A number of studies show that trust enhances both national and individual happiness. However, the mechanism underlying this association remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of kindness in explaining the link between trust and happiness. Specifically, it was hypothesized that the more people believe that they have done for others, the stronger is the link between trust and happiness. Ninety-one students participated in a trust game and then completed measures assessing levels of happiness, trust, and kindness. Results revealed that level of happiness was related to the frequency of acts of kindness and the level of trust showed in a trust game. This finding suggests that while trust alone is associated with happiness, being kind strengthens this relationship. It seems that without prosocial activity people may not derive much happiness from being trusting. Possible explanations for the effects obtained and limitations of the study are discussed.

Trust plays a critical role in all aspects of social functioning. In attempting to better understand trust cross culturally, a valid tool is essential. We conducted two studies to investigate the cross-cultural validity and utility of the Generalized Trust Scale (Yamagishi and Yamagishi 1994). In Study 1, the structural and convergent validity of the GTS was examined in a large Polish sample (N = 727). Our findings provided important preliminary evidence for the validity of this scale in this sample. Subsequently, Study 2 compared responses to the GTS from two culturally different countries: Poland (N = 203) and the United States (N = 230). The structure of the GTS remained invariant across these two cultures, and the level of trust was comparable. As expected Americans showed higher levels of happiness than Poles, yet the relationship between trust and happiness was positive and similar in strength for both countries. Our data provide preliminary support for the use of the GTS in cross-cultural comparisons; however, consideration of data at the item level may also be relevant and cross culturally useful.

A relationship between individualism and happiness has been observed in many studies, with collectivist cultures having lower indices of happiness. It is often argued that this effect arises because people in individualist countries have greater independence and more freedom to pursue personal goals. It appears, however, that the association is much more complex than this as many collectivist countries suffer from more basic problems, such as social conflicts, discrimination, and prejudice. We hypothesized that global differences in happiness could be the result of ingroup bias and its consequences, rather than of collectivism itself. To test our hypotheses, we applied a country-level design, where a country is considered a unit of analysis. We found that individualism predicted various aspects of a country’s aggregated level of happiness, but was only a marginal predictor of happiness when ingroup favoritism and group-focused enmity were controlled for. We discuss the implications of these findings from evolutionary and social psychological perspectives.

No abstract

Background: Physical activity is associated with higher levels of subjective well-being. However, little research has been conducted in naturalistic conditions with a longitudinal design. In the current study, we aimed to examine whether regular activity initiation can impact happiness, life satisfaction, and self-esteem 4 weeks later.Methods: The sample (N = 217, 124 women) was divided into three groups based on level of physical activity (active people, beginners, and inactive people). The participants completed measures of happiness, satisfaction with life, self-esteem, and a survey on physical activity. Ninety-five of participants who completed the same set of measures sent by email after 4 weeks were included in the analyses.Results: The study showed a strong relationship between subjective well-being and physical activity. Active people showed higher levels of happiness and self-esteem compared to beginners and inactive people and a higher level of life satisfaction than inactive people. Furthermore, after 4 weeks of exercising, beginners revealed greater life satisfaction and happiness compared to the baseline.Conclusion: These findings confirm that regular physical activity leads to higher levels of well-being. It seems that even a short engagement in physical activity (4 weeks) may contribute to an increase in subjective well-being.

The present study examined the differences in the psychological wellbeing of 270 Polish (198 female) and 209 South Korean (87 female) students. Specifically, it tested the difference in depressive symptom severity between Polish and Korean students, and how this difference may be accounted for by stress and sensitivity to frustration. Poles and Koreans were chosen for this investigation as they vary in terms of culture with Koreans being more collectivistic and more dependent on social context. It was hypothesized that Koreans will have higher levels of depressive symptom severity than Poles due to the elevated levels of stress and sensitivity to frustration. Participants in both countries completed a set of questionnaires including the PHQ-9 -Patient Health Questionnaire, the STAR -Situational Triggers of Aggressive Responses Scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale -PSS 10. We found that Koreans were more depressed than Poles due to the higher stress levels and sensitivity to frustration. We discuss our study from two culturally distinct perspectives: psychological and philosophical. As this article addresses the problem of frustration and stress with attention to social context of emotional expression (or restraining from it), a philosophical concept of resentment may turn out to be a promising area of further research and interpretation.

Exploring the relationships between variables that predict hostile attributions is essential for understanding aggressive behaviours and for enabling the development of suitable aggression‐reduction interventions. The aim of this series of two studies was to investigate how ascribing intentionality and blame to other people are critical in predicting hostile attribution. In Study 1 (general sample: N = 163, 63.8% females; inmates: N = 109 people, 78.9% females), we hypothesized that people that are sensitive to provocation declare higher levels of anger and that this is serially mediated by perceived intentionality of the act and perceived blame of the harm‐doer. The results confirmed these assumptions. In Study 2, the participants took part in a 3‐month psycho‐educational training that included mentalization elements. We hypothesized that the level of hostile attributions among inmates (N = 8, females) would be lower after the training. Changes in the inmates' attributions were observed after a qualitative analysis of the results. This finding achieved the study's aim of demonstrating how such theoretical assumptions can be practically implemented.

No abstract