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Galbraith ED, Barrington-Leigh C, Miñarro S, Álvarez-Fernández S, Attoh EMNAN, Benyei P, Calvet-Mir L, Carmona R, Chakauya R, Chen Z, Chengula F, Fernández-Llamazares Á, García-del-Amo D, Glauser M, Huanca T, Izquierdo AE, Junqueira AB, Lanker M, Li X, Mariel J, Miara MD, Porcher V, Porcuna-Ferrer A, Schlingmann A, Seidler R, Shrestha UB, Singh P, Torrents-Ticó M, Ulambayar T, Wu R, Reyes-García V. High life satisfaction reported among small-scale societies with low incomes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2311703121. [PMID: 38315863 PMCID: PMC10873637 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2311703121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Global polls have shown that people in high-income countries generally report being more satisfied with their lives than people in low-income countries. The persistence of this correlation, and its similarity to correlations between income and life satisfaction within countries, could lead to the impression that high levels of life satisfaction can only be achieved in wealthy societies. However, global polls have typically overlooked small-scale, nonindustrialized societies, which can provide an alternative test of the consistency of this relationship. Here, we present results from a survey of 2,966 members of Indigenous Peoples and local communities among 19 globally distributed sites. We find that high average levels of life satisfaction, comparable to those of wealthy countries, are reported for numerous populations that have very low monetary incomes. Our results are consistent with the notion that human societies can support very satisfying lives for their members without necessarily requiring high degrees of monetary wealth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D. Galbraith
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona08193, Spain
- ICREA, Barcelona08010, Spain
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, McGill University, Montréal, QCH3A0E8, Canada
| | - Christopher Barrington-Leigh
- Department of Equity, Ethics, and Policy, School of Population and Global Health, McGill University, Montréal, QCH3A 1G1, Canada
- Bieler School of Environment, McGill University, Montréal, QCH3A 2A7, Canada
| | - Sara Miñarro
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona08193, Spain
| | - Santiago Álvarez-Fernández
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona08193, Spain
| | - Emmanuel M. N. A. N. Attoh
- Water Systems and Global Change Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen 6700 HB, Netherlands
- International Water Management Institute, Colombo10120, Sri Lanka
| | - Petra Benyei
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona08193, Spain
- Instituto de Economía, Geografía y Demografía, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Madrid28037, Spain
| | - Laura Calvet-Mir
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona08193, Spain
- Institut Metròpoli, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona08193, Spain
| | - Rosario Carmona
- Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago8331150, Chile
| | - Rumbidzayi Chakauya
- College of Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of South Africa, Florida, 1710Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Zhuo Chen
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, HelsinkiFI-00014, Finland
| | - Fasco Chengula
- Institute of Resource Assessment, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam16103, Tanzania
| | - Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona08193, Spain
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, University of Helsinki, HelsinkiFI-00014, Finland
| | - David García-del-Amo
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona08193, Spain
| | | | - Tomas Huanca
- Boliviano de Investigación y de Desarrollo Socio Integral, San Borja, Bolivia
| | - Andrea E. Izquierdo
- Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Córdoba5000, Argentina
| | - André B. Junqueira
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona08193, Spain
| | - Marisa Lanker
- The Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI53706
| | - Xiaoyue Li
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona08193, Spain
| | - Juliette Mariel
- Centre de coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), Unité Mixte de Recherche Savoirs-Environnement-Sociétés (UMR SENS), Montpellier34398, France
| | - Mohamed D. Miara
- Department of Nature and Life Sciences, Ibn Khaldoun University, Tiaret14000, Algeria
- Laboratory of Agro-Biotechnology and Nutrition Research in Semi-Arid Areas, Ibn Khaldoun University, Tiaret14000, Algeria
| | - Vincent Porcher
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona08193, Spain
| | - Anna Porcuna-Ferrer
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona08193, Spain
- Centre de coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), Unité Mixte de Recherche Savoirs-Environnement-Sociétés (UMR SENS), Montpellier34398, France
| | - Anna Schlingmann
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona08193, Spain
| | - Reinmar Seidler
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA02215
| | | | - Priyatma Singh
- School of Science and Technology, University of Fiji, Saweni, Lautoka, Fiji
| | - Miquel Torrents-Ticó
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, University of Helsinki, HelsinkiFI-00014, Finland
- Global Change and Conservation, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, University of Helsinki, HelsinkiFI-00014, Finland
| | - Tungalag Ulambayar
- Zoological Society of London, Mongolia Representative Office, Ulaanbaatar14201, Mongolia
| | - Rihan Wu
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Peking University, Beijing100871, China
- Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research, Oslo0155, Norway
| | - Victoria Reyes-García
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona08193, Spain
- ICREA, Barcelona08010, Spain
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Miñarro S, Selim S, Galbraith ED. Does catching more fish increase the subjective well-being of fishers? Insights from Bangladesh. AMBIO 2022; 51:1673-1686. [PMID: 35167047 PMCID: PMC9110605 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01698-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Small-scale fisheries have been associated with the subjective well-being of coastal communities through their links with culture, identity, and social cohesion. But although fish catches are usually considered the primary ecosystem service that benefits fishers, little is known about how subjective well-being is influenced by the fishing activity itself. Here, we applied the experience sampling method in two small-scale fisheries in Bangladesh to assess the effects of fishing on fishers' occurrence of positive and negative affect, two measures of subjective well-being. We found that fishing activities were not directly associated with increased momentary affect and that the frequency of positive affect actually decreased as the fishing trip progressed. Furthermore, although very low catches were associated with less positive affect, the highest frequency of positive affect was achieved with relatively small catches. Our results imply that the benefits provided by small-scale fisheries to the momentary subjective well-being of fishers are not strongly related to the actual catching of fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Miñarro
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Building Z-Office 137, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona Spain
| | - Samiya Selim
- Centre for Sustainable Development, University of Liberal Arts (CSD-ULAB), House 56, Road 4/a, Dhanmondi, Dhaka, 1209 Bangladesh
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), Bremen, Germany
| | - Eric D. Galbraith
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Building Z-Office 137, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona Spain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca I Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, 3450 University Street, Montreal, QC H3A 0E8 Canada
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Sun Y, Ji P, Wang Y, Fan H. The Association Between the Subjective Exercise Experience of Chinese Women Participating in Square Dance and Group Cohesion: The Mediating Effect of Income. Front Psychol 2021; 12:700408. [PMID: 34712166 PMCID: PMC8546298 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.700408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Chinese square dance has become well known worldwide in recent years, and most participants are women who dance with a group in their communities. In particular, middle-aged women may have physical and mental health problems, and participating in square dance may increase women's positive subjective well-being and decrease their negative emotions, which may improve their health over the long term. In addition, participating in square dance can promote group cohesion. Our study aimed to examine the relationship between the subjective exercise experience of participating in square dance and group cohesion and whether some variables (e.g., age, education, duration, income level, and work) play a role as mediators in the association with subjective exercise experience and group cohesion. Methods: In total, 1,468 Chinese women from 31 provinces and 82 cities participated in this study by completing an online questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of a subjective exercise experience questionnaire and a group environment questionnaire. We analyzed the collected data and built a statistical model. Results: (a) Square dance satisfied women's physical and psychological needs partly; (b) positive well-being (PWB) was positively correlated with group cohesion, and fatigue was negatively correlated with group cohesion; and (c) the income level was a partial mediator of the relationship between group cohesion and subjective exercise experience. Conclusion: Chinese women have different motivations for participating in square dance. Because this activity can help meet women's physical and psychological needs, an increasing number of individuals worldwide participate in square dance. As women's subjective well-being increases, group cohesion increases, and vice versa. Moreover, the subjective exercise experience remains a significant predictor of group cohesion after including income level as a mediator, suggesting that the model indicates partial mediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuting Sun
- School of Art, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
| | - Peiyao Ji
- School of Psychology, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Wang
- School of Art, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
| | - Hongying Fan
- School of Psychology, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
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