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On the Concept of Well-Being in Japan: Feeling Shiawase as Hedonic Well-Being and Feeling Ikigai as Eudaimonic Well-Being

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  • Michiko Kumano

    (Osaka Ohtani University)

Abstract

This study clarified characteristics of well-being in Japan, specifically differences between feeling shiawase and feeling ikigai, to elucidate how they relate to eudaimonic well-being and hedonic well-being. Participants were 846 Japanese in their 30s (418 men, 428 women), who responded to a web-based survey. Questionnaire items comprised level of shiawase/ikigai, the presence of a difference between feeling shiawase and feeling ikigai, and, in an open-ended question, the difference between feeling shiawase and feeling ikigai. Results revealed that feeling shiawase is primarily characterized by such feelings as delight and peace; it is oriented toward the present. Feeling ikigai entails actions of devoting oneself to pursuits one enjoys and is associated with feelings of accomplishment and fulfillment. Furthermore, it includes awareness of values such as the purpose of life and the meaning of existence; it is future oriented, as in goal seeking. This study verifies that for Japanese, feeling shiawase is close to hedonic well-being and feeling ikigai is close to eudaimonic well-being. This suggests that it is important to approach Japanese well-being not in technical terms such as eudaimonic well-being; rather, Japanese well-being should be comprehended in terms of ikigai which is an aspect of daily conversation in Japan.

Suggested Citation

  • Michiko Kumano, 2018. "On the Concept of Well-Being in Japan: Feeling Shiawase as Hedonic Well-Being and Feeling Ikigai as Eudaimonic Well-Being," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 13(2), pages 419-433, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ariqol:v:13:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1007_s11482-017-9532-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11482-017-9532-9
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    1. Yew-Kwang Ng & Lok Sang Ho (ed.), 2006. "Happiness and Public Policy," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-0-230-28802-7, June.
    2. Edward Deci & Richard Ryan, 2008. "Hedonia, eudaimonia, and well-being: an introduction," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 9(1), pages 1-11, January.
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    5. Pilar Sanjuán, 2011. "Affect Balance as Mediating Variable Between Effective Psychological Functioning and Satisfaction with Life," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 373-384, June.
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    1. Tiziana CARPI & Airo HINO & Stefano Maria IACUS & Giuseppe PORRO, 2022. "A Japanese Subjective Well-Being Indicator Based on Twitter Data [‘Collective Smile: Measuring Societal Happiness from Geolocated Images’]," Social Science Japan Journal, University of Tokyo and Oxford University Press, vol. 25(2), pages 273-296.
    2. Shintaro Kono & Gordon J. Walker, 2021. "Theorizing the Temporal Aspect of Ikigai or Life Worth Living among Japanese University Students: a Mixed-Methods Approach," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 16(2), pages 845-873, April.
    3. Yumeng Cheng & Wanqing Wang & Takeshi Kinoshita & Konomi Ikebe, 2025. "Fostering Sustainable Livelihoods and Community Resilience in a Depopulated Japanese Mountainous Settlement: Connecting Local Culture and Ikigai-Zukuri Through the Ōsawa Engawa Café," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-49, June.
    4. Yoshiko Someya & Cullen T. Hayashida, 2022. "The Past, Present and Future Direction of Government-Supported Active Aging Initiatives in Japan: A Work in Progress," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-18, February.
    5. Arie Sherman & Pninit Russo-Netzer & Tal Shavit, 2025. "Hedonic and Eudaimonic Capital as Tools for Managing Fluctuations in Well-Being Throughout the Voyage of Life," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 20(4), pages 1559-1582, August.
    6. Betsey Stevenson, 2025. "What Is There to Fear in a Post-AGI World?," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of Transformative AI, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Shruti Agrawal & Nidhi Sharma & Rohit Agrawal & Gianpaolo Iazzolino & Maria Elena Bruni, 2025. "Beyond GDP: A Triple Helix Framework for a Happiness Economy," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 179(1), pages 67-94, August.
    8. Keiko Kabasawa & Junta Tanaka & Yumi Ito & Kinya Yoshida & Kaori Kitamura & Shoichiro Tsugane & Kazutoshi Nakamura & Ichiei Narita, 2021. "Associations of physical activity in rural life with happiness and ikigai: a cross-sectional study," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-10, December.
    9. Shintaro Kono & Gordon J. Walker, 2020. "Theorizing Ikigai or Life Worth Living Among Japanese University Students: A Mixed-Methods Approach," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 327-355, January.

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