We offer and test a simple operationalization of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being ("happiness") as mediating variables that link outcomes to motivation. In six evolutionary agent-based simulation experiments, we compared the relative performance of agents endowed with different combinations of happiness-related traits (parameter values), under four types of environmental conditions. We found (...

In a review of recent cross-cultural evidence on happiness and well-being, the authors identified substantial cultural variations in (1) cultural meanings of happiness, (2) motivations underlying happiness, and (3) predictors of happiness. Specifically, in North American cultural contexts, happiness tends to be defined in terms of personal achievement. Individuals engaging in these cultures are...

The biological correlates of negative affect (e.g. depression and neuroticism) have been well studied, but very little research has focused on the biological correlates of positive affect (e.g. happiness and well-being). Cortisol has been shown to be a consistent marker for depression, but has yet to be studied with relation to happiness. High levels of morning cortisol have been linked to depr...

Of all forms of Intelligent Narrative, interactive narratives are uniquely well-poised to benefit from player modelling techniques. Given the availability of immediate player feedback as interactions with the narrative’s world, the traditional task of delayed authoring can be informed with the author’s knowledge of which types of players should prefer each event; this allows generated narrative...

The French Unhappiness Puzzle: The Cultural Dimension of Happiness This article sheds light on the important differences in self-declared happiness across countries of equivalent affluence. It hinges on the different happiness statements of natives and immigrants in a set of European countries to disentangle the influence of objective circumstances versus psychological and cultural factors. The...

This paper deals with the concept of happiness in economics. Of late there has come into life a branch of happiness economics and it is this field that will be our concern. Actually, not only economists are interested in quantifications of happiness but also researchers in other disciplines. Notably there are several psychologists who investigate happiness as well. We mention Schimmack et al. (...

OBJECTIVE A community survey was performed to investigate the factors and perspectives associated with happiness among the elderly in Korea (≥60 years). METHODS Eight hundred volunteers selected from participants in the Ansan Geriatric study (AGE study) were enrolled, and 706 completed the survey. The Happiness Questionnaire (HQ), which asks four questions about happiness, was administered. T...

astract: happiness is a great gift that should be searched , found , seized and transmit to others . with regard the happiness influence on social and individual life and the widespread role of religion in human lives , the present study has been done with the aim investigate the relationship between religiosity and amount of happiness among young people in tehran . in this study were explored ...

Situated in China's market transition, this study examines the relationship between economic sector and a worker's happiness in post-reform urban China. Using datasets from the Chinese General Social Surveys 2003, 2006 and 2008, we find that workers in the state sector enjoy a subjective premium in well-being - reporting significantly higher levels of happiness than their counterparts in the pr...