Joar Vittersø

Personality traits and subjective well-being: emotional stability, not extraversion, is probably the important predictor

Abstract In a panel study, the relationship between Emotional Stability (ES), Extraversion (E) and Subjective Well-Being (SWB) was tested against questionnaire data from 264 Norwegian folk high school students. After a careful reading of recent studies concerned with relationships between personality and subjective well-being, it was hypothesized that the effect from ES on SWB indicators (Life Satisfaction, presence of Positive Affect and absence of Negative Affect) is stronger than the corresponding effect from E. Moreover, it was anticipated that if ES was controlled for, the effect from E on SWB would decrease substantially. In several multiple regression analyses, it was found that, on average, the amount of SWB variance accounted for by ES was 34%, while similar figures for E were 1%. The results are discussed with reference to cultural values and traditions.

Stability in Depressed Mood in Adolescence: Results from a 6-Year Longitudinal Panel Study

A 6-year longitudinal panel study investigated the absolute and relative stability in depressed mood throughout adolescence by reporting data from a sample of 538 adolescents between 13 and 19 years of age. Results revealed the following. (1) Girls had on average higher depressed mood scores than boys at all ages. (2) Among boys there were no substantial changes in depressed mood mean scores, while among girls there was a slight tendency of a curvilinear trend, with a peak level reached in midadolescence. (3) There was a tendency for adolescents to retain their relative level in depressed mood, most pronounced for a period of 4 years, from age 15 to age 19 years. (4) Depressed mood was most stable in a subgroup of adolescents who had high initial depressed mood scores. (5) By applying structural equation modeling, it was shown that the stable (“trait”) component of depressed mood increased in importance with increasing age, while the temporal (“state”) component decreased with increased age.

Subjective well-being. Sex-specific effects of genetic and environmental factors

Genetic and environmental factors in subjective well-being were investigated. Special attention was paid to sex-specific effects. A classical twin design was applied, based upon data from 5140 young adult twins (same and opposite-sex). Structural equation modelling was used to estimate effects from additive genes, genetic interaction, common environment and non-shared environment. The best fitting model involved an additive genetic factor and non-shared environment. There were only marginal sex differences in mean levels of subjective well-being, and no differences in variance. Yet, there were sex differences in the degree of heritability (0.54 for women and 0.46 for men). Additionally, the correlation between the male and female genetic factors was 0.64, suggesting that, in part, different sets of genes may influence variation in subjective well-being for men and women. A dual mechanism process of genetic influence upon well-being is proposed, comprising the notion of interaction between genotypes and cultural value systems.

The Conceptual and Relational Structure of Subjective Well-Being, Neuroticism, and Extraversion: Once Again, Neuroticism Is the Important Predictor of Happiness

The purpose of this study wastwofold: (1) to analyze and explore theconceptual structure of subjective well-being(SWB), neuroticism (N) and extraversion (E);and (2) to compare the effect sizes of N and Eas predictors of SWB. The sample comprised 461participants representative of the adultpopulation in northern Norway. Analyses wereconducted by means of Structural EquationModeling (SEM), and the results on (1)supported the notion of an overall subjectivewell-being construct sustained by the threenested dimensions of life satisfaction,positive affect, and negative affect. A simplefactor structure for N and E was notsupported, and considerable modification wasneeded to provide even a mediocregoodness-of-fit for the trait model. On (2),N explained eight times as much of the SWBvariance as did E. Moreover, throughcomparison of several models it was revealedthat if E is the sole predictor of SWB, theinfluence of E on SWB is overestimated by afactor of seven. Since N and E are stronglyand negatively correlated (r = −0.50), themodel comparison demonstrates the importanceof including both E and N as independentvariables in regression models of SWB.

Tourist experiences and attractions

Abstract It is argued that general assessments of satisfaction are insensitive to a variety of differences in subjective experiences. The flow-simplex is introduced as an alternative method to provide differentiated information about the tourist experience. Data from on-site experiences were gathered by questionnaires at six Norwegian attractions. With regard to overall satisfaction, only minor differences were found among the six attractions. The flow-simplex, on the other hand, revealed a meaningful and differentiated pattern of affective responses to these attractions. The results show interesting differences among tourists from different countries, and lend support to fundamental assumptions made by cognitive theory concerning the relationship between cognition and affect.

Flow Versus Life Satisfaction: A Projective Use of Cartoons to Illustrate the Difference Between the Evaluation Approach and the Intrinsic Motivation Approach to Subjective Quality of Life

In this paper, differences between life satisfaction and intrinsic motivation (flow) are addressed. Theories are presented on evaluation, flow and openness to experience. Data from a Norwegian panel study are analyzed by means of structural equation modeling. Young adults (n = 264) participated in a projective study with cartoon frames showing Donald Duck in challenging situations. Measures of satisfaction with life and the personality trait of openness to experience were added to the analysis. Subjects scoring high on openness rated Donald Ducks feelings as positive. A slightly opposing tendency was found for persons scoring high on satisfaction with life. The results are discussed with reference to the philosophical distinction between hedonism and eudaemonia.

The Concept of Life Satisfaction Across Cultures: Exploring Its Diverse Meaning and Relation to Economic Wealth

The structural validity of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) was tested with confirmatory factor analyses in 41 nations. In addition, life satisfaction was correlated with national wealth (GNP) in these societies, after correcting for the reliability of the life satisfaction measure. The homogeneity of the SWLS was found to be acceptable across all nations, but differed between levels of analyses. Aggregated to the national mean level, a nested factor was found to cause a rather strong covariance between the first and fifth SWLS items. Initially, the zero-order correlation between the SWLS and GNP was.42 (p <.05). However, after controlling for the psychometric properties of the SWLS scale, such as reliability and model fit, the relation between national wealth and life satisfaction was reduced to.25 (n.s.). Regressing GNP on the factor loadings for all five SWLS items revealed that, relatively, the first item (i.e. In most ways my life is close to my ideal) is a more significant satisfaction with life construct in rich nations compared with poor countries. This and other findings relating to how the meaning of life satisfaction varies with culture are discussed.

Life satisfaction goes with pleasure and personal growth goes with interest: Further arguments for separating hedonic and eudaimonic well-being

Some theories suggest that pleasure and interest are separable emotions, with distinct functions and phenomenology. This study proposes a functional model of well-being that draws on these insights. It argues that both pleasure and satisfaction are elements of hedonic well-being and that their main function is to reward goal achievement and to mentally signalize that the body is in homeostatic stability. In contrast, the main function of interest is to promote mental and physical growth, and to suppress hedonic tendencies of premature returns to a homeostatic balance during difficult strivings. The feeling of interest facilitates personal growth, and is thus an indicator of eudaimonic well-being. A follow-up study (N = 145 Norwegian students) gave empirical support to these assumptions. Life satisfaction predicted feelings of pleasantness while personal growth predicted feelings of interest. With a projective technique, it was further demonstrated that satisfaction produces pleasant stories, but not interesting stories.

Impacts of Home-Based Telework on Quality of Life for Employees and Their Partners. Quantitative and Qualitative Results From a European Survey

The study investigates the effects of home-based telework on quality of life (QoL). Four dimensions of QoL were analysed; overall satisfaction with life, sense of belonging, sense of becoming and sense of being. Through cross-national survey data (from 217 job holders and 112 partners) and by means of structural equation modeling, a positive association was found between home-based telework to a workers sense of belonging (beta = 0.30, p < 0.001). On the other hand, a negative path was detected from the job holders home-based telework to his or her partners overall satisfaction with life (beta = −0.27, p < 0.05). After controlling for subdimensions of life quality, home-based work did not affect the job holders overall life satisfaction. Moreover, the more concentration the job holder reported, the lower the sense of belonging was reported by his or her partner (beta = −0.28, p < 0.05). No simple explanation for the negative effects were found, but our interviews with the group of workers and their families leave us the impression that the problem of overworking and withdrawal was most relevant to the cases, in combination with negative spill-over effects and unclear boundary settings in the home.

CONGRUENCE BETWEEN RECREATIONAL MODE AND ACTUAL BEHAVIOR: A PREREQUISITE FOR OPTIMAL EXPERIENCES?

The paper presents a theoretical framework and empirical research. It intends to broaden understanding of the dynamics of emotions and subjective experiences as they develop during a recreational event. The hypothesis is that a congruence between recreational mode and actual behavior facilitates the optimal recreational experience. Data sets from two Norwegian studies, comprising sport fishers, canoeists, and hikers, were examined against this hypothesis. In the first study, 346 participants completed questionnaires measuring place attachment, activity goals and affective responses during their recent fishing trip. In Study 2, outdoor recreationists (n = 305) were approached in the field and asked to describe their recreational mode and to report on their affective responses during an active and a resting phase of the trip, respectively. Analyses were undertaken by means of the so-called flow-simplex, revealing that optimal experiences typically develop if the recreational mode is congruent with the present recreational event. The two studies suggest that it is not possible to understand the dynamics of a recreational experience unless the issue of cognitive representations is considered.