Culture and subjective well-being: Introduction to the Special Issue

Abstract

In this introduction to the special issue of The Journal of Happiness Studies the authors discuss culture and subjective well-being. Slightly different agendas and perspectives are brought to the table by the four articles of this special issue, but they all have their sights on one common belief: The universal strive for a positive life, indisputably, takes place within the specifics of the person's cultural environment. The papers in this issue point to several specific directions. First, conceptual and theoretical developments should keep pace with the rapid accumulation of empirical findings (Tiberius, 2004). Second, the field needs to diversify its sampling of cultures. Third, qualitative data can reveal culture-specific connotations of wellbeing that are difficult to capture through standard questionnaires (Lu, 2004). Finally, using elaborate study designs, research questions should begin to tackle underlying psychological processes in a more systematic and rigorous manner (Yukiko et al., 2004). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)