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Related Experiment Videos

The dynamic process of life satisfaction.

Daniel Heller1, David Watson, Remus Ilies

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. dheller@uwaterloo.ca

Journal of Personality
|September 9, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Life satisfaction shows significant daily fluctuations within individuals. These changes are linked to job and marital satisfaction, highlighting the importance of within-subject variation in psychological well-being.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Personality Psychology
  • Social Psychology

Background:

  • The Cognitive Affective Personality System (CAPS) provides a framework for understanding personality.
  • Previous research has often focused on between-individual differences, neglecting within-individual variability.
  • Life satisfaction is a key indicator of psychological well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the magnitude, antecedents, and consequences of within-individual variation in life satisfaction.
  • To examine the relationship between daily fluctuations in life satisfaction and job/marital satisfaction.
  • To explore the moderating role of Neuroticism and the lagged effects of life satisfaction.

Main Methods:

  • Diary study design.
  • Involved 76 fully employed, married adults.

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  • Utilized state-based assessments of life satisfaction, job satisfaction, and marital satisfaction.

    • Main Results:

    • A substantial amount of intra-individual variation in life satisfaction was observed.
    • Concurrent changes in life satisfaction were systematically related to fluctuations in job and marital satisfaction.
    • Neuroticism did not moderate the associations between life satisfaction and domain satisfaction.
    • Life satisfaction predicted next-day domain satisfaction ratings, indicating a lagged influence.

    Conclusions:

    • Within-individual variation in life satisfaction is systematic and significant.
    • Daily fluctuations in life satisfaction are influenced by concurrent changes in job and marital satisfaction.
    • The findings underscore the dynamic nature of life satisfaction and its connection to daily experiences.