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The Overall Satisfaction with Life: Subjective Approaches (1)

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Global Handbook of Quality of Life

Part of the book series: International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life ((IHQL))

Abstract

Life-satisfaction is our subjective appreciation of our life as-a-whole. The synonyms are happiness and subjective wellbeing. A good society is first of all a livable society and the livability of a society manifests in the life satisfaction of its members. Therefore improving society requires an understanding of life satisfaction, in particularly it requires answering the following seven questions: (1) What is life satisfaction precisely? (2) Can life satisfaction be measured? (3) How satisfied are people presently with their life? (4) How do we assess how satisfied we are? (5) What conditions add to life-satisfaction? (6) Can life satisfaction be raised lastingly? (7) Should life-satisfaction be raised? Throughout the ages philosophers have toiled with these questions, and since the 1960s they have been subjected to empirical research In this chapter I take stock of the progress that has been made in this field, using the many research findings gathered in the World Database of Happiness.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Three main meanings or health are applied to the term health: The maxi variant is all the good (WHO definition 1984), the medium variant is life-ability, and the mini-variant is absence of physical defect.

  2. 2.

    A problem with this name is that the utilitarian philosophers used the word utility for subjective appreciation of life, in Bentham’s words: ‘the sum of pleasures and pains’, a meaning which belongs in the right bottom quadrant of Scheme 9.2.

  3. 3.

    Frankl’s (1946) logo-therapy is aimed at helping people to believe in meanings for their life that they do not see.

  4. 4.

    I my view this last item is not appropriate. One can be quite satisfied with life, but still be open to the opportunity to try something else.

  5. 5.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e) Earlier by later happiness (H5.2.1).

  6. 6.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e) Method of interrogation (I5.1.3).

  7. 7.

    Mean of average happiness in nations weighed by number of inhabitants.

  8. 8.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e) Overall happiness by hedonic level (H61.2).

  9. 9.

    World Database of Happiness (Veenhoven 2012g) Finding report Trend Average Happiness in Nations.

  10. 10.

    The distinction between deficiency needs and growth needs is part of Maslow’s (1970) theory of human motivation.

  11. 11.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e) Happiness by Happiness (H6).

  12. 12.

    This analysis involved eight studies, the results of which are summarized section H6.1.2 ‘Overall happiness by Hedonic level of Affect’. The analysis limited to studies among general population samples using comparable single direct questions on overall happiness (type O-HL, O-SL, O-DT, O-QOL) and Affect (type A-AOL).

  13. 13.

    This analysis involved seven studies, the results of which are summarized in, section H6.1.3 ‘Overall happiness by contentment’. The analysis limited to studies among general population samples using comparable single direct questions on overall happiness (type O-HL, O-SL, O-DT) and contentment (type C-BW).

  14. 14.

    This analysis involved 70 studies, the results of which are summarized in the section H6.1.2 ‘Overall happiness by Hedonic level of Affect’. The analysis limited to studies among general population samples using comparable single direct questions on overall happiness (type O-HL, O-SL, O-DT, O-QOL) and Affect Balance (type A-AB). See also Suh et al. 1998.

  15. 15.

    This analysis involved three studies, the results of which are summarized in section H6.23 ‘Hedonic level of Affect by Contentment’. The analysis limited to studies among general population samples. Hedonic level was measured using Affect balance Scales (type A-AB) and contentment using the Cantril ladder (type C-BW) and questions about perceived realization of wants (type C-RW).

  16. 16.

    Wessman wrongly interpreted table 44 as showing that unfulfilled aspirations go with unhappiness.

  17. 17.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Having Children (C3), Relation with children (C5), Family (F1), Relatives (F3), Friendship (F6), Marriage (M2), Social participation (S8), Socio-economic status (S9), Societal characteristics of the nation (N4), Region (N9), Social support (S10), Value climate (V3), War (W1) and Work conditions (W4).

  18. 18.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Housing (H14), Local Environment (L10) Geography of the nation (N4.2).

  19. 19.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and School environment (S2.3).

  20. 20.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Work conditions (W4).

  21. 21.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Prison (P11).

  22. 22.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Age (A4).

  23. 23.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Gender (G1).

  24. 24.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Income (I1).

  25. 25.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Education (E1).

  26. 26.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Occupation (O1).

  27. 27.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Family of relatives (F3) Friends (F6), Marriage (M2).

  28. 28.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Having Children (C3).

  29. 29.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Relation with Children (C5).

  30. 30.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Employment (E2).

  31. 31.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Retirement (R2).

  32. 32.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Social participation in voluntary associations (S7).

  33. 33.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Climate (N4.2.5).

  34. 34.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Pollution (N4.2.5).

  35. 35.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and rural/urban residence (L10.2).

  36. 36.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Local facilities (L10.4).

  37. 37.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Physical health (P6), Mental health (M7).

  38. 38.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Intelligence (I3).

  39. 39.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Personality (P4.8, P4.33).

  40. 40.

    World Database of Happiness, Correlational Findings (Veenhoven 2012e): Happiness and Personality (P4).

  41. 41.

    Explained variance is higher when variables are included that are close to life-satisfaction, such as satisfaction with one’s job. The analysis below limits to variance explained by variables that do not involve evaluation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Ruut Veenhoven

  2. North-West University, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa

    Ruut Veenhoven

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Goethe-Universitat, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Wolfgang Glatzer

  2. University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, United Kingdom

    Laura Camfield

  3. Rhodes University Inst. Social & Economic Research, Grahamstown, South Africa

    Valerie Møller

  4. FLACSO-Mexico & UPAEP, Mexico City, Mexico

    Mariano Rojas

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Veenhoven, R. (2015). The Overall Satisfaction with Life: Subjective Approaches (1). In: Glatzer, W., Camfield, L., Møller, V., Rojas, M. (eds) Global Handbook of Quality of Life. International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9178-6_9

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