Being happy and finding life meaningful overlap, but there are important differences. A large survey revealed multiple differing predictors of happiness (controlling for meaning) and meaningfulness ...(controlling for happiness). Satisfying one's needs and wants increased happiness but was largely irrelevant to meaningfulness. Happiness was largely present oriented, whereas meaningfulness involves integrating past, present, and future. For example, thinking about future and past was associated with high meaningfulness but low happiness. Happiness was linked to being a taker rather than a giver, whereas meaningfulness went with being a giver rather than a taker. Higher levels of worry, stress, and anxiety were linked to higher meaningfulness but lower happiness. Concerns with personal identity and expressing the self contributed to meaning but not happiness. We offer brief composite sketches of the unhappy but meaningful life and of the happy but meaningless life.
Results of several studies have suggested that smartphone addiction has negative effects on mental health and well-being. To contribute to knowledge on this topic, our study had two aims. One was to ...investigate the relationship between risk of smartphone addiction and satisfaction with life mediated by stress and academic performance. The other aim was to explore whether satisfaction with life mediated by stress and academic performance facilitates smartphone addiction. To identify test subjects, systematic random sampling was implemented. A total of 300 university students completed an online survey questionnaire that was posted to the student information system. The survey questionnaire collected demographic information and responses to scales including the Smartphone Addiction Scale - Short Version, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Data analyses included Pearson correlations between the main variables and multivariate analysis of variances. The results showed that smartphone addiction risk was positively related to perceived stress, but the latter was negatively related to satisfaction with life. Additionally, a smartphone addiction risk was negatively related to academic performance, but the latter was positively related to satisfaction with life.
•Stress mediates the relationship between smartphone addiction and satisfaction with life.•Academic performance mediates the relationship b/w smartphone addiction & satisfaction with life.•There is a zero order correlation between smartphone addiction and satisfaction with life.
Given the importance of understanding psychosocial well-being as part of aging characteristics and processes, the present study aimed to describe life satisfaction among middle-aged and older adults ...in Mexico, according to sociodemographic, economic, psychosocial, and health factors.
Data were obtained from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), a longitudinal, nationally representative survey of adults aged 50 years and older. Data from the 2012, 2015, and 2018 waves were analyzed for this study. Life satisfaction in the MHAS is assessed using the Spanish version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). For the construction of the trajectories over six years of follow-up, quartiles of the scale were calculated for each wave. Multinomial regression models were then estimated to determine significant factors associated with each trajectory.
A total of 8,376 individuals aged 50 years and older met our study criteria for complete data in the three follow-up waves. Four life satisfaction trajectories were identified over six years of follow-up: high-constant, high-low, low-high, and low-constant. Subjective or psychosocial characteristics such as depressive symptoms, self-reported health, and functional ability were highly significant factors associated with life satisfaction trajectories, while multimorbidity was not significant.
This research contributes to the understanding of psychosocial well-being in Mexican older adults by exploring life satisfaction trajectories and their associated factors. The study shows that psychosocial and economic factors, along with functional abilities, have a much greater impact on life satisfaction, beyond the presence of comorbidity.
•Measured cell phone use (CPUse) to include the device’s complete range of functions.•CPUse was negatively related to students’ actual Grade Point Average (GPA).•CPUse was positively related to ...anxiety (as measured by Beck’s Anxiety Inventory).•GPA was positively and anxiety was negatively related to Satisfaction with Life (SWL).•Path analysis showed CPUse is related to SWL as mediated by GPA and anxiety.
While functional differences between today’s cell phones and traditional computers are becoming less clear, one difference remains plain – cell phones are almost always on-hand and allow users to connect with an array of services and networks at almost any time and any place. The Pew Center’s Internet and American Life Project suggests that college students are the most rapid adopters of cell phone technology and research is emerging which suggests high frequency cell phone use may be influencing their health and behavior. Thus, we investigated the relationships between total cell phone use (N=496) and texting (N=490) on Satisfaction with Life (SWL) in a large sample of college students. It was hypothesized that the relationship would be mediated by Academic Performance (GPA) and anxiety. Two separate path models indicated that the cell phone use and texting models had good overall fit. Cell phone use/texting was negatively related to GPA and positively related to anxiety; in turn, GPA was positively related to SWL while anxiety was negatively related to SWL. These findings add to the debate about student cell phone use, and how increased use may negatively impact academic performance, mental health, and subjective well-being or happiness.
•A path model examined how locus of control (LoC) is related to cell phone use and behavioral outcomes.•Behavioral outcomes include sleep quality, academic performance and subjective well-being.•LoC ...is not related to total daily cell phone use, but to use at inopportune times and circumstances.•Greater external LoC: less control of use at bedtime, in class, and while studying.•More inopportune use: lower in sleep quality, academic performance and subjective well-being.
This study centers on the following hypothesis: that individuals with an external locus of control, in comparison to individuals with an internal locus of control, have less control over their cell phone use (i.e., more likely to use at bedtime; more likely to use in class and while studying) and are consequently more vulnerable to the negative outcomes associated with excessive cell phone use (i.e., poor sleep quality, reduced academic performance, and reduced subjective well-being). Methods: Undergraduate college students (N=516) participated in the study by completing validated surveys assessing their cell phone use, locus of control, sleep quality, academic performance, and subjective well-being. A path model was used to examine how locus of control relates to students’ cell phone use and the key outcome variables. Results: The model exhibited reasonable model fit with all paths being statistically significant and in the hypothesized direction. Conclusion: By enabling an individual to better control cell phone use at inopportune times, a greater internal locus of control may mitigate some of the negative outcomes associated with high frequency cell phone use; conversely, an individual with a greater external locus of control may have difficulty controlling use at inopportune times and the negative effects associated with high frequency use may be exacerbated.
Despite a growing awareness that problematic usage of smartphones is becoming a significant public health issue, there is limited research on how problematic smartphone usage relates to the ...humanistic concepts of well-being, particularly those captured in Ryff's six psychological well-being dimensions: positive relations, autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. The current study aimed to provide a comprehensive assessment of the relationship between general and problematic smartphone usage and subjective well-being and psychological well-being using long-form, theoretically grounded measures. Australian adults (n = 539, 79% female; age in years M = 25.1, SD = 7.8) completed Diener's Satisfaction with Life Scale, the PANAS, and Ryff's 84-item measure of psychological well-being. Results showed that problematic smartphone usage was correlated with lower well-being on almost all scales. In particular, negative affect, autonomy, and environmental mastery had the largest negative correlations with problematic smartphone usage. Given the stable and dispositional nature of well-being, it seems likely that much of the relationship is driven by a common underlying tendency to experience anxiety, negative emotions, and a lack of control, combined with a tendency to engage in maladaptive coping and compulsive behavior.
•Problematic smartphone use is associated with lower wellbeing.•Autonomy is negatively associated with problematic smartphone use.•Negative affect is positively associated with problematic smartphone use.•Reducing smartphone use could be a targeted intervention in clinical settings.
Introduction
The concept of meaning in life has gained significant attention in psychology research in recent years due to its correlational relationship with physical and mental well-being (i.e., ...objective and subjective health measures, e.g., Steger, 2012). While recent attention has been directed toward this concept in sport psychology using qualitative research methods (e.g., Ronkainen et al., 2015), quantitative investigations into the specific sources of meaning engaged by athletes are notably scarce. This study (1) compares athletes with the general population and (2) employs a person-oriented approach to identify distinct profiles of athletes’ meaning in life and the sources they predominantly tap into.
Methods
A sample of 589 elite athletes from Switzerland (50.9% women, 49.1% men; Mage = 24.86 years, SD = 5.09) participated in this study. Utilizing the Meaning and Purpose Scales (MAPS; Schnell & Danbolt, 2023), participants also provided contextual information about their life situations. The athletes were compared with the general population using t-tests. To identify profiles within the athlete population, we employed a latent profile analysis.
Results
Compared to the general population, athletes exhibit heightened meaningfulness and lower crisis of meaning and prioritise different sources of meaning. Athletes were higher in Growth and Community and lower in Faith, Sustainability and Security. The analysis yielded a three-profile solution based on theoretical considerations and statistical criteria: (1) athletes with below-average meaning in life and sources (n = 127), (2) athletes with above-average meaning in life and faith (n = 109), (3) athletes with above-average meaning in life with balanced sources (n = 353). Athletes in profiles 2 and 3 were characterized by elevated levels of meaningfulness and sources of meaning, and demonstrated greater life satisfaction and self-esteem, relative to the profile with below-average meaning in life and sources.
Discussion/Conclusion
The identified relationships with key mental health constructs align with qualitative findings emphasizing the centrality of meaningfulness in athletes’ lives. On a nomothetic level, elite athletes indicate a high degree of meaningfulness (compared to the population), however, there is a high degree of heterogeneity within the sample, which is why group-specific analysis (i.e., LPA) could help understanding meaning and its sources in elite athletes. In the future this approach could be useful to tailor programs aimed at cultivating meaning in life of elite athletes.
References
Ronkainen, N. J., Tikkanen, O., Littlewood, M., & Nesti, M. S. (2015). An existential perspective on meaning, spirituality and authenticity in athletic careers. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 7(2), 253–270. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2014.926970
Schnell, T., & Danbolt, L. J. (2023). The Meaning and Purpose Scales (MAPS): Development and multi-study validation of short measures of meaningfulness, crisis of meaning, and sources of purpose. BMC Psychology, 11(1), Article 304. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01319-8
Steger, M. F. (2012). Experiencing meaning in life—Optimal functioning at the nexus of well-being, psychopathology, and spirituality. In P. T. P. Wong (Ed.), The Human Quest for Meaning: Theories, Research, and Applications (2nd ed., pp. 165–184). Routledge.
With mobile phones becoming central parts of our lives, mobile technology gets criticized for its negative impact on people's well-being. Studies generally report negative associations between mobile ...phone use (MPU) and well-being. However, few studies contrast the relationship of MPU with different concepts of positive psychology. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between MPU and different concepts of positive psychology: life satisfaction, well-being, and mindfulness. Data from 461 German speaking participants answering an online-questionnaire were analyzed. Overall, results suggest that participants who use their mobile phones more often report lower well-being, life satisfaction, and mindfulness scores. Furthermore, results imply that the relationships between positive psychology concepts and MPU differ between men and women. Results indicate that MPU and its associations with concepts of positive psychology are relevant areas for research and deserve more attention.
•Mobile phone use is negatively correlated with well-being, life satisfaction, and mindfulness.•Well-being and mindfulness are significant predictors of mobile phone use.•For men, well-being is a mediator of the association between mindfulness and mobile phone use.•For women, mindfulness has a direct relationship with mobile phone use.
The new Coronavirus has impacted people’s lifestyles, stress, and well-being. Thus, they need personal positive resources to help them during challenging circumstances. With this longitudinal study ...on 290 participants, we analyzed the relationship between psychological capital (PsyCap), measured at the beginning of the lockdown period and some indicators of mental health (depression, anxiety, satisfaction with life) measured after 2 months. Moreover, we examined whether stress (at Time 2) mediates the relationships. Following structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses, the results show that PsyCap has a significant positive effect on satisfaction with life and significant negative effects on depression and anxiety. Stress mediated all the relationships.
Mental health problems are common among college students. This study sought to assess the prevalence and risk factors of depressive and anxiety symptoms and well-being among Chinese college students ...9 months after initiation of the outbreak of COVID-19.
A cross-sectional study (
= 3,951, mean age = 19.58) was conducted from October to December 2020. An online survey was used to collect socio-demographic data, and the symptoms of depression and anxiety and satisfaction with life using Disorder 7-Item Scale (GAD-7), the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-Item Scale (PHQ-9), and the 5-items Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS).
The prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms was 59.35 and 54.34%, respectively, and the score of satisfaction with life was 20.51 ± 6.42 among Chinese college students during the pandemic. After controlling for covariates, students in urban areas (AOR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.61-0.87), with good family economic levels (AOR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.66-0.91), and having psychological counseling (AOR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.42-0.73) were positively associated with depression symptoms; meanwhile, higher anxiety symptoms were observed among medical students (AOR = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.69-0.95). Besides, healthy lifestyle such as regular physical activity and diet was associated with depression and anxiety symptoms. Multiple linear models revealed that medical students (β = 0.479,
= 0.031), those with good family economic level by self-evaluation (β = 1.283,
< 0.001 for good; β = 3.013,
< 0.001 for general), good academic performance by self-evaluation (β = 1.786,
< 0.001 for good; β = 3.386,
< 0.001 for general), learning burden (β = 1.607,
< 0.001 for general; β = 2.117,
< 0.001 for light), regular physical activity (β = 0.859,
< 0.001), daily routine (β = 1.289,
< 0.001), diet (β = 1.714,
< 0.001), and sufficient sleep (β = 1.408,
< 0.001) had more score of SWLS (all β > 0,
< 0.05), while senior students (β = -1.053,
=0.009), students having psychological counseling (β = -1.753,
< 0.001), and drinking (β = -0.743,
= 0.012) had lower satisfaction with life.
These findings suggest that more attention should be paid to psychological health among college students, especially during and after the COVID-19 outbreak. Policy makers and educators should help college students develop a healthy lifestyle with regular diet and exercise to promote the psychological health of college students.
PDF
