Lottery winners and accident victims: Is happiness relative?

Understanding life satisfaction among the original inhabitants in the suburbanized areas at the outskirts of a major city: a qualitative study

PURPOSE

Suburbanization has become a major characteristic of urban development in sub-Saharan Africa, and shifting from agricultural-based areas modus vivendi to urban lifestyles affects subjective wellbeing of the original settlers. While there is lack of evidence in the literature of wellbeing in these areas, this study examines life satisfaction of these populations by means of individuals' own appreciation and evaluation of quality of life.

METHODS

The study uses interpretionist and reflexive approaches, and analyses 76 interviews conducted through snowball sampling in two major suburbanized areas. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.

RESULTS

Generally, the findings show that respondents are satisfied with material living conditions due to improvement of availability of economic opportunities, roads and other transport services, social and community support. However, income inequality and urban poverty result in the inability to afford modern and high-quality urban living conditions, which creates feelings of vulnerability while limiting social relationships.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need to strenghten existing frameworks to fully respond to urban life requirements that relate to transport, education, hygiene, and sanitation services. It is also important to develop support systems that mitigate issues of gender discrimination, human rights, household decision-making, fashion, and cultural norms.

The impact of parkrun on life satisfaction and its cost-effectiveness: A six-month study of parkrunners in the United Kingdom

An intervention suggested by the World Health Organisation that might increase life satisfaction is parkrun, a free, weekly, timed five kilometre run or walk. The issues with such interventions are (1) whether they impact on the life satisfaction of their participants, and (2) whether they are cost-effective. A study of 548 newly registered parkrunners were asked about their life satisfaction at baseline and six months later. A change of one life satisfaction point per year per participant was defined as one WELLBY (wellbeing adjusted life year), with a value of £13,000. Three approaches were used to estimate the additionality (added value) of parkrun: (1) by comparing a participant's number of parkruns to total activity; (2) by accounting for the participant's perceived impact of parkrun across 16 measures; and (3) combining these two methods equally. After six months, weighted, seasonally adjusted life satisfaction increased from a mean of 7.489 to 7.746, a change of 0.257. Both life satisfaction improvement and additionality were greatest for the least active. Assuming only half a year of benefit, the total value of the life satisfaction change for the 2019 parkrun population of 400,167 participants was estimated as £667.4m, with the least active accounting for almost half. Comparing to the cost of running parkrun in 2019 and using the activity, impact and combined methods for additionality, benefit-cost analysis ratios were found to be 16.7, 98.5 and 59.3 to 1, respectively. These were between 2.8 to 16.7 times that of other population-level physical activity interventions. Physical health was a mediator between activity and life satisfaction; mental health was only found as a mediator when combined with physical activity. Successful features of parkrun that might guide other interventions include its framing (role, time, place and cost) and ability to forge both strong and weak social ties.

Wellbeing and illbeing in women exposed to physical and sexual violence during peripregnancy: a population-based longitudinal study

Background: Physical and sexual violence against pregnant women have been associated with detrimental mental health outcomes for victims. Few studies have examined both positive (wellbeing) and negative (illbeing) mental health indicators in the same sample. Additionally, the literature assessing mental health based on different forms of violence is limited.Objective: To compare both wellbeing (life satisfaction) and illbeing (anxiety and depression) trajectories between non-victimized and victims of physical, sexual and both forms of violence that occurred during or shortly before pregnancy. Further, we analyse whether social support moderates these trajectories.Method: This longitudinal study is based on the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort, including the period from early pregnancy to toddlerhood (3 years). We compared wellbeing and illbeing trajectories of non-victims (n = 73,081), victims of physical abuse (n = 1076), sexual abuse (n = 683), and both forms of abuse (n = 107) using Growth Curve Modelling. Finally, social support was included as a moderator of wellbeing and illbeing trajectories.Results: Results indicated that victims scored systematically lower in wellbeing and higher in illbeing. Exposure to violence did not significantly change the wellbeing trajectory, pointing to similar developments in wellbeing among victims and non-victims for the considered period. On the other hand, different trajectories in illbeing occurred between victims and non-victims, as well as between victimized groups. Victims experienced greater change in illbeing scores, with a steeper decrease in illbeing compared to non-victims. Both victims and non-victims returned to respective baseline scores 3 years after birth. All women benefited from social support, but victims of physical abuse were particularly protected by social support.Conclusions: There is an alarming persistence of mental health problems in women exposed to violence during peripregnancy. Different forms of violence differentially impact women's mental health. Social support is beneficial among all pregnant women.

Does lifelong learning matter for the subjective wellbeing of the elderly? A machine learning analysis on Singapore data

Our study explores whether lifelong learning is associated with the subjective wellbeing among the elderly in Singapore. Through a primary survey of 300 individuals aged 65 and above, we develop a novel index to capture three different aspects of subjective wellbeing, which we term "Quality of Life", "Satisfaction with Life" and "Psychological Wellbeing". Utilizing both supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques, our findings reveal that attitudes towards lifelong learning are positively associated with quality of life, while participation in class activities is positively associated with all three measures of wellbeing. Although the study does not establish causality, it highlights a connection between lifelong learning and the perceived wellbeing of the elderly, offering support for policies that encourage lifelong learning among this population.

Age-consistent phenomenological experience in remembering the past and imagining the past and the future

We investigated age differences in mental time travel by comparing young, middle-aged and older adults, with equal number of participants in each age decade, from age 22 to 79. Participants generated and phenomenologically rated one experienced and one imagined past event, and two imagined future events. The results showed event type effects with richer phenomenology for experienced than imagined events, but no age group differences. Specifically, experienced events were more vivid, detailed, and were re-lived in the mind more than the other event types. All events were highly central to life, revealing no event type effects on centrality. For both past events, older age groups generated more distant events. There were no age group differences for temporal distance for the two future events. Both future events were from a near future. The results suggest that for events that are central to life, phenomenological experience may be similar across the adulthood.

Development and Validation of the Subjective Well-Being Resources Scale

Subjective well-being (SWB) is an important construct of positive psychology and it is known that these resources should be supported to prevent mental health disorders. However, there is no measurement tool to assess individual differences concerning SWB resources. The present study aims to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure SWB resources. For this aim, two studies were conducted. As a result, the five-factor (personal, religious, health, social, and external resources) construct explaining 45.3% of the variance was derived and validated with both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The factors were related to mental health indicators and personality as expected. The internal consistency coefficient of the scale was .83), and the test re-test reliability was .88. As a result of the analysis, it is concluded that the Subjective Well-Being Resources Scale is valid and reliable and can be used to measure SWB resources.

Will wealth inequality decrease happiness?-Empirical evidence from China

Introduction

This article delves into the broad social and economic impacts of wealth inequality, specifically focusing on its effects on happiness, as analyzed using micro survey data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS).

Methods

This article employs the panel OLS regression method with time and province fixed effects for the main result and heterogeneity analysis, then uses the mediating effect and moderating effect test for the mechanisms.

Results and discussion

The article presents several key findings: 1. Impact of Wealth Inequality on Happiness. The study confirms that wealth inequality significantly reduces happiness, a conclusion reinforced by a range of consistency tests and endogeneity checks. 2. Heterogeneity Analysis. Three areas of heterogeneity are examined: Hukou status, education level, and family members' average income. The results indicate that the happiness of families with a family head holding an urban Hukou, higher education, or a higher per-member income level is less affected by wealth inequality. 3. Mechanisms Affecting Happiness. At the micro-level, the article identifies two mediating pathways-health and marital status-through which wealth inequality negatively influences happiness. At the macro-level, it is found that social security expenditure and economic development can moderate these effects and enhance subjective happiness under the same conditions of wealth inequality. The contributions of this study are specific as: 1. This study addresses some of the existing gaps in the research regarding the relationship between wealth inequality and happiness. 2. The article utilizes relative deprivation as a measure of wealth inequality, considered a more apt metric for studying happiness compared to absolute inequality. 3. This research offers insights into the mechanisms behind the observed effects, considering both micro-level (individual and family) and macro-level (societal and economic) factors.

Reactions to macro-level shocks and re-examination of adaptation theory using Big Data

Since 2020, the world has faced two unprecedented shocks: lockdowns (regulation) and the invasion of Ukraine (war). Although we realise the health and economic effects of these shocks, more research is needed on the effect on happiness and whether the type of shock plays a role. Therefore, in this paper, we determine whether these macro-level shocks affected happiness, how these effects differ, and how long it takes for happiness to adapt to previous levels. The latter will allow us to test whether adaptation theory holds at the macro level. We use a unique dataset of ten countries spanning the Northern and Southern hemispheres derived from tweets extracted in real-time per country. Applying Natural Language Processing, we obtain these tweets' underlying sentiment scores, after which we calculate a happiness score (Gross National Happiness) and derive daily time series data. Our Twitter dataset is combined with Oxford's COVID-19 Government Response Tracker data. Considering the results of the Difference-in-Differences and event studies jointly, we are confident that the shocks led to lower happiness levels, both with the lockdown and the invasion shock. We find that the effect size is significant and that the lockdown shock had a bigger effect than the invasion. Considering both types of shocks, the adaptation to previous happiness levels occurred within two to three weeks. Following our findings of similar behaviour in happiness to both types of shocks, the question of whether other types of shocks will have similar effects is posited. Regardless of the length of the adaptation period, understanding the effects of macro-level shocks on happiness is essential for policymakers, as happiness has a spillover effect on other variables such as production, safety and trust.

Balancing media selections over time: Emotional valence, informational content, and time intervals of use

The sequencing of information in media can influence processing of content via mechanisms like framing, mood management, and emotion regulation. This study examined three kinds of media sequences on smartphones: (1) balancing positive and negative emotional content; (2) balancing emotional content with informational content; and (3) balancing time spent on and off the media device. Actual media use was measured in natural settings using the Screenomics framework which gathers screenshots from smartphones every 5 s when devices are on. Time-series analyses of 223,531 smartphone sessions recorded from 94 participants showed that emotionally positive content was more likely to follow negative content, and that emotionally negative content was more likely to follow positive content; emotional content was more likely to follow informational content, and informational content was more likely to follow emotional content; and longer smartphone sessions were more likely to follow longer periods of non-use.

Consistent effects of the genetics of happiness across the lifespan and ancestries in multiple cohorts

Happiness is a fundamental human affective trait, but its biological basis is not well understood. Using a novel approach, we construct LDpred-inf polygenic scores of a general happiness measure in 2 cohorts: the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) cohort (N = 15,924, age range 9.23-11.8 years), the Add Health cohort (N = 9129, age range 24.5-34.7) to determine associations with several well-being and happiness measures. Additionally, we investigated associations between genetic scores for happiness and brain structure in ABCD (N = 9626, age range (8.9-11) and UK Biobank (N = 16,957, age range 45-83). We detected significant (p.FDR < 0.05) associations between higher genetic scores vs. several well-being measures (best r2 = 0.019) in children of multiple ancestries in ABCD and small yet significant correlations with a happiness measure in European participants in Add Health (r2 = 0.004). Additionally, we show significant associations between lower genetic scores for happiness with smaller structural brain phenotypes in a white British subsample of UK Biobank and a white sub-sample group of ABCD. We demonstrate that the genetic basis for general happiness level appears to have a consistent effect on happiness and wellbeing measures throughout the lifespan, across multiple ancestral backgrounds, and multiple brain structures.

Does becoming an informal caregiver make your health worse? A longitudinal analysis across Europe

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether becoming an informal caregiver in Europe has a significant effect on health status, compared with non-informal caregivers, distinguishing by place of residence (in or outside the home of the care receivers) and country. And to determine whether there is an adaptation effect after the passage of time.

METHODS

The Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (2004-2017) was used. Propensity score matching was applied to analyse the differences in the health status of people who became informal carers between different periods and those who did not. We considered short-term (2-3 years after the shock) and medium-term effects (4-5 years).

RESULTS

In the short term, the probability of those who became informal caregivers being depressed was 3.7% points (p.p.) higher than among their counterparts, being higher among those who lived in the care recipients' homes (12.8 p.p.) and those providing care outside and at home (12.9 p.p.). Significant differences in the probability of being depressed were also observed by country (Southern and Eastern Europe), and in countries with low expenditure on long-term care (LTC). Those effects remained in the medium term. No significant effects were found in cancer, stroke, heart attack and diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

The results might help to concentrate a major effort of any policy in the field of mental health on the period immediately after the negative shock, especially for those caregivers who live with the care receiver, for those in Southern and Eastern Europe and in countries with low expenditure on LTC.

Emotion Regulation Strategies and Beliefs About Emotions Predict Psychosocial Outcomes in Response to Multiple Stressors

Emotion regulation (ER) strategies and beliefs about emotions (implicit theories of emotions; ITE) may shape psychosocial outcomes during turbulent times, including the transition to adulthood and college while encountering stressors. The normative stressors associated with these transitions were compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a novel opportunity to examine how emerging adults (EAs) cope with sustained stressors. Stress exposures can heighten existing individual differences and serve as "turning points" that predict psychosocial trajectories. This pre-registered study (https://osf.io/k8mes) of 101 EAs (18-19 years old) examined whether ITE (believing emotions can change or not; incremental vs. entity beliefs) and ER strategy usage (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression usage) predicted changes in anxiety symptomatology and feelings of loneliness across five longitudinal assessments (across a 6-month period) before and during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. On average, EAs' anxiety decreased after the pandemic outbreak but returned to baseline over time, while loneliness remained relatively unchanged across time. ITE explained variance in anxiety across time over and above reappraisal use. Conversely, reappraisal use explained variance in loneliness over and above ITE. For both anxiety and loneliness, suppression use resulted in maladaptive psychosocial outcomes across time. Thus, interventions that target ER strategies and ITE may ameliorate risk and promote resilience in EAs who experience increased instability.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-023-00187-0.

Adaptation in life satisfaction and self-assessed health to disability - Evidence from the UK

Experiencing deteriorating health has implications for your quality of life. The theory of adaptation suggests that with time spend living in a health state individuals can adapt, resulting in observed quality of life levels to revert or stagnate despite persistently decreased health. Adaptation has implications for the use of subjective quality of life indicators when quantifying the impact of health changes or the benefits from new medical technologies. As both the impact from ill health and the benefit from new interventions might be disease- or subgroup-specific adaptation further raises ethical concerns but empirical evidence on its existence, magnitude, and heterogeneity remains inconclusive. This paper uses a general population sample of 9,543 individuals that participate in the UK Understanding Society survey and experience the onset of a long-standing illness or disability to provide evidence on these questions. Using ordered-response fixed effects models we explore longitudinal changes in self-assessed health and life satisfaction around the onset of disability. Our results indicate that disability onset is associated with large decreases in subjective health and well-being. Over time this initial decrease in subjective quality of life indicators attenuates, especially in life satisfaction and to a lesser extent for self-assessed health. While the relative difference in adaptation across these two measures remains persistent, we find that across demographic and severity groups the initial impact of disability onset and adaptation differs considerably in its magnitude. These results have important implications for studies aiming to quantify the impact of health conditions on quality of life outcomes, especially when using observational datasets.

Anticipation of deteriorating health and information avoidance

We integrate anticipatory utility and endogenous beliefs about future negative health shocks into a life-cycle model of physiological aging. Individuals care about their future utility derived from their health status and form endogenous beliefs about the probability of a negative health shock. We calibrate the model with data from gerontology and use the model to predict medical testing decisions of individuals. We find that anticipation in combination with endogenous beliefs provides a quantitatively strong motive to avoid medical testing for Huntington's disease, which explains the low testing rates found empirically. We also study the case of breast and ovarian cancer and provide an explanation for why testing rates depend on the individual's income when treatment is available.

Predicting wellbeing over one year using sociodemographic factors, personality, health behaviours, cognition, and life events

Various sociodemographic, psychosocial, cognitive, and life event factors are associated with mental wellbeing; however, it remains unclear which measures best explain variance in wellbeing in the context of related variables. This study uses data from 1017 healthy adults from the TWIN-E study of wellbeing to evaluate the sociodemographic, psychosocial, cognitive, and life event predictors of wellbeing using cross-sectional and repeated measures multiple regression models over one year. Sociodemographic (age, sex, education), psychosocial (personality, health behaviours, and lifestyle), emotion and cognitive processing, and life event (recent positive and negative life events) variables were considered. The results showed that while neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, and cognitive reappraisal were the strongest predictors of wellbeing in the cross-sectional model, while extraversion, conscientiousness, exercise, and specific life events (work related and traumatic life events) were the strongest predictors of wellbeing in the repeated measures model. These results were confirmed using tenfold cross-validation procedures. Together, the results indicate that the variables that best explain differences in wellbeing between individuals at baseline can vary from the variables that predict change in wellbeing over time. This suggests that different variables may need to be targeted to improve population-level compared to individual-level wellbeing.

Origins and consequences of mood flexibility: a computational perspective

A stable and neutral mood (euthymia) is commended by both economic and clinical perspectives, because it enables rational decisions and avoids mental illnesses. Here we suggest, on the contrary, that a flexible mood responsive to life events may be more adaptive for natural selection, because it can help adjust the behavior to fluctuations in the environment. In our model (dubbed MAGNETO), mood represents a global expected value that biases decisions to forage for a particular reward. When flexible, mood is updated every time an action is taken, by aggregating incurred costs and obtained rewards. Model simulations show that, across a large range of parameters, flexible agents outperform cold agents (with stable neutral mood), particularly when rewards and costs are correlated in time, as naturally occurring across seasons. However, with more extreme parameters, simulations generate short manic episodes marked by incessant foraging and lasting depressive episodes marked by persistent inaction. The MAGNETO model therefore accounts for both the function of mood fluctuations and the emergence of mood disorders.

Affective trajectories: Are hens influenced by positive and negative changes in their living conditions?

Most studies of the effects of housing and husbandry on animals' affective states and welfare investigate the impact of stable living conditions, comparing for example, animals living in enriched environments with those living in non-enriched ones. Changes in living conditions, including from more to less enriched environments, have also been found to have effects on measures of affective state and welfare in some species. But these studies have not investigated whether it is the trajectory of change that has affected the animals (e.g., worsening conditions), or simply the nature of their final environment (e.g., non-enriched). Here, we hypothesised that laying hens living in worsening conditions across a six-week period (gradually moving from preferred to non-preferred living conditions; "Trajectory to Non-Preferred", TNP, n = 30), would show evidence of more negative affective states and poorer welfare than those living continuously in non-preferred conditions for the same duration ("Stable Non-Preferred", SNP, n = 30). We also hypothesised that hens living in improving conditions (gradually moving from non-preferred to preferred living conditions; "Trajectory to Preferred", TP, n = 30), would show evidence of more positive affective states and better welfare than those living continuously in preferred conditions ("Stable Preferred", SP, n = 30). The preferred living condition provided extensive resources and intermittent rewarding events (such as the delivery of food treats) known to be valued and preferred by most hens, while the non-preferred living condition provided just basic resources and intermittent aversive events (e.g., loud noises). The hens' affective states and welfare were measured using home-pen behavioural observations, body condition assessments, physiological stress measures (e.g., blood corticosterone, glucose, etc.), physical challenge tests, and judgement bias tests. A number of differences between hens in the trajectory and stable living conditions were found: TP hens were lighter, showed more foraging behaviour and less standing alert and head-shaking than SP hens, while TNP hens showed more head-shaking, mild feather pecking and aggressive attacking of pen mates than SNP hens. However, some of these differences failed to reach significance following Benjamini adjustments for multiple testing. The groups also did not differ in their judgement biases (measured in a sub-sample of 12 hens per experimental group), response to physical challenges, or measures of physiological stress. We conclude that the hens in the present study showed some evidence of responsiveness to 'affective trajectories' in their living conditions, but no definitive effects on their affective states and welfare.

Experiencing a significant win and its sociodemographic and motivational predictors: A comparative analysis of pure-chance gamblers from Poland and France

Research on the relationship between wins and gambling behavior often focuses on winning considerably large amounts of money. It seems, however, that it is not the amount of the win, but the significance that the player assigns to the win, that exerts a decisive influence on gambling behavior. Therefore, in this study we adopted the concept of significant win: a win perceived by gamblers as important to them. The research aimed to discover what kind of wins are experienced as significant and what factors explain experiencing wins as significant. This study, conducted in Poland (N = 3,143) and France (N = 5,692), also had a comparative goal: discovering intercultural differences in experiencing significant wins. A computer-assisted web survey was administered to gamblers who engaged in pure-chance gambling, where the participant does not influence the outcome of the gamble after the initial bet is placed-selected from representative samples in both countries. We used logistic regression models to examine predictors of significant win experience in both countries and the differences between the countries. The results demonstrated that Polish gamblers more frequently considered a win significant when it was accompanied by strong, often negative emotions and was higher in monetary value normalized in terms of average monthly personal income, than French gamblers. French gamblers more frequently associated a significant win with a positive experience. The common predictors of a significant win experience in both countries were: being in debt, experiencing the win of a close person, gambling in a game of pure chance other than lotteries, more systematic pursuit of gambling, self-enhancement motivation, and coping motivation to gamble. Age at initiation into gambling was a significant predictor only in the French sample, whereas a financial motivation was a significant predictor in the Polish one. The results confirmed that the subjective perception of gambling wins is only partially related to the amounts of wins, which has practical implications for planning prevention strategies.

Do Personality Traits Moderate the Effects of Cohabitation, Separation, and Widowhood on Life Satisfaction? A Longitudinal Test for Germany

The start and end of a romantic relationship are associated with substantial changes in life satisfaction. Yet, whether Big Five personality traits moderate these relationship transition effects is hardly known. Such knowledge helps to understand individual variation in relationship transition effects and provides the possibility to further test the stress and social support explanations of these effects. Our fixed effects regressions on 28 waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel 1991-2018 show that Big Five traits moderate the effects of relationship transitions on life satisfaction to a limited extent. More neurotic men display a more negative effect of separation, and more neurotic and more agreeable women reveal a more negative effect of widowhood on life satisfaction. Big Five traits do not moderate the effect of the start of cohabitation on life satisfaction. Our findings support the stress perspective of relationship transition effects most and identify emotionally unstable individuals as a particularly vulnerable group.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10902-022-00573-8.

Do people believe that you can have too much money? The relationship between hypothetical lottery wins and expected happiness

Do people think that there is such a thing as too much money? The present research investigated this question in the context of hypothetical lottery wins. By employing a mental simulation approach, we were able to examine how people respond to increasing envisioned jackpot amounts, and whether there are individual differences in people’s reactions. Across five empirical studies (total N = 1,504), we consistently found that, overall, the relationship between imagined lottery wins and expected happiness is characterized by an inverted U-shaped curve, with expected happiness being highest around an envisioned win of roughly 10 million pounds. Both lower and higher envisioned wins reduced participants’ overall expected happiness. In addition to this overall pattern, we identified three clusters of participants who react differently to expected increases in wealth. These clusters mainly differed in terms of how soon the top of the expected happiness curve was reached, and if and when the curve started to drop. Finally, we also found some interesting cluster differences in terms of participants’ prosocial and proself motivations.

Adolescent Family Characteristics Partially Explain Differences in Emerging Adulthood Subjective Well-Being After the Experience of Major Life Events: Results from the German KiGGS Cohort Study

Experiences from major life events (MLEs; e.g., starting work or living independently) accumulate in the transition to emerging adulthood. Adaption to such events, often operationalized as responses in subjective well-being (SWB), is highly diverse. This observation has prompted attempts to explain differences in SWB responses among individuals as well as events. Early family characteristics have been discussed as potentially enduringly beneficial or harmful for successful adaption to MLEs in emerging adulthood. In the current study, we investigated adolescent family characteristics as longitudinal predictors of emerging adult mental and physical SWB (direct associations) and their explanatory value for SWB differences after the experience of MLEs (indirect associations). Analyses were based on data from a German national cohort study of 6255 emerging adults (KiGGS survey; 46.6% male; mean age = 22.78 years, standard deviation = 3.26 years) who had participated in the baseline study 11 years prior. Results showed that, while experiencing unemployment or severe illness was most negatively related to SWB, high educational attainment had the most positive correlation. Adolescent family characteristics were longitudinal predictors of emerging adult SWB and partially explained differences in SWB after the experience of several MLEs. Most notably, adolescent family characteristics were indirectly associated with emerging adult SWB via permanent relationships, educational attainment, and unemployment. The results provide a basis for the better understanding and further development of research and targeted intervention or prevention measures to facilitate adaptive capacity and reduce adverse effects from certain events on SWB in the transition to emerging adulthood.

The Struggle to Entertain Yourself: Consequences of the Internal Stimulation Factor of Boredom Proneness during Pandemic Lockdown

Boredom is a ubiquitous human experience that most people try to avoid feeling. People who are prone to boredom experience negative consequences. This study examined the impact of individual differences in the ability to entertain the self (the internal stimulation factor) on boredom experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United States. The internal and external stimulation factors predicted greater boredom frequency, boredom duration, and boredom intensity, each of which reflected a different aspect of emotional experience. The relationship among these factors was complex. A serial mediation analysis indicated the internal stimulation factor predicted the frequency of boredom, which in turn predicted the duration of boredom, which predicted boredom intensity. This pattern of relationships is potentially unique to boredom among emotional experiences. These findings provide insight into how boredom functions during a period in which daily activities and coping resources that would normally be available became severely limited.

The pursuit of happiness: A reinforcement learning perspective on habituation and comparisons

In evaluating our choices, we often suffer from two tragic relativities. First, when our lives change for the better, we rapidly habituate to the higher standard of living. Second, we cannot escape comparing ourselves to various relative standards. Habituation and comparisons can be very disruptive to decision-making and happiness, and till date, it remains a puzzle why they have come to be a part of cognition in the first place. Here, we present computational evidence that suggests that these features might play an important role in promoting adaptive behavior. Using the framework of reinforcement learning, we explore the benefit of employing a reward function that, in addition to the reward provided by the underlying task, also depends on prior expectations and relative comparisons. We find that while agents equipped with this reward function are less happy, they learn faster and significantly outperform standard reward-based agents in a wide range of environments. Specifically, we find that relative comparisons speed up learning by providing an exploration incentive to the agents, and prior expectations serve as a useful aid to comparisons, especially in sparsely-rewarded and non-stationary environments. Our simulations also reveal potential drawbacks of this reward function and show that agents perform sub-optimally when comparisons are left unchecked and when there are too many similar options. Together, our results help explain why we are prone to becoming trapped in a cycle of never-ending wants and desires, and may shed light on psychopathologies such as depression, materialism, and overconsumption.

Even in favorable circumstances, we often find it hard to remain happy with what we have. One might enjoy a newly bought car for a season, but over time it brings fewer positive feelings and one eventually begins dreaming of the next rewarding thing to pursue. Here, we present a series of computational simulations that suggest these presumable “flaws” might play an important role in promoting adaptive behavior. We explore the value of prior expectations and relative comparisons as a useful reward signal and find that across a wide range of environments, these features help an agent learn faster and adapt better to changes in the environment. Our simulations also highlight scenarios when these relative features can be harmful to decision-making and happiness. Together, our results help explain why we have the propensity to keep wanting more, even if it contributes to depression, materialism, and overconsumption.

The Architecture of Happiness

Happiness is an increasingly prominent topic of interest across academia. However, relatively little attention has been paid to how it is created, especially not in a multidimensional sense. By ‘created’ we do not mean its influencing factors, for which there is extensive research, but how it actually forms in the person. The work that has been done in this arena tends to focus on physiological dynamics, which are certainly part of the puzzle. But they are not the whole picture, with psychological, phenomenological, and socio cultural processes also playing their part. As a result, this paper offers a multidimensional overview of scholarship on the ‘architecture’ of happiness, providing a stimulus for further work into this important topic.

How do income changes impact on mental health and wellbeing for working-age adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Lower incomes are associated with poorer mental health and wellbeing, but the extent to which income has a causal effect is debated. We aimed to synthesise evidence from studies measuring the impact of changes in individual and household income on mental health and wellbeing outcomes in working-age adults (aged 16-64 years).

METHODS

For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, ASSIA, EconLit, and RePEc on Feb 5, 2020, for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and quantitative non-randomised studies. We had no date limits for our search. We included English-language studies measuring effects of individual or household income change on any mental health or wellbeing outcome. We used Cochrane risk of bias (RoB) tools. We conducted three-level random-effects meta-analyses, and explored heterogeneity using meta-regression and stratified analyses. Synthesis without meta-analysis was based on effect direction. Critical RoB studies were excluded from primary analyses. Certainty of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42020168379.

FINDINGS

Of 16 521 citations screened, 136 were narratively synthesised (12·5% RCTs) and 86 meta-analysed. RoB was high: 30·1% were rated critical and 47·1% serious or high. A binary income increase lifting individuals out of poverty was associated with 0·13 SD improvement in mental health measures (95% CI 0·07 to 0·20; n=42 128; 18 studies), considerably larger than other income increases (0·01 SD improvement, 0·002 to 0·019; n=216 509, 14 studies). For wellbeing, increases out of poverty were associated with 0·38 SD improvement (0·09 to 0·66; n=101 350, 8 studies) versus 0·16 for other income increases (0·07 to 0·25; n=62 619, 11 studies). Income decreases from any source were associated with 0·21 SD worsening of mental health measures (-0·30 to -0·13; n=227 804, 11 studies). Effect sizes were larger in low-income and middle-income settings and in higher RoB studies. Heterogeneity was high (I²=79-87%). GRADE certainty was low or very low.

INTERPRETATION

Income changes probably impact mental health, particularly where they move individuals out of poverty, although effect sizes are modest and certainty low. Effects are larger for wellbeing outcomes, and potentially for income losses. To best support population mental health, welfare policies need to reach the most socioeconomically disadvantaged.

FUNDING

Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, Chief Scientist Office, and European Research Council.

Work-family conflict and depressive symptoms among dual-earner couples in Germany: A dyadic and longitudinal analysis

This study contributes to the existing literature by testing the longitudinal effects of both types of work-family conflict (i.e., work-to-family conflict [WTFC] and family-to-work conflict [FTWC]) on depressive symptoms, using data from three waves of the German Family Panel (pairfam) survey collected over a four-year period. Using responses from 631 married or cohabiting heterosexual couples, the analyses are estimated using dyadic data analysis and auto-regressive and cross-lagged panel models. This analytical approach tests direct causation, reverse causation, and reciprocal relationships among WTFC, FTWC and depressive symptoms. The results suggest a reciprocal relationship with significant cross-lagged actor effects between WTFC (and FTWC) and depressive symptoms. However, there were no gender differences in the cross-lagged actor effects between men and women, and no significant partner effects. These results highlight the bidirectional nature of the relationship between work-family conflict and depressive symptoms, which has several implications for research and practice.

Perceptions of personal and public risk: Dissociable effects on behavior and well-being

When faced with a global threat peoples' perception of risk guides their response. When danger is to the self as well as to others two risk estimates are generated-to the self and to others. Here, we set out to examine how people's perceptions of health risk to the self and others are related to their psychological well-being and behavioral response. To that end, we surveyed a large representative sample of Americans facing the COVID-19 pandemic at two times (N₁ = 1145, N₂ = 683). We found that people perceived their own risk to be relatively low, while estimating the risk to others as relatively high. These risk estimates were differentially associated with psychological well-being and behavior. In particular, perceived personal but not public risk was associated with people's happiness, while both were predictive of anxiety. In contrast, the tendency to engage in protective behaviors were predicted by peoples' estimated risk to the population, but not to themselves. This raises the possibility that people were predominantly engaging in protective behaviors for the benefit of others. The findings can inform public policy aimed at protecting people's psychological well-being and physical health during global threats.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11166-022-09373-0.

Health-related Quality of Life for Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy: Results of a Large Prospective Cohort

BACKGROUND

Radical cystectomy (RC) has the potential for profound changes to health-related quality of life (HRQOL).

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate a broad range of HRQOL outcomes in a large RC cohort.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

A single-center prospective study enrolled RC patients from 2008 to 2014. We collected 14 separate patient-reported outcome measures at the presurgical visit and at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 mo after RC.

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

To visualize the patterns of recovery over time across domains, we used generalized estimating equations (GEEs) with nonlinear terms. Given substantial differences in patient selection for the type of urinary diversion, we separately modeled longitudinal HRQOL within conduit and continent diversion groups. The mean pre-RC scores were compared to illustrate the baseline HRQOL differences between diversion groups.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

The analyzed cohort included 411 patients (n = 205 ileal conduit, n = 206 continent diversion). At baseline, patients receiving continent diversion reported better mean physical (p < 0.001), urinary (p = 0.006), and sexual function (p < 0.001), but lower social function (p = 0.015). After RC, GEE modeling showed physical function scores decreasing 5/100 points by 6 mo, and subsequently stabilizing or returning to baseline. By 12 mo, social function improved by 10/100 points among continent diversions, while remaining stable among ileal conduits. Global quality of life exceeded baseline scores by 6 mo. Sexual function scores were low before RC, with limited recovery. Psychosocial domains were stable or improved, except for 10/100-point worsening of body image among ileal conduits.

CONCLUSIONS

RC patients reported favorable HRQOL recovery within 24 mo in most areas other than body image (ileal conduits) and sexual function (both). Importantly, large measurable decreases in scores were not reported by 3 mo after RC. These contemporary outcomes and the excellent locoregional control provided by RC further support it as the gold standard therapy for high-risk bladder cancer.

PATIENT SUMMARY

We review quality of life in the 24 mo following radical cystectomy. Large decreases in health-related quality of life were not reported, with most areas returning to, or exceeding, baseline, except for sexual function and body image.

Lifestyle and mental health 1 year into COVID-19

In previous work, Giuntella et al. (Proc Natl Acad Sci 118:e2016632118, 2021), we documented large disruptions to physical activity, sleep, time use and mental health among young adults at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020. This study explores the trends 1 year into COVID-19, as vaccines began to roll out, COVID-19 deaths declined, and social distancing measures eased in the United States. We combine biometric and survey data from multiple cohorts of college students spanning Spring 2019 through Spring 2021 (N = 1179). Our results show persistent impacts of the pandemic on physical activity and mental health. One year into the pandemic, daily steps averaged about 6300 per day compared to about 9800 per day prior to the pandemic, a 35% decline. Almost half of participants were at risk of clinical depression compared to a little over one-third prior to the pandemic, a 36% increase. The impacts on screen time, social interactions and sleep duration at the onset of COVID-19 largely dissipated over the course of the pandemic, though screen time remained significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels. In contrast to the sharp changes in lifestyle and mental health documented as the pandemic emerged in March 2020, we do not find evidence of behavioral changes or improvements in mental well-being over the course of Spring 2021 as the pandemic eased.

Master Narratives, Expectations of Change, and Their Effect on Temporal Appraisals

People hold narrative expectations for how humans generally change over the course of their lives. In some areas, people expect growth (e.g., wisdom), while in others, people expect stability (e.g., extroversion). However, do people apply those same expectations to the self? In five studies (total N = 1,372), participants rated selves as improving modestly over time in domains where stability should be expected (e.g., extroversion, quick-wittedness). Reported improvement was significantly larger in domains where growth should be expected (e.g., wisdom, rationality) than domains where stability should be expected. Further, in domains where growth should be expected participants reported improvement for selves and others. However, in domains where stability should be expected, participants reported improvement for selves but not others. Hence, participants used narrative expectations to inform projections of change. We discuss implications for future temporal self-appraisal research, heterogeneity of effect sizes in self-appraisal research, and between-culture differences in narratives.

The impact of widowhood on wellbeing, health, and care use: A longitudinal analysis across Europe

OBJECTIVE

To estimate whether becoming widowed had a significant effect on individual's health status as well as on healthcare and non-healthcare resources use, compared to people who remained in a couple in Europe.

DATA AND METHOD

It was used the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe from 2004 to 2015. The statistical technique used was genetic matching which analysed the differences in wellbeing, mental health, health status, risk of death, health care resources and long-term care utilization of people who have become widowed, comparing with people who remained married or with a partner. We considered shortterm and medium-term effects.

RESULTS

In the short term, those who became widowed had a worse wellbeing and mental health, in addition to a greater probability of receiving formal care and informal care from outside the household. There seems to be a significant effect in the use of formal and informal care from outside the household in the medium term.

CONCLUSIONS

The results might help to concentrate a major effort of any policy or strategy, not only in the field of health but also in the provision of long-term care, immediately after the negative shock occurs.

The neural habituation to hedonic and eudaimonic rewards: Evidence from reward positivity

Rewards play an important role in people's well-being. However, the mechanisms underlying neural habituation to hedonic rewards (attainment of pleasure) and eudaimonic rewards (attainment of meaning and self-realization) and their implications for longitudinal changes in well-being remain unknown. By operationalizing hedonic rewards as "winning money for oneself" and eudaimonic rewards as "winning money for a charity", 78 participants (41 women, aged from 17 to 24 years) completed a revised monetary gambling task during event-related potential (ERP) recording. Subsequently, the participants' well-being was measured after one year. The results showed that the reward positivity (RewP) effect readily decreased as the hedonic rewards were repeated, whereas the RewP effect in response to eudaimonic rewards was relatively sustained over time. Moreover, the declining RewP effect for repeated eudaimonic rewards was marginally positively associated with longitudinal decreases in well-being. These findings demonstrate at the neural level that sensitivity to repeated hedonic rewards is more prone to decrease than sensitivity to repeated eudaimonic rewards, and sustained eudaimonic reward sensitivity in the short term has greater implications for changes in well-being in the long term.

A Summary of Current Findings on Quality of Life Domains and a Proposal for Their Inclusion in Clinical Interventions

Whilst the assessment of quality of life (QoL) and well-being has burgeoned in the past 50 years, there still remains relatively little research into its treatment in psychology, in spite of the launching of such approaches as positive psychology to widen the ambit of interventions to promote well-being. We posit that there are a number of outstanding QoL areas that could be integrated into standard therapeutic procedures, and that this would this result in an increase in well-being as a therapeutic outcome. To investigate this an exploratory search of the literature was undertaken of associations between improvements in a life domain and increased well-being or QoL. Ten domains (relationships, work, money, health, and leisure, mindfulness, self-esteem, resolution of past life events, mental style and life management skills) were identified. In view of the substantial evidence of the cumulative impact of these domains upon well-being, it is proposed that conducting a unidimensional clinical intervention that focuses only on the presenting issue is not sufficient. Implications and possible therapeutic pathways are discussed and it is recommended that practitioners include such QoL domains in their assessment, case formulation, and intervention planning.

Life satisfaction: The role of domain-specific reference points

In the evaluation of well-being, it is not only important what people have in absolute terms, but also how this compares to reference points in relative terms. We explore the relevance of relative comparisons by testing the effect of people's self-rated position on potential reference points for income and health on their subjective well-being. We used Multiple Discrepancies Theory as a framework to identify seven potentially relevant reference points for income and health. A representative sample (N = 550) of the Netherlands assessed their income and health relative to these reference points. In addition, we elicited monthly household income, health status (EQ-5D-5L), and subjective well-being (SWLS). In line with the literature, we found a negative convex relationship between subjective well-being and age and a positive relationship with being employed, income, and health. For income, subjective well-being was also associated with how current income compared to respondents' needs and progression over time, and for health especially with how current health compared to what they felt they deserved. Our findings suggest that income and health are important for subjective well-being both in absolute and relative terms. We found negative effects on life satisfaction if some of the domain specific reference points were not met.

Exploring well-being services from the perspective of people with SCI: A scoping review of qualitative research

Objective

Well-being after spinal cord injury is affected by a range of factors, many of which are within the influence of rehabilitation services. Although improving well-being is a key aim of rehabilitation, the literature does not provide a clear path to service providers who seek to improve well-being. This study aimed to inform service design by identifying the experience and perspective of people with SCI about interventions targeting their well-being.

Method

The scoping review of qualitative literature used thematic analysis to identify and categorize themes related to service activities, valued aspects, limitations and perceived outcomes.

Results

Thirty-eight studies were selected, related to a range of service types. Most studies did not adopt a well-being conceptual framework to design and evaluate the services. People with SCI particularly valued being treated with dignity, positive expectations, increased autonomy and peer support. Improvements to well-being were reported, including many years post-SCI. However, people with SCI reported limited opportunities to engage in such services.

Conclusions

Rehabilitation services can improve well-being across the lifetime of people with SCI, but gaps in service provision are reported. The review identified valued aspects of services that may inform service design, including staff approach and positive expectations, having own skills and worth valued, peer support and interaction, autonomy in valued occupations, and long-term opportunities for gains.

Theory Without Theories: Well-Being, Ethics, and Medicine

Medical ethics would be better if people were taught to think more clearly about well-being or (what I take to be the same thing) the concept of what is good for a person. Yet for a variety of reasons, bioethicists have generally paid little attention to this concept. Here, I argue, first, that focusing on general theories of welfare is not useful for practical medical ethics. I argue, second, for what I call the "theory-without-theories approach" to welfare in practical contexts. The first element of this approach is a focus on examining important and relatively uncontroversial constituents of welfare as opposed to general theories. The second key element is a framework for thinking about choice in relation to welfare, a framework I refer to as "the mild objectivity framework." I conclude with illustrations of the way in which the "theory without theories approach" can improve thinking in medicine.

Changes in Physical Activity Are Associated with Corresponding Changes in Psychological Well-Being: A Pandemic Case Study

Societal crises and personal challenges are often followed by substantial changes in physical activity. Is there a link between such changes and psychological well-being? Seeking to answer this question, we conducted a correlational study on a representative sample in Sweden during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 1035). About 49% of the sample had decreased their physical activity compared to their self-reported activity level prior to the pandemic, whereas 32% had increased it. The results showed a positive and robust association between changes in daily activity level and corresponding changes in psychological well-being. Specifically, individuals who had reduced their physical activity over the last year reported lower life satisfaction than before, and individuals who had increased their physical activity reported higher life satisfaction than before. The amount of complete physical inactivity (sitting) showed a similar pattern as the exercise data, meaning that individuals who reported increasing inactivity per day also reported a greater decline in life satisfaction. Additional analyses showed that the association between daily activity level and life satisfaction was somewhat stronger for men than for women, but there was no difference when comparing individual versus organized activities. The current study was based on a cross-sectional design, measuring self-reported change over time. Recent work from other research teams have used longitudinal data and experience-sampling in different settings, finding similar results. We conclude that there is good reason to recommend physical exercise as a coping strategy in difficult times.

Coping with adversity: physical activity as a moderator in adaption to bereavement

BACKGROUND

The adaption of individuals to adverse life events such as bereavement which reduce their subjective well-being is referred to as the hedonic treadmill. This study examined whether previous physical activity moderates the negative impact of bereavement on subjective well-being and how quickly such adaption occurs.

METHODS

The analysis uses data from 13 waves (1996-2015) of the German Socio-Economic Panel (n = 139 097). Subjective well-being is captured with respondents' life satisfaction. Individual fixed effects regression models with three-wave lagged effects and interaction effects for bereavement and previous physical activity were estimated for females and males.

RESULTS

The significant reduction in life satisfaction is partly offset for individuals who were physically active prior to the adversity, suggesting moderation effects of previous physical activity. These effects are larger in absolute value for females, but females also suffered more severely from bereavement. Males' partial adaption through previous physical activity is closer to the pre-event level, while females adapt earlier. More frequent previous physical activity allows both genders to partially adapt more.

CONCLUSIONS

Previous physical activity helps individuals suffering bereavement to partially adapt faster to such adversity, suggesting that physical activity accelerates the hedonic treadmill, though at a different pace for each gender.

Psychological Capital and Career Commitment Among Chinese Urban Preschool Teachers: The Mediating and Moderating Effects of Subjective Well-being

This study explored the effects of psychological capital (PsyCap) on career commitment among preschool teachers in China, with a particular focus on the mediating effects of subjective well-being (SWB). A total of 759 teachers were subjected to the PsyCap Questionnaire and Career Commitment Scale. The data were analyzed and used for structural modeling with Mplus Version 7.4. Results indicated that PsyCap positively influenced career commitment, with SWB significantly mediating and moderating this causal association. Thus, the influence of PsyCap on career commitment is improved through enhanced SWB. These findings highlight avenues for improving both PsyCap and career commitment in the Chinese context among urban preschool teachers.

Temporal relationships between happiness and psychiatric disorders and their symptom severity in a large cohort study: the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA)

BACKGROUND

Notwithstanding the firmly established cross-sectional association of happiness with psychiatric disorders and their symptom severity, little is known about their temporal relationships. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether happiness is predictive of subsequent psychiatric disorders and symptom severity (and vice versa). Moreover, it was examined whether changes in happiness co-occur with changes in psychiatric disorder status and symptom severity.

METHODS

In the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), happiness (SRH: Self-Rated Happiness scale), depressive and social anxiety disorder (CIDI: Composite Interview Diagnostic Instrument) and depressive and anxiety symptom severity (IDS: Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology; BAI: Beck Anxiety Inventory; and FQ: Fear Questionnaire) were measured in 1816 adults over a three-year period. Moreover, we focused on occurrence and remittance of 6-month recency Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Social Anxiety Disorders (SAD) as the two disorders most intertwined with subjective happiness.

RESULTS

Interindividual differences in happiness were quite stable (ICC of .64). Higher levels of happiness predicted recovery from depression (OR = 1.41; 95% CI = 1.10-1.80), but not social anxiety disorder (OR = 1.31; 95%CI = .94-1.81), as well as non-occurrence of depression (OR = 2.41; 95%CI = 1.98-2.94) and SAD (OR = 2.93; 95%CI = 2.29-3.77) in participants without MDD, respectively SAD at baseline. Higher levels of happiness also predicted a reduction of IDS depression (sr = - 0.08; 95%CI = -0.10 - -0.04), and BAI (sr = - 0.09; 95%CI = -0.12 - -0.05) and FQ (sr = - 0.06; 95%CI = -0.09 - -0.04) anxiety symptom scores. Conversely, presence of affective disorders, as well as higher depression and anxiety symptom severity at baseline predicted a subsequent reduction of self-reported happiness (with marginal to small sr values varying between -.04 (presence of SAD) to -.17 (depression severity on the IDS)). Moreover, changes in happiness were associated with changes in psychiatric disorders and their symptom severity, in particular with depression severity on the IDS (sr = - 0.46; 95%CI = -.50 - -.42).

CONCLUSIONS

Results support the view of rather stable interindividual differences in subjective happiness, although level of happiness is inversely associated with changes in psychiatric disorders and their symptom severity, in particular depressive disorder and depression severity.

Changes in psychological distress after first vaginal intercourse in late adolescence

INTRODUCTION

Although early sexual intercourse may be associated with increased depressive symptoms, little research has examined whether first intercourse in late adolescence is associated with changes in mental health.

METHODS

This paper uses 3 years of longitudinal data from previously sexually abstinent late adolescent students at a large state university in the northeastern United States (N = 144, 53.5% male, M age = 18.5 years old, 47.2% White, 26.4% Asian/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 20.1% Hispanic/Latino, 18.1% Black/African American) to examine whether levels of psychological distress changed after first intercourse.

RESULTS

Students' distress decreased after first intercourse, although this effect was only significant two or more semesters after first intercourse. There were no gender differences in these associations.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest first intercourse was, on average, associated with decreased psychological distress for both male and female late adolescents.

Do patients suffering from chronic diseases retrospectively overestimate how healthy they were before they fell ill?

Background/Objective: To examine the impact of a disease on a person's subjective health state, patients are often asked to assess their current health state and to retrospectively assess how healthy they were before they fell ill. The objective of this study was to test whether patients generally overestimated the quality of their pre-disease health. Method: Six samples of patients with chronic diseases (cancer patients, cardiovascular patients, and patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis, N between 197 and 1,197) were analyzed. The patients assessed their current health states and their health states at the time before diagnosis. The retrospective scores were compared with matched data from general population studies. Results: In three of the six studies, the retrospective health ratings of the patients were significantly higher than the general population norms (effect sizes between 0.24 and 0.46), two studies yielded nonsignificant effects, and in one study there was an opposite trend. The general overestimation of pre-disease health was more pronounced in older patients as compared with younger ones, and it was more pronounced when global health/quality of life was to be assessed. Conclusions: Retrospective assessments of pre-disease health states are not appropriate for assessing disease-related changes in a person's health state.

Thriving during COVID-19: Predictors of psychological well-being and ways of coping

COVID-19 has led to global dramatic shifts in daily life. Following the biopsychosocial model of health, the goal of the current study was to predict people's psychological well-being (PWB) during the initial lockdown phase of the pandemic and to investigate which coping strategies were most common among people with low and high PWB. Participants were 938 volunteers in the United States who responded to an online survey during the lockdown in April 2020. The main findings were that all three groups of variables, biological, psychological, and socio-economic, significantly contributed to PWB explaining 53% variance. Social loneliness and sense of agency were the strongest predictors. PWB was significantly predicted by physical health (not gender nor age); by spirituality, emotional loneliness, social loneliness, and sense of agency; by job security (not income, nor neighborhood safety, nor hours spent on social media). Comparing the coping strategies of participants, results show more intentional coping in the high-PWB group and more passive coping in the low-PWB group. During this unprecedented pandemic, the findings highlight that ability to sustainably cope with the global shifts in daily life depends on actively and intentionally attending to PWB by being one's own agent for physical health, spiritual health, and social connection.

Assessment of the Selected Health Factors by Polonia in the Greater Toronto Area in the Relation to Their Quality and Standard of Living

Quality of life constitutes an indicator of well-being, satisfaction or happiness resulting from one's existence. It is often referred to as a standard of living. In general, it is contentment with the fulfilment of one's needs. The main objective of the article is to describe the selected components of the living standards and quality of life within the Polish community of the Greater Toronto Area which includes four regions: Halton, Peel, York and Durham. The model of mutually affecting objective factors (standard of living) and subjective factors (quality of life) will be presented. The specific factors (demographic, social, cultural, economic, legal, educational, geographical and health-related) included in field studies among the respondents and based on assigned indices influencing the quality of life in the Polish community of the Greater Toronto Area, will be demonstrated. The major goal of the paper is to present an assessment of aspects related to health factors, both in terms of objective factors (standard of living) and subjective ones (quality of life) by Polonia living in the Greater Toronto Area. Results will be shown on the basis of the survey questionnaire completed by 583 respondents. The questions focused on, among other issues, access to the healthcare system, competence of medical staff and access to sports facilities. Respondents also evaluated their satisfaction with their general health, both physical and mental, as well as the possibility of practicing sports associated with healthy lifestyle.

Chopik W. Testing the Buffering Effect of Social Relationships in a Prospective Study of Disability Onset

Social support has been proposed to be a protective factor that buffers the losses that result from the experience of negative life events. The present study uses data from a large-scale Australian panel study (the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey) to examine how life satisfaction changes following the onset of a disabling condition and then to test whether preevent or postevent social support moderates reactions to this event. Results show that the onset of a disabling condition is associated with a large decline in life satisfaction, but these changes are not moderated by preevent social support. Postevent social support does moderate change in response to the onset of a disability, but ambiguities in the interpretation of this association must be considered.