Cultural Values and Happiness: An East-West Dialogue

TLDR

Happiness may be universal, yet its meaning is complex and ambiguous. The study examined how cultural values relate to happiness using a value measure derived from Chinese culture and a balanced subjective well‑being metric across East and West. The study surveyed 439 Taiwanese and 344 UK university students. Relationships between values and happiness were stronger in Taiwan than in the UK, with social integration and human‑heartedness showing culture‑dependent effects, while Confucian work dynamism had a culture‑general effect.

Abstract

Abstract Happiness as a state of mind may be universal, but its meaning is complex and ambiguous. The authors directly examined the relationships between cultural values and experiences of happiness in 2 samples, by using a measurement of values derived from Chinese culture and a measurement of subjective well-being balanced for sources of happiness salient in both the East and the West. The participants were university students–439 from an Eastern culture (Taiwan) and 344 from a Western culture (the United Kingdom). Although general patterns were similar in the 2 samples, the relationships between values and happiness were stronger in the Taiwanese sample than in the British sample. The values social integration and human-heartedness had culture-dependent effects on happiness, whereas the value Confucian work dynamism had a culture-general effect on happiness.