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What kind of life do people want? In psychology, a good life has typically been conceptualized in terms of either hedonic or eudaimonic well-being. We propose that psychological richness is another neglected aspect of what people consider a good life. In study 1 (9-nation cross-cultural study), we asked participants whether they ideally wanted a happy, a meaningful, or a psychologically rich life. Roughly 7 to 17% of participants chose the psychologically rich life. In study 2, we asked 1611 Americans and 680 Koreans what they regret most in their lives; then, if they could undo or reverse the regretful event, whether their lives would have been happier, more meaningful, or psychologically richer as a result. Roughly 28% of Americans and 35% of Koreans reported their lives would have been psychologically richer. Together, this work provides a foundation for the study of psychological richness as another dimension of a good life. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s42761-020-00011-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

O Manual do Programa da Intervenção “Cante Pela Sua Saúde” (Sing4Health) constitui um instrumento orientador para Intervenções de Canto em Grupo que sejam dirigidas a seniores com 60 ou mais anos de idade e que visem promover o seu bem-estar subjetivo e social, funções cognitivas, e saúde física e mental. O Programa foi desenvolvido no âmbito do Projeto «Grupos de Canto para Seniores» que partiu de uma ideia da cantora Anabela Pires, tendo sido financiado no âmbito do Orçamento Participativo Portugal 2017, implementado e coordenado pela Direção-Geral das Artes, entre 2018 e 2021, no quadro de uma parceria com a Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Almada, a Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, a Cooperativa de Ensino Universitário-Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa, o Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa e o Organismo de Produção Artística, E.P.E. do Teatro Nacional de São Carlos. No Manual são fundamentadas as opções metodológicas, técnicas e artísticas, descrito o modo como decorreu a implementação do Programa, bem como os resultados relativos à eficácia da Intervenção. Os principais resultados evidenciaram que as atividades de cantar em grupo implementadas no presente Programa são um meio eficaz e com boa relação custo-benefício para a saúde física e mental e para o bem-estar social de pessoas seniores, considerando-se importante a sua continuidade e adaptação a outras populações de seniores.

espanolRESUMEN El envejecimiento poblacional requiere de esfuerzos para ayudar a los adultos mayores a mantener una mayor calidad de vida e independencia. El canto en grupo (CG) ha mostrado beneficios en los dominios social, fisico y cognitivo, siendo una estrategia eficiente para alcanzar estos objetivos. Sin embargo, son escasos los ensayos controlados aleatorios (ECA) que evaluan intervenciones sistematicas de CG y la interaccion de sus efectos en dichos dominios. Asi, el presente ECA evaluo si una intervencion de CG de 34 sesiones mejora las funciones cognitivas en adultos mayores (funciones ejecutivas y memoria verbal) y si tiene efectos en los marcadores de inflamacion sistemica. Ademas, se quiso determinar si los cambios en los dominios social y fisiologico mediaban los efectos de la intervencion en la cognicion. Se asignaron 149 participantes a un grupo en lista de espera, que mantuvo sus niveles de actividad habituales, o a un grupo de intervencion. Se realizaron evaluaciones ciegas de los resultados al inicio, despues de la intervencion y durante el seguimiento. Los resultados confirmaron los efectos positivos del CG en la cognicion, especialmente sobre la memoria verbal. Tambien aportaron evidencias acerca del efecto protector del CG en la inflamacion sistemica. Los analisis de mediacion revelaron una compleja interaccion de, por un lado, la adherencia a la intervencion del CG y los cambios en la funcion respiratoria y el bienestar social y, por otro, la magnitud de la mejora cognitiva. Estos resultados situan a la socializacion y la funcion respiratoria como piezas clave en intervenciones multidimensionales de CG, maximizando los beneficios de estas sobre la cognicion en adultos mayores. EnglishABSTRACT Population aging prompts efforts to help older adults maintain a high quality of life and independence. Group singing (GS) has shown benefits on social, physical, and cognitive domains, being a cost-effective strategy to reach these goals. Nevertheless, randomized controlled trials (RCT) evaluating systematic GS interventions and the interplay between their effects on those domains are scarce. Thus, the present RCT assessed whether a 34-session GS intervention boosts older adults' cognitive functions (executive functions and verbal memory) and whether it has an impact on systemic inflammation markers. Additionally, it intended to determine whether changes in social or physiological domains mediated the intervention effects on cognition. One hundred and forty-nine participants were allocated to a waiting-list group, which kept their usual activity levels, or an intervention group. Blinded outcome assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. Results confirmed positive effects of GS on cognition, especially marked for verbal memory. Evidence of GS's protective effect on systemic inflammation is also provided. Mediation analyses revealed a complex interaction of GS intervention engagement and respiratory function and social wellbeing changes with the magnitude of cognitive improvement. These results highlight socialization and respiratory functions as critical pieces of multidimensional GS interventions, maximizing their benefits on older adults' cognition.

Objective To examine short- and long-term effects of a group singing program on older adults' perceived physical and mental health levels, and also investigate subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive/negative affect and hedonic balance), body balance and serum biomarkers (C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate) as putative mediating mechanisms, controlling for the cognitive status of the participants. Design: The randomized controlled trial included 149 participants (60 to 95 years), allocated to an immediate intervention group (IG) or a wait-list active control group (WLG). The intervention comprised 34 sessions of group singing during 4-months. Main outcome measures: Self-report measures of physical health, anxiety, stress, and depression. Blinded assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention (4 months) and follow-up (6 months). Results: Participants in the IG reported a lower decline in perceived physical health after the intervention, as compared to the WLG. These benefits were maintained at follow-up. Singing-related changes in physical and mental health outcomes were mediated via an increase in positive affect. Moderation results showed that participants with very low cognitive functioning reported more anxiety and depression symptoms after the intervention. Conclusions: These findings provide further understanding on the psychological and physical mechanisms and effects of group singing in older adults. Portugal’s Participatory Budget (Project n.° 626, OPP 2017; Dispatch n.° 11409 C/2017) info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Group singing may be an optimal intervention strategy to promote active ageing and well-being; however, evidence with experimental validity is scarce. This study aims to fill this gap by analysing the effects of a 34-session singing group programme (SGP) on participants' subjective and social well-being and the mediating roles of social identification with the singing group and of self-esteem. An RCT with intervention (n = 89) and active waiting-list control (n = 60) conditions was conducted, and a mixed method quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis were performed. Participants were mostly elderly day-care centre users (M = 76.66 years old; SD = 8.79) with low average levels of education and income. Structured measures of life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, self-esteem, loneliness, social identification and social well-being were collected, as well as interviews on the perceived benefits of participating in the SGP. Results showed significant effects of the SGP on the positive affect, social well-being and marginally on the self-esteem of the participants. The observed effects were sustained at the follow-up. Qualitative analysis corroborated the quantitative results. Mediation analysis showed indirect effects of social identification with the singing group on loneliness and social identification with the social care institution group; and of self-esteem on positive and negative affect. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Background Singing is a multimodal activity that requires physical, cognitive and psychosocial performance, with benefits to various domains of well-being and health in older adults. In recent years, research has increasingly studied group singing as an important cost-effective intervention to promote active and healthy aging. However, the specific factors responsible for these benefits need further experimental support, as most studies do not allow for causal inferences. This study responds to the need for further randomized controlled trials (RCT), with follow-up measurement, on the benefits of group singing in older adults from a low socioeconomic background. Also, while most studies often focus on specific outcome measure dimensions, in this study, the conjoint effect of several physical, psychosocial, psychoemotional and cognitive dimensions are analyzed, testing mediation effects of psychosocial and psychoemotional variables on the well-being and health of the participants. Methods We implement and measure the effects of a singing group program for older adults, with an RCT crossover design study, in a natural context, before and after the intervention and in a follow-up, 6 months after the intervention. Participants 140 retired older adults (> 60 years) users of a social support institution, will be invited to participate in a singing group program and randomly allocated to an experimental (n = 70) and a control (n = 70) group, which will enroll in the regular activities proposed by the institution. The intervention consists of 34 bi-weekly group singing sessions, of 2 h each, for 4 months. Measures on social and emotional well-being, cognitive function, and health indicators (e.g., blood pressure, glycemia, cholesterol, c-reactive protein, sedimentation rate, respiratory function, body balance, sleep quality, medication intake, and health services attendance) will be collected. Interviews will be conducted on the motivation and perceived benefits of participation. Discussion Significant improvements are expected in the outcome measures in the experimental group after the intervention, validating singing groups as a cost-effective intervention for healthy aging. Psychosocial and psychoemotional variables are expected to be mediators of the effects of the program in the cognitive function, well-being and health of the participants. Trial registration NCT03985917. Registered 14th June 2019 (retrospectively registered).

This paper analyzes the structure and the temporal invariance of the Portuguese version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Previous studies are not consensual whether PANAS measures two or three affect factors and whether such factors are independent or correlated. In order to fi ll in this gap, we compared the original PANAS, as an independent bi-dimensional structure, with several other alternative structures. Two hundred forty fi ve university students and professional trainees answered the questionnaire in two distinct moments with a two month interval. The model of PANAS with a structure of two independent factors, Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA), as proposed by the authors of the scale, was tested. However, the best model consisted of two independent factors, PA and NA, with the cross-loading of the item “excited” between PA and NA, and specifi ed error correlations between the same categories of emotions. Another gap in the literature is the temporal invariance analysis of the PANAS. This paper assesses the temporal invariance of the scale, using the structural equation modeling analysis. Although it was used in its state form version, the PANAS scale showed temporal stability in a two month interval., O artigo analisa a estrutura e a invariância temporal da versão portuguesa da Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. A investigação científi ca anterior não é consensual acerca da estrutura da PANAS, se é constituída por dois ou três fatores e se esses fatores são independentes ou correlacionados. De forma a colmatar esta lacuna, procedemos à comparação da estrutura da PANAS como tendo duas dimensões independentes com várias outras estruturas alternativas. Duzentos e quarenta e cinco estudantes universitários e de cursos de formação profi ssional responderam ao questionário em dois momentos, com dois meses de intervalo. Foi testado o modelo da PANAS que representa uma estrutura de dois fatores independentes, Afeto Positivo (AP) e Afeto Negativo (AN), tal como defi nida pelos autores da escala. Contudo, o melhor modelo foi o que representa uma estrutura de dois fatores independentes, com a ponderação dupla do item “excitado” entre o AP e o AN e especifi cando correlações entre os erros dos itens que pertencem às mesmas categorias de emoções. Outra lacuna na investigação é a análise da invariância temporal da PANAS. Este artigo analisa a invariância temporal da escala, utilizando a análise de modelos de equações estruturais. Embora a escala tenha sido aplicada na sua versão afeto estado, a PANAS revelou invariância temporal num intervalo de dois meses.

Objetivo: Avaliar o impacto da participação num programa de canto no bem-estar subjetivo (BES) de seniores. Método: O presente estudo, com metodologia experimental, utilizou medidas estruturadas das dimensões afetiva e cognitiva do BES (Afeto Positivo e Negativo – PANAS – e Satisfação com a Vida - SWLS) e entrevistas semiestruturadas para testar o impacto de um programa de canto de curta duração (10 sessões, durante cinco semanas), no BES de um grupo de seniores, com idades entre 61 e 92 anos, num centro de dia. Trinta seniores aceitaram participar no programa de canto e foram divididos aleatoriamente em dois grupos (experimental e de controlo), sendo que 26 participantes no total terminaram a intervenção nos dois grupos (quatro homens, 15.3%; 22 mulheres, 84.6%; M = 75 anos de idade). Resultados: Observou-se um decréscimo significativo do nível de afeto negativo no grupo experimental, após a intervenção, que foi significativamente inferior ao do grupo de controlo. No entanto, este efeito não se manteve na medida de follow-up, oito semanas após a intervenção. Numa análise qualitativa à perceção dos indivíduos sobre a sua participação no programa indicou benefícios na interação e apoio social entre os seniores, na expressão de emoções positivas e em novas aprendizagens. Conclusão: Os resultados sugerem que programas de grupos de canto podem promover variáveis de BES. Objective: To evaluate the impact of the participation in a singing program in the subjective well-being (SWB) of seniors. Method: This study, with experimental methodology, used structured measures on the affective and cognitive dimensions of SWB (Positive Affect and Negative Affect – PANAS - and Satisfaction with Life - SWLS) to test the impact of a short singing program (10 sessions, during four weeks), on seniors attending a day care facility. Thirty seniors (aged between 61 and 92 years old) accepted to participate in the singing program and were randomly assigned into two groups (experimental and control): 26 completed the intervention (four men, 15.3%; 22 women, 84.6%, M = 75 years of age). Results: There was a significant decrease in negative affect in the experimental group after the intervention, which was significantly lower compared to the control group. However, this effect was not sustained at follow-up measurement, eight weeks after intervention. A qualitative analysis of the perception of individuals about their participation in the program showed gains in social support and interaction between participants, in the expression of positive emotions and in knowledge acquisition. Conclusion: The results suggest that singing groups programs may promote SWB variables.

Projecto Financiado FCT (BPD/26479/2006) Personality traits like Neuroticism and Extroversion, Satisfaction With Relationships, and Attachment Security are among the most important predictors of subjective well-being (SWB). However, the relative contribution of these predictors to SWB is seldom tested, and even more rarely tested cross-culturally. In this study, we replicate and extend Galinha, Oishi, Pereira, Wirtz, and Esteves, aiming to identify the strongest predictors of SWB, and in what way that contribution is universal or culture-specific, across such collectivist-individualist countries as India, Sweden, and the United States (N = 1,622). Structural equation modeling showed that Satisfaction With Relationships is a stronger predictor of SWB in India, while Neuroticism is a stronger predictor of SWB in Sweden and the United States, results consistent with prior Portuguese and Mozambican samples. These findings suggest that Satisfaction With Relationships is probably a stronger predictor of SWB in more collectivistic and less developed countries, while low Neuroticism is a stronger predictor of SWB in more individualistic and highly developed countries. Across all samples, Attachment Security and Extroversion showed very weak or nonsignificant effects on SWB above the contribution of Neuroticism and Satisfaction With Relationships, consistent with prior results. Neuroticism significantly mediated the relationship between Attachment Security, SWB, and Satisfaction With Relationships.

The article analyses the prediction of cognitive, affective and contextual factors to Subjective Wellbeing (SWB). Four different components of SWB were used in order to identify its different predictors. A sample of 303 adult students was collected and reassessed over a two- month interval. Seven instruments were used to measure: Global Subjective Wellbeing; Satisfaction with Life in Domains; Positive and Negative State Affect; Positive and Negative Trait Affect; Standards of Comparison; Depression, Anxiety and Stress; Life Events; and Socio- Demographic variables. Results indicated that Global SWB is predicted by Satisfaction with Life in Domains, and Positive and Negative State Affect. The cognitive dimension of SWB is predicted by Depression, Comparison Standards, State and Trait Affect, and several contextual variables. The affective dimension of SWB is predicted by Trait Affect, Depression, Anxiety, and the contextual variable of educational status. Results also indicated that intrapersonal variables are the main predictors of SWB, however contextual variables are also significant predictors. Each component of SWB (global, cognitive & affective) shows different predictors, stressing the importance of analysing and reporting separately the results of each component. Among the predictors of SWB over a two-month interval, state affective variables and contextual variables lose prediction power, while trait affective and cognitive variables gain prediction power.

The criteria for happiness of people living near the limit of survival needs in diverse cultural contexts allow us to understand the fundamental and universal or culturally specific sources of human happiness. Twenty-five participants (11 men, 14 women) from Maputo, Mozambique, M = 37.36; SD = 15.86 years old (19 to 80), reported a per capita monthly household income between 143 and 1,000 Meticals (3.86 and 27.03 USD). Participants responded to (a) a semistructured interview about happiness, criteria for happiness, positive and negative life events, and hopes and fears for the future and (b) a structured interview about satisfaction in specific life domains and comparative income. Only 16% of the participants reported being happy. Participants said that when basic needs are not satisfied happiness is impossible. Overall, satisfaction with life in specific domains was higher because of satisfaction in nonmaterial domains. The main criteria for happiness were having basic living conditions, a job, and positive relationships with family and neighbors. After survival needs were met, social, spiritual, and personal aspects of life became important for subjective well-being. Satisfaction with income was correlated with comparative income and not with objective income. Being able to provide wedding and funeral ceremonies and having good relationships with neighbors may be culturally specific criteria for happiness in Maputo. The breakup of marital relationships, family abandonment, and spousal infidelity (reported mainly by women) may be gender-specific sources of unhappiness in Maputo.

WOS:000343223100018 (Nº de Acesso Web of Science) Attachment security, love styles, and romantic relationship experiences are closely associated with subjective well-being (SWB). A few studies have empirically observed significant relations between these variables. However, no studies have included all of these predictors to analyze the unique contribution of each to SWB, and no cross-cultural studies have analyzed these variables simultaneously. This article examined (a) the relations between attachment security, love styles, romantic relationship experiences and subjective well-being, (b) the unique contribution of each to predict SWB, and (c) cross-cultural and gender differences in the predictors of SWB across three samples of 1,574 university students: 497 from North Carolina (US), 544 from Maputo (Mozambique), and 533 from Lisbon (Portugal). We found cross-cultural differences in the three samples. The main predictor of SWB was attachment security in the US and Portuguese samples, while in the Mozambican it was eros love style. Storge love style positively predicted SWB in the US and Portuguese samples, but not in the Mozambican. In contrast, mania love style predicted the SWB of Mozambicans but not that of Americans or Portuguese. We found gender similarities and differences: the association between attachment security and SWB was not gender-specific; the associations between love styles, relationship experiences and SWB were gender-specific.

We explored cultural and historical variations in concepts of happiness. First, we analyzed the definitions of happiness in dictionaries from 30 nations to understand cultural similarities and differences in happiness concepts. Second, we analyzed the definition of happiness in Webster’s dictionaries from 1850 to the present day to understand historical changes in American English. Third, we coded the State of the Union addresses given by U.S. presidents from 1790 to 2010. Finally, we investigated the appearance of the phrases happy nation versus happy person in Google’s Ngram Viewer from 1800 to 2008. Across cultures and time, happiness was most frequently defined as good luck and favorable external conditions. However, in American English, this definition was replaced by definitions focused on favorable internal feeling states. Our findings highlight the value of a historical perspective in the study of psychological concepts.

The present research examined whether maximizing tendencies are associated with lower levels of subjective well-being among Japanese and American residents. Two popular scales exist to measure maximizing tendencies: a Schwartz et al. (2002) scale that conceptualizes maximizing as a combination of high standards and a strong desire to optimize choice and a Diab, Gillespie, and Highhouse (2008) scale which primarily emphasizes the high standards component of maximizing tendencies. Among Americans, maximizers reported being more depressed, less happy, and less satisfied with their lives when assessed by Schwartz et al.’s (2002) scale. In contrast, when assessed by Diab et al.’s (2008) scale, American maximizers actually reported being happier than satisficers. Among Japanese, however, maximizers reported being more depressed, less happy, and less satisfied with their lives regardless of the scale used.

Personality traits, attachment security, and satisfaction with relationships are each important predictors of subjective well-being (SWB). However, no studies have included these predictors together to analyze the unique contribution of each to SWB. Furthermore, most studies are empirically based in Western/industrialized societies, and few studies include African countries. This article addresses the unique contribution of extroversion, neuroticism, attachment security, and satisfaction with relationships to SWB across three samples of 1,574 university students: 497 from North Carolina (United States of America), 544 from Maputo (Mozambique), and 533 from Lisbon (Portugal). Structural equation modeling analysis showed that in the American sample, emotional stability was a more important predictor of global SWB than satisfaction with relationships. In the Mozambican sample, satisfaction with relationships was far more important as a predictor of SWB than emotional stability. In the Portuguese sample, emotional stability and satisfaction with relationships were equally important predictors of SWB. The main difference between the three samples was the contribution of satisfaction with relationships to SWB. Similarities between the three samples include the low or nonsignificant contributions of extroversion and attachment to SWB, above and beyond the contribution of satisfaction with relationships and neuroticism, suggesting they may be sharing variance in the prediction of SWB.

The purpose of the study is to test the structure and the stability of Subjective Well-Being (SWB), measured through cognitive and affective self-report measures, in global and specific levels of analysis. A sample of 303 adult students was collected and replicated in a 2 month interval. The best model of SWB shows an intercorrelated four-factor structure-Satisfaction with Life, Negative Affect, Positive Affect and Global Subjective Well-being. Results suggest that Global Happiness and Global Satisfaction are measuring the same aspect of SWB. All measures of SWB, in study, show good construct validity and reliability in a 2 month replication. Positive and Negative Affect are significantly weakly correlated. Positive Affect is the most stable variable of SWB, in a short-term interval. Researchers must be aware of the issues related to the measurement of SWB as the order of the items in a questionnaire and the implications of using global or specific measures, cognitive or affective dimensions of the concept, that represent different aspects of the concept. Further study is needed to analyse the structure of SWB with different measures and the relationship between its components. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V./The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS).

O estudo do afecto e dos seus determinantes reveste-se de grande importância para os vários domínios da Psicologia. O estudo do afecto tem sido partilhado por vários campos da Psicologia e através de múltiplas perspectivas. Estas são algumas das razões pelas quais o conceito de afecto se tornou um constructo multifacetado, alvo de múltiplas definições e muitas vezes difícil de integrar. O presente artigo procura clarificar o conceito de afecto, baseando-se nos trabalhos que desenvolveram uma integração das várias facetas do conceito. Esta integração foi conseguida pela identificação e articulação dos vários níveis de análise do constructo: o afecto estado (emoções); o humor (ansiedade e depressão); e o afecto traço (personalidade). O artigo expõe os vários modelos do afecto e as discussões: bidimensionalidade versus multidimensionalidade do conceito afecto; e ortogonalidade (independência) versos bipolaridade (correlação inversa) entre o afecto negativo e o afecto positivo. A discussão sobre a estrutura e dimensionalidade do afecto mantém-se em aberto, no entanto, vários estudos recentes apontam algumas causas possíveis para a divergência nos resultados científicos. The study of affect and its correlates has been given great importance by the various domains of Psychology. The study of affect has been shared by several fields of psychology and through multiple perspectives. These are some of the reasons why the concept of affect has became a multifaceted construct, subject of multiple definitions and sometimes difficult to integrate. The article aims to clarify the concept of affect based on the literature revision of the works that developed an integration of the several facets of the concept. This integration was made through the identification and articulation of the several levels of analyse of the construct: the state affect (emotions); the humor (depression and anxiety); and trait affect (personality). The article presents the several models of affect and the discussions: bi-dimensionality versus multidimensionality of the concept of affect; and orthogonality (independence) versus bipolarity (inverse correlation), between positive and negative affect. The discussion about the structure and dimensionality of affect is still open, however, several recent studies pointed out some of the possible causes for the divergence in the scientific results.

Estudo da adaptacao da Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson, Clark & Tellegen, 1988) para a populacao portuguesa. A metodologia do estudo procurou replicar o estudo de desenvolvimento da escala original. Tal como o estudo original, pediu-se a 348 estudantes universitarios que respondessem em que medida experienciaram as 60 emocoes (traduzidas para Portugues) propostas por Zevon e Tellegen (1982) “durante os ultimos dias” e “durante as ultimas semanas”, numa escala de 5 pontos. A versao portuguesa da PANAS consiste em 20 emocoes com duas sub-escalas, o afecto positivo e o afecto negativo. A analise dos dados resultou numa versao portuguesa muito semelhante a original americana, em que 13 itens sao iguais e em que todas as categorias originais estao representadas. Os resultados indicam uma consistencia interna adequada de α= 0,86 para a escala de afecto positivo e de α= 0,89 para a escala de afecto negativo. Tal como era esperado, em semelhanca a escala original, a correlacao entre a escala de afecto positivo e de afecto negativo situou-se perto do zero ( r =-0,10), determinando a ortogonalidade entre as sub-escalas de afecto positivo e negativo.