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This research examines relationships between different forms of aerobic exercise (swim, walk, jog, dance) and two measures of health: subjective health and psychological well-being. We hypothesize that the relationship between aerobic exercise and subjective health/well-being will be notably stronger for older than younger persons and females than males. This prediction is based on Homans' exchange theory of investments and rewards. Since social norms concerning aerobic exercise are likely to be weaker among older (than younger) persons and among women than men, older persons and women who do exercise are making special investments and should expect greater rewards (good health). The concept of 'exercise norms' implies social comparisons with others. Accordingly, age comparative data were analyzed to see if older persons who exercise see themselves as more active than their age peers than do younger persons. Data come from a national probability sample of 3025 adults (National Survey of Personal Health Practices and Consequences). As predicted, exercise was much more strongly related to subjective health and well-being among older than younger respondents. In the main, the gender hypothesis was not supported. Key words - exercise, investments, age, health

California State University, Fullerton, U.S.A International Journal of Comparative Sociology Vol. 26 (1985) pp. 14-34 Using data from London, England; Los Angeles, California; and Sydney, Australia, several hypotheses about the [...]

Determinist urban theory and complementary interaction concepts were used to develop two contrasting sets of hypotheses about the relationships between types of social participation. The relationship between extent of interaction and subjective well-being was also predicted from these competing perspectives. Data from 292 men in Los Angeles, California; 234 men in Sydney, Australia; and 226 men in London, England, indicated that formal-association involvement was somewhat positively correlated with kinship. Friendship was positively correlated with kinship. Men who interacted intensively with a variety of others had high well-being. Findings between urban areas did not differ greatly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a cross-cultural evidence of voluntary associations and well-being in three metropolitan areas. This study focuses on social integration as an essential feature for social interaction as well as common norms and beliefs in a social system. Exchange theory is investigated in this paper related to participation in voluntary associations. Subjective well-being and happiness are derived from interpersonal association. Evidences for the proposed hypotheses between the relationship of voluntary association memberships are introduced.

This paper focuses on voluntary friendships. Drawing from Fischer's (1975) subcultural theory of urbanism, it is hypothesized that voluntary interaction with friends will be characteristic of individuals who live in urban areas. Friendship is also expected to be characteristic of high-SES, young, unmarried and childless individuals. An underlying rationale is that friendship occurs when individuals are relatively free from obligatory ties, duties and other constraints on their free choices. NORC data from 1974-83 are used to test the hypotheses. In the analysis, a distinction is made between involvement with friends outside the neighbourhood and social involvement with neighbours. The findings indicate that income, age, marital status and number of children significantly influence voluntary friendships. In addition, interaction analyses (product term) suggest that combinations of the independent variables produce the greatest effect on friendship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from London, England; Los Angeles, California; and Sydney, Australia, several hypotheses about the relationships between kinship interaction, social status, and subjective well-being are developed. It is found that social statuses are generally not cor related with interaction with kin. Interaction with immediate kin is positively correlated with overall well-being and marriage well-being, although it is more strongly correlated with the latter concept. Interaction with extended kin positively affects overall well-being, but not marriage well-being. There are few significant variations among cities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The joint effects of urbanism, race, and socioeconomic status on self reported health and happiness are studied. Relationships of a multidimensional scaling technique is employed to produce a social map of the facility. Next, hypotheses about the positions of the department in that map are tested. Disciplinary similarity; scale of phenomena investigated (cellular, molecular, oratomic); availability of appropriate apparatus at the facility; and, for the applied and service institutes, the type of assistance they provide (general or more specific) all help explain the social locations of the institutes within the facility. Then, productivity scores for the institutes of the facility are determined the related to the social map and to likely patterns of communication employed by the institutes. The institutes vary in productivity, measured both with objective indicators and with more qualitative assessments. Centrally located institutes score higher in modes of communication that were most rapid. Institutes on the periphery, communicating more with external partners, rely more than the other institutes on published fo [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determinist theory predicts that in urban areas there is a deterioration of primary relationships, which leads to a reduction in social psychological well-being. Compositional theory argues that status variables, not urbanism, account for levels of well-being. Subcultural theory holds that urbanism lowers well-being, despite the presence of viable subcultures which sustain primary relationships. Using pooled data from national samples of the United States taken in the years 1974 through 1982, path analyses are conducted. Happiness and satisfaction with community, with family, and with friends are used as measures of well-being. Urbanism involves a range of communities, from central cities of the 12 largest SMSA's to rural counties. Primary relationships include involvement with kin and with friends. The findings do not support determinist theory. Subcultural theory receives the most support, particularly when involvement with friends is in the path analyses. Levels of well-being decrease with urbanism, despite a positive relationship between urbanism and friendship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using national data from the General Social Surveys, the authors study changes in the number of voluntary associations in America between 1973 and 1984. Memberships are categorized as total volun tary associations, instrumental associations, and expressive groups. The average number of memberships was higher than usual in 1974 for almost all socioeconomic and demographically defined subsam ples. In the election year of 1980, memberships in total voluntary associations, instrumental associations, and expressive groups all tended to be lower than they had been in other years for many subsamples, and in 1984 some types of individuals had low rates of memberships. Multiple regression analyses showed that education was a good predictor of memberships in the three types of associa tions in all years, while occupational prestige and income were only weakly associated with memberships. Occupational prestige was more closely associated with membership in instrumental associations than it was with membership in expressive groups. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Friendship is viewed as a relationship which is based on voluntariness. It is pre dicted that people who are highly urban, high SES, young, and unmarried will be involved with friends because they are relatively free from obligations and con straints on their behavior. Data from Los Angeles, U.S.A.; London, England; and Sydney, Australia indicate that age is the best predictor of voluntary friendship. Level of urbanism and SES are not at all related to friendship. Involvement with friends has a positive affect on psychological well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

George Levinger's analysis of marital cohesion is used to define and evaluate attitudes and feelings toward marriage, and marriage arguments as symptoms of readiness for divorce. Data from London, England; Los Angeles, California; and Sydney and Perth, Australia indicate that status variables are very poor predictors of symptoms and account for very little variance in symptoms. Social interactional and social psychological variables that measure the immediate family environment are strongly related to symptoms in all urban areas. Joint marriage companionship is the single best predictor of symptoms. The importance of immediate family variables for marriage cohesion is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is concerned with the process of acculturation of urban first and second-generation Italian-Americans as manifested in their patterns of social participation. Investigations into the social participation of migrants in urban areas indicate that the kind of familial and associational ties which migrants have and the rate at which they take on typically urban participation patterns varies with the degree of their assimilation into city life. The Italian-Americans came from peasant backgrounds or had families with such backgrounds. Their kinship units in the old world approached an "ideal type" structure that was patriarchal, closely knit, consanguineous, economically self-sustaining, stable, well integrated, and fulfilling many functions. The forms of social participation were membership in formal voluntary associations, interaction with immediate family and extended kin, and associations with friends. The conception that first-generation working-class Italians are less likely to be members of voluntary associations than second-generation Italians turned out to be untrue.

The article presents a report on social status and the social-psychological well being of married suburban women in Australia. The study was conducted on married women in suburban neighborhoods of Perth, Western Australia. It hypothesizes that: a married woman's psychological well-being is related to variations in her own social status; and her own social status is as predictive of her well-being as is her husband's status. While married women may traditionally have been seen as dependent on their husbands for well-being, they are increasingly participating in urban life and are attaining a degree of autonomy in action which may make it unrealistic to continue relating their well-being to their husbands' status. To test the hypotheses, questionnaires were mailed to an occupationally stratified sample of married women, whose names were selected from tile voter registration lists of suburban sections of Perth during March and April of 1973. A number of the measures of women's status were not significantly related to the dependent variable, and for this reason they are not reported. These measures included the wife's perception of her work status. Findings supports that younger and well-educated women rated their marriages as more satisfying than older and less educated women.