Introduction to a Culturally Sensitive Measure of Well-Being: Combining Life Satisfaction and Interdependent Happiness Across 49 Different Cultures

Abstract

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.

Exploring the Transdisciplinary Nexus of Young People's Future Livelihoods and Relational Well-Being: A Bibliometric Approach

“…Relational well-being as a concept requires further exploration in diverse cultural contexts. The presence of non-Western countries such as Kenya and Nigeria in the data depicts and confirms the value of comparative studies that examine how RWB manifests in various socio-economic settings [97]. A cross-sectional snapshot has provided valuable insights; however, there is a significant opportunity for longitudinal studies that can track changes in young people's livelihood strategies and relational well-being over time.…”

Distinct associations between gratitude, self-esteem, and optimism with subjective and psychological well-being among Japanese individuals

“…These more refined measures allow the examination of differences and similarities surrounding the structure of well-being within and across cultures. For instance, recent results employing such measures have raised questions about the appropriateness of life satisfaction as a metric of well-being in more collectivistic societies [ 130 ]. Such insights provide a foundational framework upon which positive psychology interventions tailored to specific cultural contexts can be developed.…”

Gratitude, self-esteem, and optimism distinctively impact the subjective and psychological well-being of Japanese individuals

“…This is not a trivial matter; it has been shown that owing to culture-specific attitudes and thinking styles, the very act of "seeking happiness" may paradoxically lead to impairments in happiness and well-being; highly motivated happiness seekers were associated with lower well-being in the US (more individualistic society) but with higher well-being in East Asia (more collectivistic societies) (Ford et al, 2015). Recently developed alternative, culturally sensitive measures (Hitokoto & Uchida, 2015) allow a more extensive examination within and across cultures regarding the differences and similarities surrounding the underlying structure of well-being, as illustrated by recent results that question the suitability of life satisfaction as a metric of well-being in more collectivistic societies (Krys et al, 2023). Future studies should capitalize on the firmer ground offered by such results to develop more culturally competent positive psychology interventions.…”