Are Satisfied People Happy?: Empirical Evidence of Mismatch of Subjective Well-Being

• In Event: 123 - Section on Social Psychology Refereed Roundtable Session (co-sponsored with Section on Sociology of Emotions and Section on Sociology of Mental Health).
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 04. Subjective Well-Being and Stress

Abstract

Aim:
It is often assumed that people who are satisfied with their lives will be happy as well. In the literature on subjective well-being, the two concepts are often used interchangeably. However, this cannot be taken for granted. Someone who is satisfied with their life can feel unhappy, while someone who is dissatisfied might still feel happy.

Methods:
We use survey data to investigate this apparent mismatch in the case of Japan.

Results:
While the general distribution patterns of the concepts are similar, we find groups amongst which evaluations of life satisfaction and happiness mismatch. Among respondents who were dissatisfied with their life, one third still felt happy. On the other hand, only 17 percent of respondents who felt satisfied with their life were unhappy. With 27.9 percent, this “negative mismatch” was highest amongst respondents who were not married. A “positive mismatch” of feeling happy in spite of being dissatisfied was more likely among women and married respondents, and its share increased by age and household income. Its negative counterpart of being unhappy in spite of being satisfied showed the exact opposite pattern. There was, however, no significant difference by educational level, and only moderately significant differences by occupational status.

Conclusion:
Our analysis shows that whilst life satisfaction and happiness are similar concepts, they can by no means be treated as being identical.

Authors

• Jun Kobayashi, Seikei University

• Carola Hommerich, German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ)