Showing papers in "Journal of Happiness Studies in 2019"

The Impact of Signature Character Strengths Interventions: A Meta-analysis

Abstract: This meta-analysis investigated the impact of interventions focused on using signature character strengths. The meta-analysis consolidated results of studies examining the effect of signature character strength interventions compared to control conditions. Twenty-nine effect sizes reported in fourteen articles allowed examination of several types of outcomes. Across nine studies investigating the impact of these interventions on increases in positive affect or happiness, signature character strength interventions had a significant impact, with a weighted Hedges’ g of 0.32. Across seven studies, interventions had a significant impact on decreases in depression, with a weighted Hedges’ g of 0.21. Across seven study samples, signature strengths had a significant impact on increasing life satisfaction, with a weighted Hedges’ g of 0.42. Only a small number of studies investigated other outcomes, resulting in low meta-analytic power for effect sizes for these outcomes. Of note is a significant effect size of Hedges’ g of 0.55 for increase in use of signature character strengths, based on just two studies, which suggests that signature character strength interventions do impact strengths as intended. The promising effects shown in existing studies indicate that signature strength interventions have the potential to contribute to beneficial outcomes in various areas of life and that more research on the impact of signature character strength interventions is warranted.

How Is Emotional Intelligence Linked to Life Satisfaction? The Mediating Role of Social Support, Positive Affect and Negative Affect

Abstract: This study investigated the role of social support and affective experience (i.e., positive affect and negative affect) in the relationship between emotional intelligence and life satisfaction. Participants included 748 Chinese adults with an age range of 16–60 years who completed the Wong Law Emotional Intelligence Scale, the multi-dimensional scale of perceived social support, the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that social support, positive affect and negative affect independently mediated the effect of trait emotional intelligence on life satisfaction, consistent with the social network and affective meditation models. More importantly, the identified serial mediation model indicated that emotional intelligence could influence life satisfaction through the chain mediating effect of “social support–positive affect” and “social support–negative affect”. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the links between these factors and suggest that high emotional intelligence may promote well-being from the social support and affective perspectives.

A Systematic Review of the Relationship Between Physical Activity and Happiness

Abstract: This study aimed to examine the relationship between physical activity and happiness through systematically reviewing the existing literature. A systematic search of major databases including PubMed/Medline, PsychInfo, SportDiscus, and Embase was performed in 2017 for original research articles published post-1980 with the related keywords of happiness and physical activity. From 1142 retrieved records, fifteen observational studies (thirteen cross-sectional studies and two longitudinal studies) and eight intervention studies (six randomized controlled trials and two non-randomized trials) were included for further analysis. These studies involved a wide range of population from various countries and areas. All the observational studies reported positive associations between physical activity and happiness. As little as 10-min physical activity per week or 1 day of doing exercise per week might result in increased levels of happiness. Mediation effects were examined in two studies indicating the positive relationship between physical activity and happiness might be mediated by health and social functioning. The randomized controlled trials mostly focused on older adults and cancer survivors, and suggested that both aerobic exercise and stretching/balancing exercise were effective in improving happiness. Evidence showed a consistent positive relationship between physical activity and happiness. However, due to the limited number of randomized controlled trials, we cannot draw firm conclusions regarding the causal relationship between physical activity and happiness. Future research is suggested to explore the mechanism of how physical activity influences happiness and to determine the optimal dose and type of physical activity for gaining the benefits of happiness.

How Psychological Capital Mediates Between Study–Related Positive Emotions and Academic Performance

Abstract: The present study, based on broaden–and–build theory, examines the relationship between study–related positive emotions and academic performance, and the mediating role of psychological capital in this relationship. A sample of 639 Chilean high school students between 14 and 17 years old was used. Through structural equation modelling (SEM),—as hypothesized—a statistically significant indirect effect was found between study–related positive emotions and academic performance via psychological capital. Students’ study–related positive emotions were related to better academic performance through positive relationships with their levels of psychological capital (i.e., efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience). Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed, limitations are mentioned, and future research directions are proposed.

Marital Happiness, Marital Status, Health, and Longevity

Abstract: Married individuals are healthier and live longer than those who are never married, divorced, or widowed. But not all marriages are equal: unhappy marriages provide fewer benefits than happy ones. This study examined health and longevity across a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults, combining measures of marital status and marital happiness to compare those who were “very happy” in marriage to those who were “pretty happy” in marriage, “not too happy” in marriage, never married, divorced or separated, or widowed. We employed the General Social Survey–National Death Index to illuminate the associations among marital status, marital happiness, general happiness, and self-rated health and mortality risk. Compared to individuals who were “very happily” married, those who were “not too happy” in marriage were over twice as likely to report worse health and almost 40% more likely to die over the follow-up period, net of socioeconomic, geographic, and religiosity factors. Those not too happy in marriage also had equal or worse health and mortality risk compared to those who were never married, divorced or separated, or widowed. Results further indicate that general happiness underlies much of the relationship between marital happiness and better health and longevity. The literature on the health and longevity benefits of marriage is well established, but our results suggest that individuals in unhappy marriages may be a vulnerable population. We conclude that subjective well-being and relationship quality contribute to the health benefits of marriage.

A Positive Psychology Intervention Program in a Culturally-Diverse University: Boosting Happiness and Reducing Fear

Abstract: While developing excellence in knowledge and skills, academic institutions have often overlooked their obligation to instill wellbeing. To address this, we introduced a 14-week positive psychology intervention (PPI) program (Happiness 101) to university students from 39 different nations studying in the United Arab Emirates (N = 159). Students were exposed to 18 different PPIs. Pre, post, and 3-month-post measures were taken assessing hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, and beliefs regarding the fear and fragility of happiness. At the end of the semester, relative to a control group (N = 108), participants exposed to the Happiness 101 program reported higher levels of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, and lower levels of fear of happiness and the belief that happiness is fragile. Boosts in life satisfaction and net-positive affect, and reduction of fear of happiness and the belief that happiness is fragile were maintained in the Happiness 101 group 3 months post-intervention.

The Role of Psychological Capital in Academic Adjustment Among University Students

Abstract: To investigate the potential of psychological capital as a resource for academic adjustment, 250 BA students were asked to complete two questionnaires, one assessing participants’ psychological capacity, the other academic adjustment. Average grade-point scores were collected at two points in time as an additional measure of academic adjustment. Correlational as well as SEM analyses suggest that psychological capital is a positive resource with a central role in students’ academic adjustment. The study extends knowledge on the impact of psychological capital on positive organizational behavior by generalizing it to higher education.

Linking Managerial Coaching and Leader–Member Exchange on Work Engagement and Performance

Abstract: This study investigates how individual- and unit-level performance can be fostered by supervisors’ behavioural styles (managerial coaching) and the personal relationship between supervisor and subordinate (leader–member exchange, LMX). The JD-R model holds that good leadership serves as a job resource and triggers a motivational process that will lead through work engagement to good performance. This study first introduces and validates novel measurement instruments for managerial coaching, LMX, and self-rated performance. Then, the study utilizes multilevel methodology (MSEM) to investigate the connections between study variables at the individual- and unit-level. A sample from two organizations (N = 655) was utilized in the measurement validation and a sample from multiple organizations (N = 879) in the hypothesis testing. Samples using self-rating measurements were collected from different Finnish organizations between 2011 and 2012. The results show that, while managerial coaching was connected more to the unit-level performance, LMX had stronger effect to the individual performance and work engagement, which was connected with the unit-level performance. Analysing two leadership constructs at the same time suggests that there are different mechanisms driving managerial coaching and the LMX relationship in the motivational process and towards good performance as the JD-R model proposes. The study also contributes to literature by introducing and validating measurement instruments.

How’s Life at Home? New Evidence on Marriage and the Set Point for Happiness

Abstract: Subjective well-being research has often found that marriage is positively correlated with well-being. Some have argued that this correlation may be result of happier people being more likely to marry. Others have presented evidence suggesting that the well-being benefits of marriage are short-lasting. Using data from the British Household Panel Survey, we control individual pre-marital well-being levels and find that the married are still more satisfied, suggesting a causal effect at all stages of the marriage, from pre-nuptual bliss to marriages of long-duration. Using new data from the United Kingdom’s Annual Population Survey, we find that the married have a less deep U-shape in life satisfaction across age groups than do the unmarried, indicating that marriage may help ease the causes of the mid-life dip in life satisfaction and that the benefits of marriage are unlikely to be short-lived. We explore friendship as a mechanism which could help explain a causal relationship between marriage and life satisfaction, and find that well-being effects of marriage are about twice as large for those whose spouse is also their best friend.

Pursuing Eudaimonic Functioning Versus Pursuing Hedonic Well-Being: The First Goal Succeeds in Its Aim, Whereas the Second Does Not

Abstract: We used a new methodology for assessing change motivation (Hudson and Fraley 2015, 2016) to test the hypothesis that striving to improve one’s hedonic well-being fails in its aim, whereas striving to improve one’s eudaimonic functioning succeeds. In three studies, participant goals to increase subjective well-being (SWB) were negatively correlated with concurrent SWB, whereas goals to increase relative intrinsic versus extrinsic value orientation (RIEVO) were positively correlated with concurrent RIEVO. In Study 3’s longitudinal investigation, Time 1 RIEVO change goals predicted increased RIEVO six and 12 weeks later, whereas Time 1 SWB change goals did not affect longitudinal SWB. Together, the data support the Aristotelian idea that people should pursue eudaimonia rather than happiness, not least because the latter pursuit may not be as effective.

Nonattachment Mediates the Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Well-Being, Subjective Well-Being, and Depression, Anxiety and Stress

Abstract: The Buddhist construct of nonattachment is a related, yet distinct construct to mindfulness. Whereas mindfulness refers to an individual’s open, present-centred awareness of what is happening in their field of consciousness, nonattachment denotes an absence of attempts to control what is happening in their field of consciousness. The aim of the present research was to determine whether nonattachment is a mechanism of mindfulness that mediates its relationship to psychological and subjective well-being, depression, anxiety and stress. Two sequential studies were conducted. Study 1 (N = 516) established that nonattachment mediated the relationship of mindfulness to psychological and subjective well-being. Study 2 (N = 416) demonstrated that nonattachment also mediated the relationship of mindfulness to depression, anxiety and stress. In combination, these studies are the first to demonstrate that the relationship of mindfulness to a broad range of psychological outcomes is at least partially determined by nonattachment. These findings provide insight into how mindfulness impacts mental health and have implications for the development and assessment of mindfulness-based interventions.

Feel Good, Do Good Online? Spillover and Crossover Effects of Happiness on Adolescents’ Online Prosocial Behavior

Abstract: Although the majority of research on adolescents’ online behavior has focused on antisocial behavior such as cyberbullying, adolescents more often behave prosocially than antisocially online. Research on offline prosocial behavior has shown that happiness and prosocial behavior are related. Furthermore, spillover-crossover research suggests that emotional states originating in one context can spill over to another context and can even cross over from one person to another. Therefore, this study examined whether happiness is also related to adolescents’ online prosocial behavior and whether others’ (in this case, parents’) happiness also indirectly, via transmission to adolescents’ own happiness, predicts adolescents’ online prosocial behavior. Via a daily diary method, the associations of adolescents’ own happiness and their parents’ happiness with adolescents’ online prosocial behavior were tested on a daily level. The findings suggest that, on a daily level, happiness creates a ripple effect whereby adolescents and parents take their positive emotional states from school and work home, and adolescents act on their happiness by behaving more prosocially online. The strongest spillover and crossover effects were found for girls and their mothers, evoking questions for future research to understand these gender differences.

Impacts of Flooding and Flood Preparedness on Subjective Well-Being: A Monetisation of the Tangible and Intangible Impacts

Abstract: Flood disasters severely impact human subjective well-being (SWB). Nevertheless, few studies have examined the influence of flood events on individual well-being and how such impacts may be limited by flood protection measures. This study estimates the long term impacts on individual subjective well-being of flood experiences, individual subjective flood risk perceptions, and household flood preparedness decisions. These effects are monetised and placed in context through a comparison with impacts of other adverse events on well-being. We collected data from households in flood-prone areas in France. The results indicate that experiencing a flood has a large negative impact on subjective well-being that is incompletely attenuated over time. Moreover, individuals do not need to be directly affected by floods to suffer SWB losses since subjective well-being is lower for those who expect their flood risk to increase or who have seen a neighbour being flooded. Floodplain inhabitants who prepared for flooding by elevating their home have a higher subjective well-being. A monetisation of the aforementioned well-being impacts shows that a flood requires €150,000 in immediate compensation to attenuate SWB losses. The decomposition of the monetised impacts of flood experience into tangible losses and intangible effects on SWB shows that intangible effects are about twice as large as the tangible direct monetary flood losses. Investments in flood protection infrastructure may be under funded if the intangible SWB benefits of flood protection are not taken into account.

The Mediational Roles of Gratitude and Perceived Support in Explaining the Relationship Between Mindfulness and Mood

Abstract: Mindfulness allows an individual to reside in a state of nonjudgmental conscious awareness. In this state, individuals are able to make deliberate choices about their thoughts and emotions and in doing so, select more optimal experiences for themselves. In the present study, we predicted individuals who are more mindful are able to purposely attend to the environment, and as a result, would be more likely to notice and be grateful for the positive aspects of life that might otherwise go unappreciated. Given the strong links in the literature between mindfulness and well-being, we also examined whether gratitude might serve as a mediator in the relationship between mindfulness and mood. Additionally, because gratitude is believed to strengthen ties to others, we also tested whether gratitude and perceived social support might serve as mediators in a multi-mediated model. Specifically, it was predicted that mindfulness would contribute to the expression of heightened gratitude which, in turn, would influence a heightened sense of perceived support. This heightened sense of support from others was then predicted to enhance feelings of positive mood states and decrease feelings of negative mood states. Participants (N = 700) completed a survey that assessed mindfulness, gratitude, perceived support, and mood. Findings showed a significant association between mindfulness and gratitude. Mediational analyses also showed that both gratitude and perceived support served to mediate the relationship between mindfulness and positive and negative mood. However, in the case of negative mood, our hypothesized model did not provide the best fit to the data. The implications of these findings are discussed with regard to the role mindfulness, gratitude and perceived support play in the promotion of positive and negative mood states.

Income Inequality, Life Satisfaction Inequality and Trust: A Cross Country Panel Analysis

Abstract: Literature has argued that income inequality crowds out trust. However, whether income inequality makes people less trusting depends on how they perceive income inequality within their personal social context and social cognition. In this paper we therefore conjecture that the relationship of income inequality to trust depends on how income inequality affects inequality of life satisfaction. If life satisfaction inequality is high, distrust is generated among the least happy. This will increase polarization and the risk of rebellion, thereby also affecting trust among the happier people. Thus, life satisfaction inequality may be an essential factor in the relationship between income inequality and trust. In previous literature, the potential mediating role of life satisfaction inequality in the relationship between income inequality and social trust has not yet received attention. We test our model by panel analysis on 25 OECD countries in the period 1990–2014. The panel analysis shows that income inequality increases life satisfaction inequality and that both income inequality and life satisfaction inequality have a significant negative impact on social trust. Mediation tests show complementary mediation: besides the direct negative effect of income inequality on trust, we find an indirect effect mediated by life satisfaction inequality. This indirect effect counts for 20% of the total effect of income inequality on trust. Our results imply that policy options for increasing trust are not limited to countering income inequality, but can also include policy measures that directly reduce inequality of life satisfaction.

Servant Leadership and Goal Attainment Through Meaningful Life and Vitality: A Diary Study

Abstract: Despite the emphasis of servant leadership theory on the attention provided to workers’ needs and goals, there is a lack of empirical knowledge on the relationship between servant leadership and employees’ goal attainment. We provide a theoretical model of the mechanism by which this strong focus of servant leadership on a worker’s individual development positively influences the worker’s goal attainment. Through a diary study with 126 workers over five consecutive working days, the results indicated a positive within-person indirect effect of servant leader behaviors on goal attainment a day later through two parallel paths: the meaning in life at night and vitality the next morning. These results provide the first empirical support for the assumption of servant leadership as a promoter of employees’ goals, and highlights how servant leadership positively influences the integration of work as part of life and the energy resources of workers to achieve their daily goals.

I Gotta Say, Today Was a Good (and Meaningful) Day: Daily Meaning in Life as a Potential Basic Psychological Need

Abstract: Prior research has found that global meaning in life promotes several forms of well-being such as better coping and lower stress, and suggests that meaning in life is a common experience that is shaped by daily experiences. We build on this research by testing the possibility that meaning is a basic psychological need. In Study 1, participants (N = 195) completed a 21-day diary that included daily assessments of depressive symptomology, affect, and self-esteem. In Study 2, participants (N = 142) completed a 14-day diary, adding stress and vitality as additional indicators of well-being. Across both studies, we found that meaning in life is a consistent predictor of psychological well-being. Further, in Study 2, we tested the unique role of meaning in life against other basic psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, relatedness), finding that meaning in life continues to predict well-being even in the presence of other psychological needs.

Within-Person Relationships Among Daily Gratitude, Well-Being, Stress, and Positive Experiences

Abstract: Each day for 2 weeks, participants (N = 131, psychologically healthy adults residing in the community) described their daily well-being, how grateful they felt that day, and the events they experienced. Multilevel modeling analyses found that daily feelings of gratitude were positively related to well-being at the within-person level. The analyses also found that well-being varied as a joint function of daily gratitude and how stressful events were. Gratitude moderated relationships between stress and self-esteem, worry, depressogenic adjustment, and negative deactive affect (e.g., sad). The negative relationships between the stress of daily events and self-esteem and depressogenic adjustment were weaker on days when people felt more grateful than on days when they felt less grateful as were the positive relationships between stress and worry and negative deactive affect. The analyses also found that relationships between gratitude and worry, depressogenic adjustment, and negative deactive affect were stronger on days when daily events were less positive than on days when daily events were more positive. The possibility that feelings of gratitude can provide a context within which daily experience is evaluated is discussed.

Children’s Wellbeing at School: A Multi-dimensional and Multi-informant Approach

Abstract: Based on a multi-dimensional model of wellbeing in school that includes psychological, cognitive and social components, the aim of this investigation was to (a) analyse differences based on gender and school level (primary or middle school) in children’s subjective reports of their school wellbeing, (b) analyse correlates of subjective school wellbeing considering learning skills, grades and behavioural problems, and (c) investigate parents’ and teachers’ personal experiences and observations related to children with a low level of subjective school wellbeing. The sample comprised 1038 third- to eighth-grade students who completed the Questionnaire on School Wellbeing (QBS; Tobia and Marzocchi in QBS 8-13. Questionari per la valutazione del benessere scolastico e identificazione dei fattori di rischio [QBS 8-13. Questionnaires for the evaluation of school wellbeing and the identification of risk factors], Erickson, Trento, 2015a), which investigates the gratification obtained by results in school, relationships with teachers and classmates, emotional attitude towards school, and self-efficacy. The results showed significant gender differences (e.g., a better relationship with teachers but a poorer emotional attitude towards school for girls) and lower scores on school wellbeing in middle school students compared to primary school students. Among primary school students, wellbeing tended to be positively influenced by learning skills, whereas it was positively influenced by grades and negatively influenced by behavioural problems among middle school students. Finally, both parents and teachers of children with low levels of school wellbeing described greater feelings of worry, guilt, and tension in relation to the children’s difficulties. Parents reported more learning and emotional difficulties in these children, whereas teachers reported lower self-awareness. These results may offer insights to inform school policies and interventions aimed at improving children’s wellbeing.

Does Strength-Based Parenting Predict Academic Achievement? The Mediating Effects of Perseverance and Engagement

Abstract: Strength-based parenting (SBP) is a style of parenting characterized by knowledge and encouragement of a child’s unique personality, abilities, talents, and skills (i.e., strengths). Recent studies have demonstrated a unique contribution of SBP, above other parenting styles, in predicting a range of wellbeing indicators in adolescents. Given that wellbeing supports learning, and SBP predicts wellbeing, it is also plausible that adolescents with strength-based parents will have greater academic achievement. At the beginning of term, students from a public secondary school in Australia (N = 741, Mage = 13.70, SD = 1.33; 50% female) completed a self-report survey measuring perceptions of parental style, engagement, and perseverance. Subsequent academic results were obtained 3 months later. SBP predicted higher wellbeing in the form of adolescent engagement and perseverance. SBP also demonstrated a significant effect on academic achievement which was mediated by perseverance, but not engagement. Thus, results supported a model in which adolescents with strength-based parents achieved higher grades via increased perseverance. Results reaffirm the importance of the parent-student link, and dispositional qualities of engagement and perseverance, in predicting educational outcomes such as grades. This study extends positive education research beyond the classroom by demonstrating that positive parenting techniques like SBP can predict student wellbeing and academic achievement.

The Economics of Subjective Well-Being: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract: In this article we analyze the economics of subjective well-being through a bibliometric lens. To do so we created a broad dataset of bibliographic data by using the search terms “subjective well-being”, “happiness”, “life satisfaction” and “positive affect” on the Web of Science webpage and limiting the articles to those published in the research area of business economics. By combining quantitative and qualitative methods, we were able to trace and review the development of subjective well-being research in the field of economics, as well as distinguish the most important articles, authors, journals, organizations and countries in the field. We found a big leap in subjective well-being research after the global financial crisis in 2008, as more and more scholars started to question the approach to well-being of standard economic theory. The still relatively young scientific field keeps expanding and maturing by providing answers to new, as well as old research questions.

Perceived Organizational Support for the Use of Employees’ Strengths and Employee Well-Being: A Cross-Country Comparison

Abstract: Prior research in Western contexts has pointed to the benefits of supporting employees in the use of their personal strengths at work This manuscript aims to investigate the invariance of the relationship between employees’ perceived organizational support for the use of their strengths and their well-being (work engagement, burnout, and satisfaction with life) across countries To this end, we collected a cross-sectional sample of n = 1894 working individuals from five different countries (Germany, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Romania, and South Africa) The results of multigroup path analysis indicated that the relationships between support for the use of their strengths at work and the three indicators of well-being did not differ across the five countries Perceived support for the use of strengths displayed a significant positive relationship with work engagement and satisfaction with life and a significant negative relationship with burnout Consequently, our findings provide initial evidence for the universal benefits of focusing on individual strengths at work

The Relationship Between Faculty Members’ Passion for Work and Well-Being

Abstract: The present study considered the dualistic nature of passion to examine whether passion toward work predicted hedonic (life satisfaction and subjective happiness) and eudaimonic (sense of purpose) well-being. Faculty members (N = 177) completed questionnaires assessing harmonious and obsessive passions for work, life satisfaction, subjective happiness, and three constructs related to sense of purpose in life: awakening to purpose, awareness of purpose, and altruistic purpose. Structural equation modeling was used to explore the extent to which passion toward work explained variance in both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. Findings indicated that in contrast to obsessive passion, harmonious work passion emerged as a positive predictor of life satisfaction and subjective happiness. Findings also showed that harmonious and obsessive passion toward work positively predicted awareness of life purpose and altruistic purpose. However, awakening to purpose was predicted by obsessive work passion only. Overall, findings highlighted that harmonious passion for work may play a salient role in individuals’ well-being and that faculty with obsessive work passion may feel compelled to search for one’s life purpose.

Hedonic and Eudaimonic Motives: Associations with Academic Achievement and Negative Emotional States Among Urban College Students

Abstract: College students from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds are at risk for poorer academic outcomes and greater psychopathology and it is important to identify factors that are amenable to intervention and enhance college outcomes. Recent literature has entertained happiness as a potential predictor of various success outcomes and it has been suggested that parsing the concept of happiness into hedonia (seeking pleasure and relaxation) and eudaimonia (seeking meaning) may be particularly useful. This study examined the relations between hedonic and eudaimonic motives for action and student outcomes; that is, academic achievement and their negative emotional states, in an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse urban college population. Undergraduate students (N=119; mean age=21.24 [SD=3.16] years; 59.7 % female) completed self-reported measures of hedonic and eudaimonic motives for action, and depression, anxiety, and stress. Semester GPA was collected from school records. Hedonic motives for action ("Hedonia") were not associated with GPA or students' negative emotional states. Eudaimonic motives for action ("Eudaimonia"), however, were significantly positively associated with GPA, Individuals with high levels of both Hedonia and Eudaimonia (the Full Life) had higher GPAs compared to individuals with low Eudaimonia, but did not differ from students with high Eudaimonia and low Hedonia (Eudaimonic Life). Eudaimonia was also significantly negatively associated with Depression and Stress, and individuals high in Eudaimonia had the lowest levels of both of these outcomes compared to those with low Eudaimonia. Eudaimonic motives may be important for more desirable college outcomes, and interventions that promote development of this domain may hold promise.

Prioritizing Meaning as a Pathway to Meaning in Life and Well-Being

Abstract: Experiencing both positive emotions and meaning is fundamental to human flourishing. The present study aimed to build and expand upon recent attempts to assess prioritizing positivity, which involves habitual ways of incorporating positive emotions in daily life (Catalino et al. in Emotion 14(6): 1155–1161, 2014), by assessing the prioritization of meaning in daily life and its associations with well-being. Results from two studies, employing adult community samples (N = 107 and N = 251) demonstrated coherent, replicable factor structure and good internal reliability for the 12-item scale of prioritizing meaning. Prioritizing meaning was positively associated with life satisfaction, happiness, positive emotions, sense of coherence, gratitude and presence of meaning, beyond the effect of prioritizing positivity, thus demonstrating the possibility that prioritizing meaning makes a distinctive contribution to well-being. Process mediation models showed that prioritizing meaning is associated with the experience of meaning which in turn mediates the beneficial effects of prioritizing meaning on a variety of well-being indicators. Prioritizing meaning was also directly associated with well-being indicators underscoring its potential role in affecting well-being. Furthermore, prioritizing meaning was found to significantly mediate the effect of search for meaning on all indicators of well-being other than sense of coherence. The findings suggest the importance of prioritizing meaning and hold significant conceptual and practical implications for understanding processes of meaning making and their potential effects on individuals’ well-being.

Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) as a Positive Psychological Intervention: A Systematic Review and Initial Meta-analysis Regarding ACT’s Role in Well-Being Promotion Among University Students

Abstract: This paper (a) makes the argument for conceiving Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT), when applied to the enhancement of well-being, as a positive psychological intervention, and (b) supports this view by reviewing evidence for ACT’s impact on university student well-being Searches of the literature identified five randomized experiments that measured improvements in university student well-being as a function of ACT interventions relative to control conditions A meta-analysis revealed a significant, small pooled effect size on well-being (d = 029), providing initial evidence of ACT’s role as a positive psychological intervention among university students Strengths and limitations of the extant literature are discussed, as are implications of, and future directions for, this area of study It is concluded that research, theory, and application within well-being scholarship may be facilitated by recognizing ACT’s application to the enhancement of well-being

Well-Being and Everyday Ethical Consumption

Abstract: Consumption is central to many people’s lives and their well-being. Well-being and Quality of Life Indicators are increasingly included in consumption studies, either as outcomes of consumption or as influential factors influencing consumption choices. Marketing and consumption research is frequently interested in understanding consumer choices and has traditionally focused on the evaluative dimension of wellbeing, measuring satisfaction with (aspects of) life. Well-being is multidimensional and exploring additional dimensions broadens understanding of the concept. Using are broad sample of Austrian consumers, this research applies the Satisfaction with Life Scale, Personal Well-being Index, Flourishing Scale and Pleasure Orientation and correlates well-being levels with a newly constructed hierarchy of everyday Ethical Consumption Behavior (eECB). The psychometric soundness of the well-being measures employed, collected in German, and the conceptualization of eECB in Austria is supported. Perceived eudaimonic well-being and eECB are positively related, while the correlation between hedonic well-being and eECB is negative. There is no significant relationship between evaluative well-being scales and eECB. While Universalism as a guiding principle in peoples’ lives positively correlates with eECB, demographic characteristics, except for age, are not important. The study provides support for including multiple well-being measures to increase depth and breadth of understanding in consumption research.

Emotional Stability and Self-Esteem as Mediators Between Mindfulness and Happiness

Abstract: The present research tested a mediation model where mindfulness is indirectly related to happiness through emotional stability and self-esteem. 302 undergraduate students from a university in India participated in the study. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires of mindfulness, emotional stability, self-esteem, and happiness. Structural Equation Modeling results showed that mindfulness was associated with happiness through the mediation of emotional stability and self-esteem. Emotional stability and self-esteem fully mediated the relationship of mindfulness with happiness. In addition, emotional stability partially mediated the relationship of mindfulness with self-esteem. The results of the study shed light on how emotional stability and self-esteem are associated with the process of mindfulness-happiness relationship. Based on the findings, implications and avenues for future research are discussed.

Longitudinal Effects of Examination Stress on Psychological Well-Being and a Possible Mediating Role of Self-Esteem in Chinese High School Students

Abstract: Through using a latent growth curve model (LGCM), the present study investigated longitudinal relationships between examination stress, self-esteem, and psychological well-being in Chinese high school students. This paper presents results of a three-wave longitudinal study among 248 Chinese high school students who were followed over the course of one semester. The students completed questionnaires about once every 2 months from the beginning to the end of a school semester for a total of three questionnaires including the shorten version of Academic Stress Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Chinese version of Psychological Well-Being Scale. The results obtained from latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) showed that the initial examination stress level negatively predicted the students’ initial level of psychological well-being. Also, changes in examination stress over time negatively predicted changes in psychological well-being. In addition, self-esteem can mediate the effects of examination stress on psychological well-being: first, initial level of examination stress can influence the initial level of psychological well-being via self-esteem; second, examination stress at Time 1 predicted psychological well-being at Time 3 mediated by self-esteem at Time 2. These findings contributed the theoretical explanation about the effect of stress in damaging psychological well-being and the mediating mechanism of self-esteem. There are also some practical implications on improving psychological well-being among the high school students through reducing the levels of examination stress.

Perceived Religious Discrimination, Religiosity, and Life Satisfaction

Abstract: Using a large national representative survey, this study examines the effect of perceived religious discrimination, religiosity, and their interaction on life satisfaction. The results show that the negative effect of religious discrimination on life satisfaction is large and equivalent to the effects of some major life events such as widowhood and unemployment. Higher religiosity is associated with higher levels of life satisfaction and tends to mitigate the negative effect of experiencing religious discrimination. Furthermore, although the prevalence of perceived religious discrimination varies across major religious faiths, its negative effect on life satisfaction is generally consistent. The implications of the findings for future research and theoretical development on religious discrimination and its associations with subjective well-being are discussed.