Introduction to a Culturally Sensitive Measure of Well-Being

Combining Life Satisfaction and Interdependent Happiness Across 49 Different Cultures

Bibliographic Data

ID21704530
AuthorsKuba Krys (0000-0003-0365-423X, Institute of Psychology, corresponding author), Brian W Haas (0000-0002-6860-448X, University of Georgia, corresponding author), Eric R Igou (0000-0001-7744-9648, University of Limerick), Aleksandra Kosiarczyk (0000-0001-7274-4111, Uniwersytet SWPS), Agata Kocimska‐bortnowska (Uniwersytet SWPS), Agata Kocimska-Bortnowska (0000-0001-8874-5207), Anna Kwiatkowska (0000-0002-5867-7079, Institute of Psychology), Vivian Miu-Chi Lun (0000-0003-3868-5538), Fridanna Maricchiolo (0000-0002-6230-6609, Roma Tre University), Joonha Park (0000-0002-0764-5173, Nagoya University of Commerce and Business), Iva Poláčková Šolcová (0000-0003-3130-5416, Czech Academy of Sciences), David Sirlopú (0000-0003-4683-1734, San Sebastián University), Yukiko Uchida (0000-0002-8336-2423, Kyoto University), Christin-Melanie Vauclair (0000-0002-4940-1185, Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa), Vivian L Vignoles (0000-0002-7628-6776, University of Sussex), John M Zelenski (0000-0002-3668-5764, Carleton University), Mladen Adamovic (0000-0003-4697-505X, King's College London), Charity S Akotia (0000-0002-8572-8708, University of Ghana), Isabelle Albert (0000-0003-2686-917X, University of Luxembourg), Lily Appoh (0000-0002-5925-7025, Nord University), Douglas Marlon Arévalo Mira (0000-0001-8617-6557), Arno Baltin (Tallinn University), Patrick Denoux (Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées), Alejandra Dominguez-Espinosa, Alejandra Del Carmen Dominguez Espinosa (0000-0002-2697-8627, Ibero American University), Carla Sofia Esteves (0000-0002-7307-8373, Universidade Católica Portuguesa), Vladimer Lado Gamsakhurdia (0000-0002-5297-4777, Tbilisi State University), Vladimer Gamsakhurdia, Márta Fülöp (0000-0002-5020-041X, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary), Ragna B Garðarsdóttir (0000-0003-3368-4616, University of Iceland), Alin Gavreliuc (0000-0001-8411-0327, West University of Timişoara), Diana Boer (0009-0005-9713-6370, Koblenz University of Applied Sciences), David O Igbokwe (0000-0003-1430-0453, Baze University), Idil Işık (0000-0002-6709-9717, Istanbul Bilgi University), Natalia Kascakova (0000-0003-2021-2847, Palacký University Olomouc), Lucie Klůzová Kráčmarová (0000-0003-3406-3176, Czech Academy of Sciences), Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka, Natasza Kosakowska‐berezecka (0000-0003-3503-3921, Institute of Psychology), Olga Kostoula (0000-0002-6462-9962, Johannes Kepler University of Linz), Nicole Kronberger (0000-0001-7128-3990, Johannes Kepler University of Linz), J Hannah Lee (0000-0002-5487-3478, Indiana University Northwest), Xinhui Liu (0000-0002-0706-7836, Renmin University of China), Magdalena Łużniak-Piecha (0000-0001-9834-7552, Uniwersytet SWPS), Arina Malyonova (Omsk State University), Arina Yu Malenova (0000-0001-5778-0739), Pablo Eduardo Barrientos (0000-0001-5984-7095, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala), Tamara Mohorić (0000-0002-5274-1850, University of Rijeka), Oriana Mosca (0000-0002-4873-3161, University of Cagliari), Elke Murdock (0000-0002-2032-1261, University of Luxembourg), Nur Fariza Mustaffa (0000-0002-5155-2062, International Islamic University Malaysia), Martin Nader (0000-0002-7464-9203, Icesi University), Azar Nadi (Institute of Psychology), Ayu Okvitawanli (0000-0002-1387-4263, University of Brawijaya), Yvette Van Osch (0000-0001-6693-6977, Tilburg University), Vassilis Pavlopoulos (0000-0002-6465-6725, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens), Zoran Pavlović (0000-0002-9231-5100, University of Belgrade), Muhammad Rizwan (0000-0002-5332-9980, University of Haripur), Vladyslav Romashov (0000-0001-6078-4490, Institute of Psychology), Espen Roysamb (0000-0001-5133-7170, University of Oslo), Rūta Sargautytė (0000-0002-4555-4889, Vilnius University), Beate Schwarz (0000-0002-3230-1153, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences), Heyla A Selim (0000-0002-6974-7175, King Saud University), Ursula Serdarevich (0000-0002-8082-5082, Universidad Nacional de La Matanza), Maria Stogianni (0000-0002-3238-4331, Tilburg University), Chien-Ru Sun, Chien‐ru Sun (National Chengchi University), Julien Teyssier (0000-0003-3988-1848, Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées), Wijnand A P Van Tilburg (0000-0002-9724-0603, University of Essex), Claudio Torres (0000-0002-3727-7391, Universidade de Brasília), Cai Xing (0000-0003-2790-2103, Renmin University of China), Michael Harris Bond (0000-0001-5409-9614, Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
Year2023
Volume24
Issue2
Pages607-627
Publication date2023-02-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Happiness Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1389-4978 • E-ISSN: 1573-7780
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s10902-022-00588-1
OpenAlexW4312222682
LanguageEN
Citations received25
References cited53

How can one conclude that well-being is higher in country A than country B, when well-being is being measured according to the way people in country A think about well-being? We address this issue by proposing a new culturally sensitive method to comparing societal levels of well-being. We support our reasoning with data on life satisfaction and interdependent happiness focusing on individual and family, collected mostly from students, across forty-nine countries. We demonstrate that the relative idealization of the two types of well-being varies across cultural contexts and are associated with culturally different models of selfhood. Furthermore, we show that rankings of societal well-being based on life satisfaction tend to underestimate the contribution from interdependent happiness. We introduce a new culturally sensitive method for calculating societal well-being, and examine its construct validity by testing for associations with the experience of emotions and with individualism-collectivism. This new culturally sensitive approach represents a slight, yet important improvement in measuring well-being

Collectivism · Happiness · Individualism · Interdependence · Life satisfaction · Political science · Positive psychology · Social science · Sociology · Subjective well-being · Well-being · Computer Science · Cultural Differences and Values · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social and Cultural Dynamics · Social Psychology