Happiness Maximization Is a WEIRD Way of Living

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cris.lastimport.scopus2025-08-31T03:14:55Z
dc.abstract.enPsychological science tends to treat subjective well-being and happiness synonymously. We start from the assumption that subjective well-being is more than being happy to ask the fundamental question: What is the ideal level of happiness? From a cross-cultural perspective, we propose that the idealization of attaining maximum levels of happiness may be especially characteristic of Western, educated, industrial, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies but less so for others. Searching for an explanation for why “happiness maximization” might have emerged in these societies, we turn to studies linking cultures to their eco-environmental habitat. We discuss the premise that WEIRD cultures emerged in an exceptionally benign ecological habitat (i.e., faced relatively light existential pressures compared with other regions). We review the influence of the Gulf Stream on the Northwestern European climate as a source of these comparatively benign geographical conditions. We propose that the ecological conditions in which WEIRD societies emerged afforded them a basis to endorse happiness as a value and to idealize attaining its maximum level. To provide a nomological network for happiness maximization, we also studied some of its potential side effects, namely alcohol and drug consumption and abuse and the prevalence of mania. To evaluate our hypothesis, we reanalyze data from two large-scale studies on ideal levels of personal life satisfaction—the most common operationalization of happiness in psychology—involving respondents from 61 countries. We conclude that societies whose members seek to maximize happiness tend to be characterized as WEIRD, and generalizing this across societies can prove problematic if adopted at the ideological and policy level.
dc.affiliationInstitute of Psychology
dc.affiliationInstytut Psychologii
dc.contributor.authorKrys, Kuba
dc.contributor.authorKostoula, Olga
dc.contributor.authorvan Tilburg, Wijnand A. P.
dc.contributor.authorMosca, Oriana
dc.contributor.authorLee, J. Hannah
dc.contributor.authorMaricchiolo, Fridanna
dc.contributor.authorKosiarczyk, Aleksandra
dc.contributor.authorKocimska-Bortnowska, Agata
dc.contributor.authorTorres, Claudio
dc.contributor.authorHitokoto, Hidefumi
dc.contributor.authorLiew, Kongmeng
dc.contributor.authorBond, Michael H.
dc.contributor.authorLun, Vivian Miu-Chi
dc.contributor.authorVignoles, Vivian L.
dc.contributor.authorZelenski, John M.
dc.contributor.authorHaas, Brian W.
dc.contributor.authorPark, Joonha
dc.contributor.authorVauclair, Christin-Melanie
dc.contributor.authorKwiatkowska, Anna
dc.contributor.authorRoczniewska, Marta
dc.contributor.authorWitoszek, Nina
dc.contributor.authorIşık, İdil
dc.contributor.authorKosakowska-Berezecka, Natasza
dc.contributor.authorDomínguez-Espinosa, Alejandra
dc.contributor.authorYeung, June Chun
dc.contributor.authorGórski, Maciej
dc.contributor.authorAdamovic, Mladen
dc.contributor.authorAlbert, Isabelle
dc.contributor.authorPavlopoulos, Vassilis
dc.contributor.authorFülöp, Márta
dc.contributor.authorSirlopu, David
dc.contributor.authorOkvitawanli, Ayu
dc.contributor.authorBoer, Diana
dc.contributor.authorTeyssier, Julien
dc.contributor.authorMalyonova, Arina
dc.contributor.authorGavreliuc, Alin
dc.contributor.authorSerdarevich, Ursula
dc.contributor.authorAkotia, Charity S.
dc.contributor.authorAppoh, Lily
dc.contributor.authorArévalo Mira, D. M.
dc.contributor.authorBaltin, Arno
dc.contributor.authorDenoux, Patrick
dc.contributor.authorEsteves, Carla Sofia
dc.contributor.authorGamsakhurdia, Vladimer
dc.contributor.authorGarðarsdóttir, Ragna B.
dc.contributor.authorIgbokwe, David O.
dc.contributor.authorIgou, Eric R.
dc.contributor.authorKascakova, Natalia
dc.contributor.authorKlůzová Kráčmarová, Lucie
dc.contributor.authorKronberger, Nicole
dc.contributor.authorBarrientos, Pablo Eduardo
dc.contributor.authorMohorić, Tamara
dc.contributor.authorMurdock, Elke
dc.contributor.authorMustaffa, Nur Fariza
dc.contributor.authorNader, Martin
dc.contributor.authorNadi, Azar
dc.contributor.authorvan Osch, Yvette
dc.contributor.authorPavlović, Zoran
dc.contributor.authorPoláčková Šolcová, Iva
dc.contributor.authorRizwan, Muhammad
dc.contributor.authorRomashov, Vladyslav
dc.contributor.authorRøysamb, Espen
dc.contributor.authorSargautyte, Ruta
dc.contributor.authorSchwarz, Beate
dc.contributor.authorSelecká, Lenka
dc.contributor.authorSelim, Heyla A.
dc.contributor.authorStogianni, Maria
dc.contributor.authorSun, Chien-Ru
dc.contributor.authorWojtczuk-Turek, Agnieszka
dc.contributor.authorXing, Cai
dc.contributor.authorUchida, Yukiko
dc.date.access2024-02-13
dc.date.accessioned2024-05-27T11:08:59Z
dc.date.available2024-05-27T11:08:59Z
dc.date.created2024-02-13
dc.date.issued2024-02-13
dc.description.abstract<jats:p> Psychological science tends to treat subjective well-being and happiness synonymously. We start from the assumption that subjective well-being is more than being happy to ask the fundamental question: What is the ideal level of happiness? From a cross-cultural perspective, we propose that the idealization of attaining maximum levels of happiness may be especially characteristic of Western, educated, industrial, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies but less so for others. Searching for an explanation for why “happiness maximization” might have emerged in these societies, we turn to studies linking cultures to their eco-environmental habitat. We discuss the premise that WEIRD cultures emerged in an exceptionally benign ecological habitat (i.e., faced relatively light existential pressures compared with other regions). We review the influence of the Gulf Stream on the Northwestern European climate as a source of these comparatively benign geographical conditions. We propose that the ecological conditions in which WEIRD societies emerged afforded them a basis to endorse happiness as a value and to idealize attaining its maximum level. To provide a nomological network for happiness maximization, we also studied some of its potential side effects, namely alcohol and drug consumption and abuse and the prevalence of mania. To evaluate our hypothesis, we reanalyze data from two large-scale studies on ideal levels of personal life satisfaction—the most common operationalization of happiness in psychology—involving respondents from 61 countries. We conclude that societies whose members seek to maximize happiness tend to be characterized as WEIRD, and generalizing this across societies can prove problematic if adopted at the ideological and policy level. </jats:p>
dc.description.accesstimebefore_publication
dc.description.grantnumber2019/34/H/HS6/00597
dc.description.physical1-29
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.identifier.doi10.1177/17456916231208367
dc.identifier.eissn1745-6924
dc.identifier.issn1745-6916
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/695
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/17456916231208367
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOTHER
dc.subject.enculture
dc.subject.ensociety
dc.subject.ensubjective well-being
dc.subject.enhappiness
dc.subject.enlife satisfaction
dc.swps.sciencecloudnosend
dc.titleHappiness Maximization Is a WEIRD Way of Living
dc.title.journalPerspectives on Psychological Science
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle