Constructions of Happiness and Satisfaction in the Kingdom of Tonga

Chapter
First Online:
Part of the Science Across Cultures: the History of Non-Western Science book series (SACH, volume 6)

Abstract

Despite a growing interest in cultural psychological studies of happiness and related emotional states, very little research has examined these processes in Pacific Island contexts. In this chapter, we describe and elaborate upon some research that was conducted in the Kingdom of Tonga examining the nature of happiness and subjective wellbeing in a sample of residents from the Ha’apai region of the country. This research highlighted both the continuities in emotional experience across cultures as well as the processes that are unique to Tongan constructions of happiness, life satisfaction, and well-being. Consistent with much of the existing research on culture and happiness, rural Tongans reported high levels of overall life satisfaction, well-being, and happiness in various life domains. Importantly, reports of happiness and satisfaction were predicted by variables that reflected the Tongan emphasis on traditional values and smooth social relations. While this project identified some important elements of Tongan definitions of happiness and well-being, there is still a greater need for more in-depth research on this topic in Tonga and the wider Pacific Island region.

Keywords

Life satisfaction · Happiness · Subjective well-being · Pacific Islands · Tonga 
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.University of AlbertaEdmontonCanada
  2. 2.University of Alberta, Augustana CampusCamroseCanada

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