Lay Understanding of Happiness and the Experience of Well-Being: Are Some Conceptions of Happiness More Beneficial than Others?

Abstract

The aim of the study was to understand aspects of life that men and women associate with happiness and to explore the connections between these associations and well-being (measured as positive affect, negative affect and life satisfaction) in different periods of life. Participants were 785 people who were asked to list associations that came to mind on hearing the word 'happiness'. The moderating roles of gender and period of life (adolescence/adulthood, transition/no transition) were analysed. Participants associated happiness mostly with health and relationships. Other categories included knowledge, work, material goods and freedom. Those who associated happiness with work had higher levels of positive affect. Associating happiness with relationships predicted greater life satisfaction, whereas associating it with material goods predicted lower satisfaction. Gender moderated the relationship between associations and positive affect: associating happiness with material goods decreased positive affect among men but no such effect was observed among women; associating happiness with relationships was beneficial for women but unbeneficial for men. Additionally, associations with material goods predicted lower positive affect, especially in times of transition. Associating happiness with knowledge decreased positive affect in adolescents and increased it in adults. Some ways of understanding happiness improved life satisfaction but none were related to negative affect. The relationship between concepts of happiness and positive affect is complex; some concepts are unbeneficial only for some people and during certain periods of life.

Walls of Well-Being (WOWs): a Pilot Study of a New Methodology to Explore Children’s and Adolescents’ Perceived Sources of Happiness

“…Therefore, identifying age and gender differences in lay theories was not possible. This may be important because at least in adults and adolescents, there are age and gender differences in lay theories (Bojanowska and Zalewska 2016). Furthermore, students' responses may be influenced by the physical presence of their peers and teachers, as well as the responses on the WOWs written prior to their contribution.…”

“…Lay theories of happiness, and their relationship with the positive affect people experience, differ between adults and adolescents (Bojanowska and Zalewska 2016). Additionally, Dube et al (1998) reported that both young adults and their parents believe that internal factors influence subjective well-being more than external factors, however parents attribute a greater role to external factors than do young adults.…”

Concepciones de la Felicidad y su relación con el Bienestar Subjetivo: un estudio mediante Redes Semánticas Naturales

“…La problemática cobra relevancia dado que las concepciones o paradigmas por medio del cual los sujetos definan su felicidad los lleva a implicarse en diversas acciones o actividades, actividades que contribuirán finalmente a sus niveles de felicidad o bienestar (Bojanowska & Zalewska, 2015). El presente estudio se propuso contribuir a esta línea de investigación, indagando por un lado qué paradigmas son tenidos en cuenta por los ciudadanos a la hora de definir la felicidad y, por otra parte, verificar si los sujetos varían en sus niveles de felicidad subjetiva en función de cómo hayan definido el concepto de felicidad, ya sea desde un paradigma más hedónico o primordialmente eudaimónico.…”

“…Dado que cuando se habla de las concepciones de la felicidad se está haciendo referencia a una representación cognitiva individual de la naturaleza y experiencia del bienestar (Bojanowska & Zalewska, 2015), esta técnica resulta especialmente útil. En este sentido, la misma permite conocer el significado que los sujetos tienen sobre un concepto dado (Valdez, 2002).…”

“…Diversos estudios se han llevado a cabo para verificar si las diversas concepciones de felicidad que tengan las personas (hedónica vs. eudaimónica) se asociana los niveles de bienestar percibidos por las mismas. La concepción de felicidad puede entenderse como una representación cognitiva individual de la naturaleza y experiencia del bienestar (Bojanowska & Zalewska, 2015). Estas concepciones generalmente pueden describirse como el grado en que las personas enfatizan dimensiones hedónicas o eudaimónicas como aspectos importantes para la experiencia del bienestar (McMahan & Estes, 2011).…”