Well-Being & Satisfaction
Definitions and Explanations:
Well-being - the pervasive sense that life has been and is good. It is an ongoing perception that this time in one's life, or even life as a whole, is fulfilling, meaningful, and pleasant (Myers, 1993).
Dynamic Equilibrium Theory - Well-being remains relatively consistent over the life span due to personality, although current events in people's lives can either raise or lower well-being temporarily (Diener, Suh, Lucas, & Smith, 1999).
People who have a high sense of well-being tend to be extraverts, optimists, and worry free.
The types of goals people have determine how much well-being they are experiencing with life in general. Intrinsic goals are positively correlated with well-being. Extrinsic goals are negatively correlated with well-being.
Contrary to popular belief, well-being does not rise when income rises. Wealth does not bring well-being. According to University of Michigan researcher Ronald Inglehart (as cited in Myers, 1993), people from wealthier countries report higher levels of well-being than those in poorer countries on average, but levels of well-being differ from country to country. West Germans average twice as much personal income as those of the Irish, but the Irish report being happier. The same can be seen with the wealthier French as compared to their Belgian neighbors. Within countries, the richer are not always happier. Living in abject poverty does not promote happiness, but having more than one needs has little effect on one's well-being. Diener and colleagues (Diener, Horowitz and Emmons, 1985) interviewed 49 of the wealthiest Americans as listed by Forbes magazine and found them to be only slightly happier than average.
Health does not correlate with well-being. How people view their health depends on their emotional state and objective measures of their health from doctors (Diener, Suh, Lucas, & Smith, 1999). People generally need a basic level of health wherein pain does not interfere with activities (Williamson, 1998). People with high levels of well-being and hope usually return to normal levels of well-being after unpleasant diagnoses of illness (Synder, 2000). The exception to this rule is for people with multiple disabling conditions. Although their well-being goes up after initial diagnosis, they usually do not return to normal levels of well-being that were present before diagnosis.
Satisfaction - the feeling that one has accomplished a goal during a certain period of time. As long as people feel their goals are being reached, satisfaction remains unaffected. Even small achievements can foster feelings of satisfaction.
People use social comparison to determine how well they are achieving satisfaction with life. Adaptation-level principle - our satisfaction is relative to our prior experience. People tend to compare their present levels of satisfaction with past experiences. When situations change for the better or worse in relation to perceived goals, levels of satisfaction are affected. For example, students who receive a higher grade than expected both feel good and praise the teacher; whereas those who receive a lower grade than expected both feel lousy and belittle the teacher. Thus, a B grade could mean something quite different to the student who expected an F as compared to a student who expected an A, thus changing levels of satisfaction with the class (Snyder and Clair, 1976). Relative deprivation principle - our happiness is relative to others' attainment of happiness. How happy or frustrated people feel depends on with whom they are compared. People readily identify others as being rich or beautiful, but rarely believe themselves to be so.
Landmark Studies and Suggested Readings:
Diener, E., Horowitz, J., & Emmons, R.A. (1985) Happiness of the very wealthy. Social Indicators, 16, 263-274.
Diener, E., Suh, E. N., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999). Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125, 276-302.
Diener, E. (2000) Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. American Psychologist, 55, 34-43.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000) Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68-78.
Activities and Demonstrations
The Satisfaction with Life Scale