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Sotgiu I, Marengo D, Monaci MG. Internal and External Causal Explanations of Happiness. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.5406/19398298.135.4.03] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
The present study extends previous research on the folk concept of happiness by investigating people's causal attributions toward the things that make them happy. Six hundred ten Italian adults (18–55 years old) took part in a questionnaire study. Respondents were asked to report five happiness sources and to provide ratings for both the attainment of these sources and the internal and external factors potentially causing them (self, other people, luck, chance). We also measured the participants’ levels of psychological well-being. Results showed that the participants’ happiness conceptions incorporated 27 categories of happiness sources referring to four semantic domains: relational life, personal life, hedonic psychological sources, and eudaimonic psychological sources. Multilevel analyses showed that internal attributions exceeded external attributions across all these domains; moreover, internal attributions positively predicted happiness attainment, whereas the latter was negatively associated with attributions to other people. Findings were interpreted in the Italian cultural and linguistic context.
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Sotgiu I, Tirloni L, Zapata JT. Cultural Similarities and Variations in the Conceptions of Happiness and Unhappiness: A Comparison Between Italy and Honduras. PSYCHOLOGY AND DEVELOPING SOCIETIES 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/09713336211038822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigates the conceptions of happiness and unhappiness among university students from Italy and Honduras. A total of 193 Italians and 172 Hondurans took part in a questionnaire study. Respondents were asked to write down the things that made them happy ( happiness sources) and those that made them unhappy ( unhappiness sources). The content analysis of participants’ answers showed that there was a substantial agreement between Italians and Hondurans over the type of happiness and unhappiness sources they reported. However, the participants’ cultural background significantly influenced the perceived salience of a high number of these sources. Notably, we found several discrepancies between the participants’ cultural orientation and the semantic content of the happiness and unhappiness sources they assigned greater importance to. We also found gender differences in the perceived salience of happiness and unhappiness sources; however, these differences only referred to a small number of sources. The results were interpreted considering theory and research on individualism–collectivism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Sotgiu
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Piazzale S. Agostino 2, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Licia Tirloni
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Piazzale S. Agostino 2, Bergamo, Italy
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López-Pérez B, Zuffianò A, Benito-Ambrona T. Cross-cultural differences in children’s conceptualizations of happiness at school. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/17405629.2020.1865142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Belén López-Pérez
- ChildLab, Department of Psychology, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Antonio Zuffianò
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Tamara Benito-Ambrona
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Education, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Kerstetter D, Shen X, Yi X, Pan B, Zhang G, Li R, Gao J, Li G. Sources of Happiness: A Mixed Methods Phenomenological Study of Factors Affecting Residents' Subjective Wellbeing in Shenzhen, China. Psychol Rep 2020; 125:167-199. [PMID: 33201754 DOI: 10.1177/0033294120971742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Maintaining cultural sensitivity has been a challenge in subjective wellbeing (SWB) research involving nonwestern populations, which continues to primarily use a quantitative approach and Westernoriginating measurements. Accounting for culturally specific characteristics of the study area and sample, we employed a concurrent mixed-methods phenomenological approach to uncover factors contributing to urban Chinese residents' SWB in the context of their daily lives. Data from 65 semi-structured interviews in Shenzhen, China revealed five meta-themes, including harmony in interpersonal relationships, financial wellbeing and homeownership, health, physical and social environment, and intentional activities and mentality. Residents' background contextual information was cross-referenced with the meta-themes to enrich data interpretation, unveiling the profound imprint of age and life stages, the broad-scale structural inequities associated with China's household registration system, and the firm grip of traditional family core values and folk wisdom in the form of a transcendental mindset of inner peace and dignity. The results provide a contextualized understanding of the primary sources of SWB relevant to today's urban Chinese residents, and offer valuable insight about the social-cultural complexities involved in "ordinary" Chinese residents' pursuit of happiness that is co-shaped by individual effort, deep-rooted traditional values, and consequential social infrastructure and policies amidst the country's deepening, transformative urbanization. Keywords: China, Cultural Sensitivity, Happiness, Mixed Methods, Phenomenological Approach, Socio-Cultural Context, Sources of Happiness, Subjective Wellbeing, Urban Resident.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Kerstetter
- Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Xiangyou Shen
- Forest Ecosystems and Society, 2694Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Xiaoli Yi
- Shenzhen Tourism College of Jinan University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Bing Pan
- Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - Gaojun Zhang
- Shenzhen Tourism College of Jinan University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Rui Li
- Trip.com Group, International Accommodation Resource Unit, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jie Gao
- Hospitality, Tourism and Event Management, 7161San Jose State University, San Jose, CA, USA
| | - Guangming Li
- Shenzhen Tourism College of Jinan University, Shenzhen, China
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Liao J, Wang L. The Structure of the Chinese Material Value Scale: An Eastern Cultural View. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1852. [PMID: 29163258 PMCID: PMC5663811 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2017] [Accepted: 10/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigated the structure of the Chinese Material Value Scale (MVS). A two-factor structure, rather than the original three-factor structure, was proposed for China by means of confirmatory factor analysis. Direct evidence showed that the dimensions of success and happiness could be merged together. Both explicit and implicit methods were used to examine the relationship between success and happiness based on possession. In particular, as an implicit method, the dot-probe paradigm recording participants’ response time supported the idea that the two-factors could be merged together. The results also showed that for Chinese people, success to an extent means happiness, while the converse is not necessarily true. Chinese are much more concerned about social evaluation than their own feelings, and this cultural characteristic is reflected in our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangqun Liao
- Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Wang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behaviour and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
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Lanoue C, Jutras S. Perceptions d’enfants et d’adultes sur le bien-être après une tumeur cérébrale pédiatrique. PSYCHO-ONCOLOGIE 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s11839-017-0626-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Delle Fave A, Brdar I, Wissing MP, Araujo U, Castro Solano A, Freire T, Hernández-Pozo MDR, Jose P, Martos T, Nafstad HE, Nakamura J, Singh K, Soosai-Nathan L. Lay Definitions of Happiness across Nations: The Primacy of Inner Harmony and Relational Connectedness. Front Psychol 2016; 7:30. [PMID: 26858677 PMCID: PMC4726797 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2015] [Accepted: 01/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In well-being research the term happiness is often used as synonymous with life satisfaction. However, little is known about lay people's understanding of happiness. Building on the available literature, this study explored lay definitions of happiness across nations and cultural dimensions, analyzing their components and relationship with participants' demographic features. Participants were 2799 adults (age range = 30-60, 50% women) living in urban areas of Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, Hungary, India, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, and United States. They completed the Eudaimonic and Hedonic Happiness Investigation (EHHI), reporting, among other information, their own definition of happiness. Answers comprised definitions referring to a broad range of life domains, covering both the contextual-social sphere and the psychological sphere. Across countries and with little variation by age and gender, inner harmony predominated among psychological definitions, and family and social relationships among contextual definitions. Whereas relationships are widely acknowledged as basic happiness components, inner harmony is substantially neglected. Nevertheless, its cross-national primacy, together with relations, is consistent with the view of an ontological interconnectedness characterizing living systems, shared by several conceptual frameworks across disciplines and cultures. At the methodological level, these findings suggest the potential of a bottom-up, mixed method approach to contextualize psychological dimensions within culture and lay understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonella Delle Fave
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milano Milan, Italy
| | - Ingrid Brdar
- Department of Psychology, University of Rijeka Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Marié P Wissing
- Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research, North-West University Potchefstroom, South Africa
| | - Ulisses Araujo
- School of Arts, Sciences and Humanities, University of São Paulo São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Teresa Freire
- Department of Applied Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Minho Braga, Portugal
| | - María Del Rocío Hernández-Pozo
- Estudios Sobre Equidad y Genero and FES-Iztacala, Unidad de Investigación Interdisciplinaria en Ciencias de la Salud y la Educación, Proyecto Aprendizaje Humano, Centro Regional de Investigaciones Multidisciplinarias, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México Cuevarnaca, Mexico
| | - Paul Jose
- School of Psychology, Victoria University of Wellington Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Tamás Martos
- Institute of Mental Health, Semmelweis University Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - Jeanne Nakamura
- Department of Psychology, Claremont Graduate University Claremont, CA, USA
| | - Kamlesh Singh
- Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi New Delhi, India
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Self-disclosure and Privacy Calculus on Social Networking Sites: The Role of Culture. BUSINESS & INFORMATION SYSTEMS ENGINEERING 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s12599-012-0216-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 181] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Jo KH, Kim YK. Understanding the Meaning of Happiness Expressed by Nursing Students through Collage Art Works: A Content Analysis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.5977/jkasne.2010.16.1.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Bassett R, Bourbonnais V, McDowell I. Living Long and Keeping Well: Elderly Canadians Account for Success in Aging. Can J Aging 2010; 26:113-26. [PMID: 17613443 DOI: 10.3138/cja.26.2.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACTSenescence is a time of decline; yet many seniors remain active and engaged into very old age. How and why do some seniors live long and keep well? We report the responses to this question from a representative sample of 2,783 Canadian seniors.Overall, seniors placed primary responsibility for their long lives on their own individual practices, citing keeping active and maintaining good nutrition as the major themes. Physical illness was less significant than the will to adapt to illness and avoid further physical decline as long as possible. Francophone and anglophone respondents differed in the frequency with which they mentioned many of the themes. Francophones focused on life quality and family, while anglophones focused on the self. Systematic gender differences were also identified. Many responses validate existing theories of successful aging, and indicate that Canadian seniors are well-informed, insightful participants in the process of growing old.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raewyn Bassett
- School of Occupational Therapy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS.
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Lu L. "Cultural Fit": Individual and Societal Discrepancies in Values, Beliefs, and Subjective Well-Being. The Journal of Social Psychology 2006; 146:203-21. [PMID: 16673848 DOI: 10.3200/socp.146.2.203-221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The author examined the relationship between cultural values, beliefs, and subjective well-being (SWB) in the context of the "cultural fit" proposition with 3 diverse Chinese samples from Taiwan and Mainland China (N = 581). The author found that beliefs regarding the independent self, the interdependent self, active control, and relationship harmony as forming individual-level culture were consistently related to SWB. Furthermore, the author found that the magnitude of cultural fit was associated with SWB for certain groups of the Chinese people. It is most interesting that the direction of cultural fit regarding independent self was also important for SWB. Specifically, people who endorsed higher independent self but expected lower societal endorsement of such views were better off in SWB than those of the opposite combination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luo Lu
- Institute of Human Resource Management, National Central University, Jhongli City, Taoyuan County, Taiwan, Republic of China.
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Lu L, Gilmour R. Individual-oriented and socially oriented cultural conceptions of subjective well-being: Conceptual analysis and scale development. ASIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-839x.2006.00183.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Oishi S, Schimmack U, Colcombe SJ. The contextual and systematic nature of life satisfaction judgments. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2003. [DOI: 10.1016/s0022-1031(03)00016-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Oyserman D, Coon HM, Kemmelmeier M. Rethinking individualism and collectivism: Evaluation of theoretical assumptions and meta-analyses. Psychol Bull 2002. [PMID: 11843547 DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.128.1.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1894] [Impact Index Per Article: 86.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daphna Oyserman
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Work, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48106-1248, USA.
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