Time is a finite resource which can be utilised for production and consumption. How people utilise this vital resource in their daily activities is relevant in terms of its welfare consequences. The term 'pace of life' refers to the varying speed at which an individual carries out their daily activities, and it can be an essential factor to consider when examining their overall life satisfaction. Although previous economic studies have addressed this variable at the country or regional level, very few studies have examined its impact at the individual level. Temporal focus, on the other hand shows the degree to which people focus their attention on the past, present or future. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the connections between the pace of life, temporal focus, and life satisfaction at the individual level. The findings indicate that the individual pace of life is a significant determinant of life satisfaction.
Previous work has shown that behavioural traits are key determinants of subjective wellbeing (SWB). We provide global evidence on the relationship between a set of behavioural preferences and SWB. Preferences measure behavioural traits based on both subjective and experimental data. We use the global preferences survey (GPS) and the Gallup World Poll (GWP) covering a globally representative population from 76 countries. Results indicate strong correlations between different measures of SWB and the set of preferences consisting of patience, risk taking, positive reciprocity, negative reciprocity, altruism and trust. The correlations tend to be positive suggesting that being more patient, risk taking, reciprocal, altruistic or trusting is beneficial for SWB. The coefficients are remarkably similar for the different regions of the world.
The happiness of housewives is a central issue in debates about women's emancipation. Feminists argue that full-time housewives are unhappy, while opponents contend that housewives are happier than working women, especially working mothers. Many women also question whether they would be happier as a full-time housewife or by working outside the home. Method: We review empirical research on this topic from the World Database of Happiness, which lists 49 scientific publications addressing the subject of 'housewife'. Most of these studies use acceptable measures of happiness, yielding a total of 88 research findings. Results: Cross-sectional studies indicate that housewives are generally less happy than working women, but happier than other groups such as the self-employed, unemployed, and retired individuals in the same country. These differences vary considerably across time, place, and occupation. Longitudinal studies suggest that housewives are happier than working women over time
This paper investigates whether happiness generates growth spillovers through democracy. Using a panel of 100 countries from 2013 to 2024, we construct a democracy-based weight matrix capturing institutional proximity. Estimating a Spatial Durbin Panel Data model, we decompose growth determinants into direct (within-country) and indirect (spillover) effects. Results show that higher happiness is associated with higher domestic growth and positive spillovers to institutionally proximate democracies. These findings are robust to standard controls and an alternative geographic matrix. However, spillovers are larger and more precisely estimated when countries are linked by democracy rather than physical distance. Spillovers are strongest among democratic and intermediate regimes and weak in non-democracies, underscoring institutional quality's role in mediating international diffusion. The paper shows that promoting subjective well-being and democratic governance can generate more inclusive development than focusing on material growth alone.
This study explores the determinants of happiness among Kolkata residents through a micro-econometric framework. Using primary data from 312 households across six locations categorised by pollution levels, the study explores the impact of socio-economic, demographic, and environmental factors on self-reported life satisfaction. Employing an ordered logit regression model, the study reveals significant positive effects of health, income, education, freedom, and marital status on happiness, while air pollution negatively impacts life satisfaction. The study also investigates the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on well-being. Households affected by COVID-19 reported lower life satisfaction due to overwhelmed healthcare systems, financial distress, and mental health challenges. Furthermore, the fear of recurring lockdowns compounded these effects, reflecting the psychological and socio-economic toll of the pandemic. The study highlights the complex interplay of material and non-material factors in shaping well-being, providing valuable insights for regional development and policy-making.
This study was conducted to explore the role of perceived organisational support and organisational justice in predicting teachers' well-being in Turkish public schools. Our research study was conducted in the eastern Anatolia region of T & uuml;rkiye using a simple random sampling method. A total of 519 teachers from various schools participated voluntarily in the study. To explore the role of perceived organisational support and organisational justice in predicting teachers' well-being, multiple linear regression analysis was utilised. To test the goodness of fit indices and factor structure of the scales, confirmatory factor analysis and explanatory factor analysis were performed. The findings of this research demonstrate that both perceived organisational support and organisational justice are positive and significant predictors of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being scores of teachers.
This study examines the effects of an online positive psychological intervention (OPPI) on psychological well-being, stress, and burnout levels in an international sample, using a randomised controlled trial design while controlling for initial resilience levels. After a six-week intervention based on the PERMA model (Seligman, 2011), participants showed increased psychological well-being and reduced burnout levels compared to the control group. No significant effects were found for stress and the exhaustion dimension of burnout. The intervention's impact remained significant three months after completion of the program for two dimensions of burnout (i.e., cognitive and emotional impairment) and several aspects of psychological well-being (i.e., positive emotions, meaning, accomplishment, and happiness). Resilience emerged as a significant covariate for the relationship, meaning, and accomplishment dimensions. These findings inform practical applications of online PERMA-based interventions across workplaces, education, public health, and therapeutic settings, effectively emphasising structured support to enhance adherence, reduce burnout, and improve overall well-being.
This paper mainly investigates the relationship between political view/ideology and social trust by using survey data conducted in 2011 in the three most populous cities in T & uuml;rkiye; "& Idot;stanbul", "Ankara", and "& Idot;zmir" respectively, and contributes to the research about the relationship between political ideology or view and social trust. Ordered probit statistical methods are applied to data collected by surveying a representative sample of individuals in the three most populous cities in T & uuml;rkiye. It is found, in the empirical analysis, that right-wing people trust in people, in general, less than left-wing people do. It is also found in the paper that trust in people in general increases with education attainment, and income level. Our regression results also show that people who feel that tradition makes their lives easier trust other people more. In addition, it is found in the paper that happier people trust others more. Since our research includes data from only three metropolitan cities, it may not reflect all T & uuml;rkiye in general.
This research paper highlights the dilemmas associated with the social construction of marriage vs. the ideation of marriage as a modern symbol of unity in contemporary Pakistan. The paper draws on the narratives of 16 divorced and separated men/women. Marital happiness for women is attained in their willingness to act in subordinate roles due to the hegemonic masculinity of men. The study is based on personal experiences of individuals and defying the patterns of obedience had led to dissatisfaction in their marital relationships. The major problem had been the inability to accept the ground realities of marriage in its practical form in contrast to the perception of marriage as a romantic and happy relationship. When the realities did not meet the expectations; their relations came to an end leading to social stigma and emotional dilemmas. These findings suggest the need to rethink of marriage as a complex and evolving institution in contemporary Pakistan.
Psychological detachment is a work/work-stress recovery strategy that is presumed to reduce stress and improve employee health and happiness. However, psychological detachment could increase stress when it diminishes employees' eudaimonic (i.e., self-actualisation and fulfilment) and/or hedonic (i.e., pleasure) well-being. This research study's objective is to test the mediating effects of eudaimonic and hedonic well-being on the relationship between psychological detachment and work stress. Data were collected through a three-week longitudinal survey in Mexico. The data were analysed using the PROCESS Macro in SPSS\. The results indicate that psychological detachment is positively related to work stress through a negative influence on eudaimonic well-being. The mediating effects of hedonic well-being were non-significant. The findings suggest that psychological detachment is not a one-size-fits-all solution to recover from work stress; alternative recovery strategies need to be tailored to help specific individuals maintain health and happiness.
There is a gap in the literature on how institutional quality influences happiness in sanctioned developing countries. To fill this gap, we estimate a set of dynamic panel data models for 56 developing countries from 2005 to 2022 using a system-generalised method of moments. Our approach allows us to examine the interaction effect between institutions and sanctions on happiness. We find that lower political risks, more democratic accountability, better socioeconomic conditions, improved bureaucracy quality, less corruption, and fewer ethnic tensions reduce the harmful effect of sanctions on happiness. Furthermore, military intervention in politics worsens the adverse effects of sanctions. We find that a robust social support system increases happiness during sanctions. Inflation and access to the internet decrease happiness. As a robustness check, estimating the model using a comprehensive institutional quality index comprising political, financial, and economic sub-indicators confirms our findings. These findings hold implications for policymakers in developing economies.
Low fertility is a global issue, affecting both developed and developing countries where opportunity cost of fertility for working women is an outstanding factor. Education plays a very strong role on fertility decline but present study focuses on the role of women's employment on fertility decline and investigates whether the role of education still existing on the association between women's employment and fertility. Using data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for Turkey from 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018, the study runs a series of Poisson regression analyses for each year. Overall, findings show that women's employment and education are independently associated with married women's number of children. In conclusion, changing socio-economic structures made women choose their career over their fertility regardless of their social status (measured through education); thus, Turkish government should focus on pronatalist policies to ease the cost of fertility and childrearing for employed women to control fertility decline.
The present study examined different factors that affected Coventry residents' mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 4162 respondents from the Household Survey of Coventry City Council were included in the data analysis. The short version of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS) and a COVID-19-related worry score were used for the purpose of the study. The results indicated that the most significant influence on residents' mental wellbeing was the extent to which members of the household worried about COVID-19. Furthermore, there was a significant association between the mental wellbeing score and factors such as general health condition and alcohol consumption. Participation in social and cultural activities (in person and online), visiting park or open space, involving in everyday activities, attendance of pubs and clubs when COVID restrictions were lifted, enjoying live music in person and virtually, were all positively related to improved mental wellbeing.
With the increase in online financial transactions following the pandemic, internet shopping has gained immense momentum, providing convenience and encouraging compulsive shopping behaviours. The purpose of this study is to determine whether difficulties in emotion regulation influence the association between alexithymia and compulsive online shopping. Furthermore, the study investigates the moderating influence of age and includes gender as a covariate. Surveys were conducted with 597 participants through convenience sampling. The findings reveal that alexithymia strongly predicts difficulty in emotion regulation, and both factors have a direct positive effect on compulsive online shopping. While gender was not a significant factor, age moderated the indirect effect of alexithymia on compulsive shopping via emotion regulation difficulties. These findings suggest that mental health interventions targeting emotional awareness and regulation may help individuals reduce compulsive online shopping behaviours. Age-specific strategies could further enhance the effectiveness of these interventions, offering tailored support to different demographic groups.
