The relationship between happiness and quality of life: A model for Spanish society

Abstract

A key goal for society as a whole is the pursuit of well-being, which leads to the happiness of its individual members; as such, it is of critical socioeconomic relevance. In this regard, it is important to study which factors primarily affect the happiness of the population. In principle, these factors are associated with income level and residential and job stability, or more specifically, citizens’ quality of life. This research, which is based on a multidimensional concept of quality of life, uses a regression model to explain the dependence of Spaniards’ happiness on the well-being or quality of life provided by their work, their family situation, their income level and aspects of their place of residence, among other factors. The data were collected through an anonymous survey administered to a representative sample of Spanish citizens. The methodology used approaches the intangible concept of happiness as resulting from different individual and social causes selected from dimensions addressed in the literature, and calculates their effects or importance through regression coefficients. One of the findings is that people with the highest level of well-being or quality of life in the most important dimensions mostly claim to be happy. With respect to gender, it has a significant influence on the dimensions included in the model of citizen happiness and on personal issues. It is also shown that the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic negatively influenced the quality of life of Spanish citizens and therefore their happiness.

Psychological and Social Vulnerability in Spaniards’ Quality of Life in the Face of COVID-19: Age and Gender Results

“…We thus quantify this relationship or coefficient γ for each factor analysed ( Table 1 ). The mathematical relationship follows a linear formulation, as supported by the analyses conducted by López-Ruiz et al [ 40 ] on citizen happiness, according to the equation where α is the independent term and ɛ is a random variable with zero expectation, uncorrelated and with constant variance. The measures of goodness of fit for the explanation of variance by the k factors can be checked through the adjusted coefficient of determination R 2 .…”

Designing a Model to Promote Happiness in High School Students

“…Kim (2019) in a study examined the mediating effect of optimism on the relationship of middle school students' stress and happiness at school and indicated that enhancing optimism is an effective strategy for improving the happiness at school. Some studies have also addressed the role of family environment on adolescent happiness (López-Ruiz, Huete-Alcocer, Alfaro-Navarro, & Nevado-Peña, 2021;Nes, Czajkowski, & Tambs, 2010). Fararouei, Brown, Toori, Haghighi, and Jafari (2013) indicated that happiness was associated with lower BMI, regular physical activity, absence of exposure to second-hand smoke, higher consumption of fruits and vegetables, and spending leisure time with family.…”

The relationship between cognitive flexibility and happiness among nurses

“…People make efforts to fulfill various needs such as happiness and success throughout their lives. Given that human life is finite, achieving happiness is critical for increasing the quality of life (Javanmardnejad et al, 2021; López‐Ruiz et al, 2021). Individual, social, and environmental factors may influence the efforts to achieve happiness.…”