Marriage and Children as a Key to Happiness? Cross-National Differences in the Effects of Marital Status and Children on Well-Being

Vanassche, Sofie; Swicegood, Gray; Matthijs, Koenraad

doi:10.1007/s10902-012-9340-8

Cited by 102 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…More functionally, partnerships offer 'protection effects' which impact upon wellbeing, such as division of labour, and emotional support/companionship from people sharing similar goals and ideals (Arrindell & Luteijn, 2000). However, we can note here that the positive impact of relationships can be mediated by cultural context; for example, there are greater social costs to being unmarried in cultures where marriage is a norm (Vanassche, Swicegood, & Matthijs, 2013); similarly, the negative impact of separation and widowhood are mediated by intersubjective factors, such as the cultural status of widows (Lloyd-Sherlock, Corso, & Minicuci, 2015). Thus, as we explore below in the third section on 'universal relativism,' universal needs (e.g., relationships) may intertwine with culturally-specific factors in complex ways.…”

Section: Universalismmentioning

confidence: 80%

Positive cross-cultural psychology: Exploring similarity and difference in constructions and experiences of wellbeing

Lomas¹

2015

Intnl. J. Wellbeing

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Critical theorists have accused positive psychology of paying insufficient attention to cultural variation in the way wellbeing is constructed and experienced. While there may be some merit to this claim, the field has developed a more nuanced appreciation of culture than its critics suggest. However, it could also be argued that positive psychology has not sufficiently appreciated or absorbed the wealth of literature within cross-cultural psychology pertaining to wellbeing. This paper aims to forge a bridge between positive psychology and cross-cultural psychology by introducing the idea of 'positive cross-cultural psychology,' an interdisciplinary conceptual space for existing and future cross-cultural research on wellbeing. Moreover, the paper offers a meta-theoretical perspective on trends within this literature. It is suggested that crosscultural research is underpinned by two broad orienting perspectives: a 'universalising' perspective, which holds that, despite apparent cultural differences, people share a common human nature; and a 'relativising' perspective, which argues that people are strongly shaped by their cultural context. However, the paper finally argues that most research can actually be seen as offering a synthesising perspective -labelled here as 'universal relativism' -which recognises universals in the ways wellbeing is sought, constructed and experienced, but allows for extensive variation in the ways these universals are shaped by culture.

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Section: Universalismmentioning

confidence: 80%

Positive cross-cultural psychology: Exploring similarity and difference in constructions and experiences of wellbeing

Lomas¹

2015

Intnl. J. Wellbeing

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“…For example, no positive association was found between marriage and health status among middle-aged Korean women who experience heavy family and work overloads due to gender inequality within their families and other social settings (Lee 2013). Furthermore, the relationship between the presence of children and/or a spouse and feeling of happiness varies across societies according to the perceived societal importance of marriage and children (Vanassche, Swicegood, and Matthijs 2013).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, the importance of marital status and the presence of children on psychological wellbeing are contingent on societal attitudes toward marriage and family. According to Vanassche, Swicegood, and Matthijs (2013), married women are more likely to report greater happiness than their cohabiting counterparts. The difference in happiness across marital status, however, tends to decrease in societies where alternative family types, such as cohabitation, are more accepted.…”

Section: Living Arrangements and Psychological Wellbeingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The problem group? Psychological wellbeing of unmarried people living alone in the Republic of Korea

Ho¹

2015

DemRes

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“…Finally, one study examined how cultural variations in the appreciation of parenthood moderated parents' well-being. In countries with a greater overall appreciation of parenthood, fathers of young children, but not mothers or fathers of relatively older children, reported greater happiness than nonparents (Vanassche, Swicegood, & Matthijs, 2013).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The pains and pleasures of parenting: When, why, and how is parenthood associated with more or less well-being?

Nelson¹,

Kushlev²,

Lyubomirsky³

2014

Psychological Bulletin

478

461

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The pains and pleasures of parenting: When, why, and how is parenthood associated with more or less well-being? The relationship between parenthood and well-being has become a hot topic among scholars, media, and general public alike. The research, however, has been mixed-some studies indicate that parents are happier than nonparents, whereas others suggest the reverse. We suggest that the question of whether parents are more or less happy than their childless peers is not the most meaningful one. To reconcile the conflicting literature and expand understanding of the emotional experience of parenthood, we present a model of parents' well-being that describes why and how parents experience more or less happiness than nonparents (i.e., mediators of the link between parenthood and well-being). We then apply this model to explain when parents are more likely to experience more or less happiness (i.e., moderators of parents' well-being, such as parent age or child temperament). Supporting our model, we review 3 primary methodological approaches: studies comparing parents and nonparents, studies examining changes in well-being across the transition to parenthood, and studies comparing parents' experiences while with their children to their other daily activities. Our review suggests that the relationship between parenthood and well-being is highly complex. We propose that parents are unhappy to the extent that they encounter relatively greater negative emotions, magnified financial problems, more sleep disturbance, and troubled marriages. By contrast, when parents experience greater meaning in life, satisfaction of their basic needs, greater positive emotions, and enhanced social roles, they are met with happiness and joy.

show abstract

Marriage and Children as a Key to Happiness? Cross-National Differences in the Effects of Marital Status and Children on Well-Being

Cited by 102 publications

References 33 publications

Positive cross-cultural psychology: Exploring similarity and difference in constructions and experiences of wellbeing

Positive cross-cultural psychology: Exploring similarity and difference in constructions and experiences of wellbeing

The problem group? Psychological wellbeing of unmarried people living alone in the Republic of Korea

The pains and pleasures of parenting: When, why, and how is parenthood associated with more or less well-being?

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