PCD and SWB beyond individual differences in health, intelligence, social support, and socioeconomic status. In the longitudinal Study 2, with 42 older adults, strong PCD was associated with increased positive affect only when desirable events had occurred previously. In Study 3, older adults experienced greater satisfaction when attributing attainment of developmental goals to their ability, whereas younger adults were more satisfied when attributing such successes to their own efforts. Findings point to adaptive adjustments of control perceptions to age-related actual control potentials across adulthood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A meta-analysis of subjective well-being interventions among elders.

This meta-analysis demonstrated that interventions have a significant (p?M?=?1.12), psychoeducational (M?=?0.70), and social activity (M?=?0.66) treatments were significantly (p??0 days), the median value was 0.07. For effect sizes extracted from studies with both an immediate and a delayed posttest, the mean decrease over a 30-day period was 1.02. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of extraversion and neuroticism on subjective well-being: Happy and unhappy people.

The 1st of 3 experiments, based on responses from a total sample of 1,100 males aged 35–85, examined the relation between 4 measures of happiness and 7 personality dispositions hypothesized to be related to positive or negative affect. Exp II tested the original hypothesis using measures of the broader dimensions of Neuroticism (N) and Extraversion (E). In Exp III, happiness was predicted from N and E data obtained 10 yrs previously. Based on the results of these studies, it is argued that (a) one set of traits influences positive affect or satisfaction, whereas a different set of traits influences negative affect or dissatisfaction; (b) the former set of traits can be viewed as components of extraversion, and the latter as components of neuroticism; and (c) personality differences antedate and predict differences in happiness over a period of 10 yrs, thus ruling out the rival hypothesis that temporary moods or states account for the observed relations. A model of individual differences in happiness is presented, and the separate and complementary role of trait and adaptation-level theories in explaining happiness are discussed. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cross-cultural aging in cognitive and affective components of subjective well-being.

The present study examined age and cultural differences in cognitive and affective components of subjective well-being. A sample of 188 American and Chinese young and older adults completed surveys measuring self-life satisfaction, perceived family's life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect. Across cultures, older adults reported lower negative affect than did young adults. Americans reported higher self-life satisfaction, perceived family's life satisfaction, and positive affect than did Chinese. In addition, perceived family's life satisfaction was more related to self-life satisfaction for Chinese than for Americans. Findings are discussed in light of socioemotional selectivity theory and theories on culture and self-construal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)