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Thinking About One’s Subjective Well-Being: Average Trends and Individual Differences

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  • Maike Luhmann
  • Louise Hawkley
  • John Cacioppo

Abstract

In two studies, participants reported what they had been thinking about while completing measures of subjective well-being (SWB). These thought reports were analyzed with respect to life domain, valence, and how strongly they were related to actual levels of SWB. Most people focused on their life circumstances (e.g., career) rather than on dispositional predictors (e.g., personality) of SWB. The domains mentioned most frequently (career, family, romantic life) were also the ones that were most strongly related to actual SWB, indicating that most of people think about things that actually contribute to their SWB. Some domains are predominantly mentioned in positive contexts (e.g., family) whereas others are predominantly mentioned in negative contexts (e.g., money). On average, people thought more about positive than about negative things, a result that is magnified for respondents high in extraversion or emotional stability. In sum, these findings provide insight into what people think contributes to their SWB; beliefs that may guide them as they make important decisions. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Maike Luhmann & Louise Hawkley & John Cacioppo, 2014. "Thinking About One’s Subjective Well-Being: Average Trends and Individual Differences," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 757-781, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:15:y:2014:i:4:p:757-781
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-013-9448-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ulrich Schimmack & Jürgen Schupp & Gert Wagner, 2008. "The Influence of Environment and Personality on the Affective and Cognitive Component of Subjective Well-being," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 89(1), pages 41-60, October.
    2. Bowling, Ann, 1995. "What things are important in people's lives? A survey of the public's judgements to inform scales of health related quality of life," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 41(10), pages 1447-1462, November.
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    1. Sagrario Yárnoz-Yaben & Alaitz Garmendia & Priscila Comino, 2016. "Looking at the Bright Side: Forgiveness and Subjective Well-Being in Divorced Spanish Parents," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(5), pages 1905-1919, October.

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