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Explaining Differences in Subjective Well-Being Across 33 Nations Using Multilevel Models: Universal Personality, Cultural Relativity, and National Income.
- Source :
-
Journal of personality [J Pers] 2016 Feb; Vol. 84 (1), pp. 46-58. Date of Electronic Publication: 2014 Nov 12. - Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- This multinational study simultaneously tested three prominent hypotheses--universal disposition, cultural relativity, and livability--that explained differences in subjective well-being across nations. We performed multilevel structural equation modeling to examine the hypothesized relationships at both individual and cultural levels in 33 nations. Participants were 6,753 university students (2,215 men; 4,403 women; 135 did not specify), and the average age of the entire sample was 20.97 years (SD = 2.39). Both individual- and cultural-level analyses supported the universal disposition and cultural relativity hypotheses by revealing significant associations of subjective well-being with Extraversion, Neuroticism, and independent self-construal. In addition, interdependent self-construal was positively related to life satisfaction at the individual level only, whereas aggregated negative affect was positively linked with aggregate levels of Extraversion and interdependent self-construal at the cultural level only. Consistent with the livability hypothesis, gross national income (GNI) was related to aggregate levels of negative affect and life satisfaction. There was also a quadratic relationship between GNI and aggregated positive affect. Our findings reveal that universal disposition, cultural self-construal, and national income can elucidate differences in subjective well-being, but the multilevel analyses advance the literature by yielding new findings that cannot be identified in studies using individual-level analyses alone.<br /> (© 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
- Subjects :
- Adult
Cross-Cultural Comparison
Female
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Male
Self Concept
Social Behavior
Social Identification
Students psychology
Universities
Young Adult
Income statistics & numerical data
Models, Psychological
Personal Satisfaction
Personality
Students statistics & numerical data
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1467-6494
- Volume :
- 84
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Journal of personality
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 25234240
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12136