How well-being changes over the course of a vacation is unclear. Particular understudied areas include the eudaimonic dimension of well-being, the comparison between eudaimonia and hedonia, and the role of activity type. Using an integrated model, two studies which combined survey and experiment were conducted to examine the change patterns of eudaimonia and hedonia, the difference of change patterns between eudaimonia and hedonia, and the moderating role of activity type. Hedonia and eudaimonia both significantly changed via a ‘first rise then fall’ change tendency over the course of a vacation. Compared to hedonia, eudaimonia has lower change intensity over the course of a vacation; eudaimonia achieved in a challenging (vs. relaxing) activity is more. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
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This article investigates the transformative impacts of regular nature-based adventure activity engagement and its long-lasting effects on eudaimonic well-being (EWB), specifically mental health. Although extant research highlights a wide range of well-being and mental health benefits from participation in such pursuits, less is known about experienced outdoor adventure enthusiasts for whom adventure is a fundamental and transformational part of their lives. The study builds on an existing conceptual framework that synthesizes pertinent research concepts on nature-based activity engagement and subjective well-being benefits. It presents key findings from 40 semi-structured in-depth online interviews with respondents from the UK, Germany, and Serbia. Interview data were collated and analyzed using a thematic framework approach. The findings highlight the importance of outdoor adventure activity engagement for respondents’ mental and physical health and long-term well-being. Regular activity participation can be transformational in reducing feelings of ill-being and enhancing EWB. It can improve self-efficacy and identity development and promote the fulfilment of psychological needs, facilitated by key transformational catalyzers. Continually entering a liminal state, experiencing emotions, and overcoming challenges and risks during engagement are crucial to “successful” long-lasting transformation. Further research should continue to explore adventure’s transformational and EWB benefits to develop long-term data.
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Recently, there has been an increased interest in the well-being of students in higher education. Despite the widespread consensus on the importance of student well-being, a clear definition continues to be lacking. This study qualitatively examined the student perspective on the topic through semi-structured interviews at a university of applied sciences in the Netherlands (n = 27). A major recurring theme was well-being as a balance in the interplay between efforts directed towards studies and life beyond studies. This method of perceiving well- being deviates from theoretical definitions. Students mentioned various factors that influence their well-being. Responses ranged from personal and university related factors to external factors beyond their educational institution. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on the well-being of students in higher education and provides suggestions for educational institutions, such as incorporating a holistic perspective on students and learning; and focus points for the development of policies and practices.
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The tourism industry thrives on the notion that holiday travel improves well-being. However, scientific evidence that holiday travel is more beneficial than spending free time at home is lacking. Using the Effort-Recovery and the Limited Resources model as theoretical basis, this study investigates whether workers behave, think, and feel differently during travel than during leisure time spent at home. In a five-week longitudinal field study, we followed 24 workers during free evenings after work, a free weekend at home, and on a free weekend of domestic travel. Within-person differences were investigated between these three occasions in behavior, cognition, and emotions. During travel, employees slept more, engaged more in physical and social activities and less in obligatory activities than during free evenings after work. Hedonic well-being was higher and ruminative thinking lower during travel than during free evenings after work. Physical distance from home and work was related to engagement in resource-providing rather than resource-consuming activities and seems to translate into mental distance from everyday worries. Differences between holiday travel and weekends at home were small. Still, the findings suggest that travel may provide feelings of remoteness in places with novel and fascinating qualities, free of chores.
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Maximizing theory differentiates between individuals who accept minimally sufficient purchase options and those who strive to maximize their value for money. Maximizers are less satisfied with their decisions and suffer diminished subjective well-being. We analyzed 376 questionnaires and conducted 12 interviews of working Germans to extend maximizing theory to vacations, which are more complex, experiential, and hedonic than products studied in previous research on maximizing. Path analysis of questionnaire data showed significant, negative indirect effects of maximizing on subjective well-being through aspects of the vacation decision process and subsequent vacation satisfaction. Deductive thematic analysis of interviews showed that maximizers’ time-consuming searching through alternatives created doubt and stringent expectations, thus explaining how maximizing degrades vacation satisfaction and subjective well-being. Thus, we suggest that individuals be conscious of the personal resources and expectations that they invest in vacation decisions. Furthermore, the tourism industry should emphasize inspiration and customization instead of variety.
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Poor well-being amongst older adults poses a serious health concern. Simultaneously, research shows that contact with nature can improve various facets of well-being, including physical, social, and mental well-being. However, nature is not always accessible for older adults due to mobility restrictions and related care needs that come with age. A promising strategy aims at bringing nature inside through pervasive technologies. However, so far, there is little academic understanding of essential nature characteristics, psychological processes involved, and means for implementation in practice. The current study used a three-folded rapid review to assess current understanding and strategies used for improving well-being for older adults through virtual reality representations of nature. Searches were performed across three databases, followed-up by content-based evaluation of abstracts. In total, a set of 25 relevant articles was identified. Only three studies specifically focus on digital nature as an intervention strategy for improving well-being amongst older adults. Although these studies provide useful starting points for the design and (technological) development of such environments, they do not generate understanding of how specific characteristics of virtual nature representations impact social well-being measures in particular, and of the underlying psychological processes involved. We conclude that follow-up research is warranted to close the gap between insights and findings from nature research, gerontology, health research, and human-technology interaction.
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Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a form of structured peer guidance attached to a specific course, provided by an experienced and trained student to a group of students. Previous studies show a positive effect of SI on learning outcomes, some found effects on well-being, and sense of belonging. However, literature on SI lacks randomized controlled trials and does not fully address the risk of self-selection bias. The current study tested whether SI has an effect on grades, mental well-being, and sense of belonging with a pre-registered randomized field experiment and a sample of 493 Dutch first-year students. Students who were offered SI obtained significantly higher grades (d = 0.26) but did not score significantly different on mental well-being or belonging.
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In this study we use aggregated weighted scores of environmental effects to study environmental influences on well-being and happiness. To this end, we split a sample of Netherlands Twin Register (NTR) participants into a training (N =4857) and test (N =2077) sample. In the training sample, we use elastic net regression to estimate effect sizes for associations between life satisfaction and two sets of environmental variables: one based on self- report socioenvironmental data, and one based on objective physical environmental data. Based on these effect sizes, we create two poly-environmental scores (PES-S and PES-O, for self-reports and objective data respectively). In the test sample, we perform association analyses between different measures of well-being and the two PESs. We find that the PES-S explains ~36% of the variance in well-being, while the PES-O does not significantly contribute to the model. Variance in other well-being measures (i.e., different life satisfaction domains, subjective happiness, quality of life, flourishing, psychological well-being, self-rated health, depressive problems, and loneliness) are explained to varying extents by the PESs, ranging from 6.36% (self-rated health) to 36.66% (loneliness). These predictive values did not change during the COVID-19 pandemic (N =3214). Validating the PES-S in the UK biobank (N =40,614), we find that the UK biobank PES-S explains about ~12% of the variance in happiness. Lastly, we examine if there is any indication for gene-environment correlation (rGE), the phenomenon where one’s genetic predisposition influences exposure to the environment, by associating the PESs with polygenic scores (PGS) in a sample of Netherlands Twin Register (NTR) and UK Biobank participants. While the PES and PGS were not correlated in the NTR sample, they were correlated in the larger UK biobank sample, indicating the potential presence of rGE. We discuss several limitations pertaining to our dataset, such as a potential influence of common method bias, and reflect on how PESs might be used in future research.
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Sudden disruptions to the social environment of older adults living alone, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, can challenge their ability to maintain well-being. This study employed an interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore how Dutch older adults (≥65 years) living alone maintained their well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between June and October 2021, we conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with older adults living alone in the Netherlands. Participants were recruited through online newsletters and home care and social work institutions. We identified three key themes. The theme “Filling the void of being alone” captures participants’ ongoing search for a sense of connection, and the challenges they faced related to social exclusion. The theme “Navigating challenging situations to maintain well-being” illustrates participants’ struggle with disrupted daily routines and how they tried to regain a sense of control to stay well. Lastly, the theme “Reverberating echoes of the past” conveys how participants’ life histories shaped their responses to the pandemic and the role of acceptance in this process. Overall, our results highlight great individual variability in how older adults living alone maintained their well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. This underscores the need for interventions and support strategies that accommodate the unique needs of older adults living alone when opportunities for social engagement are limited.
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Hedonic (happiness) and eudaimonic (meaning in life) well-being are negatively related to depressive symptoms. Genetic variants play a role in this association, reflected in substantial genetic correlations. We investigated the overlap and differences between well-being and depressive symptoms, using results of Genome-Wide Association studies (GWAS) in UK Biobank. Subtracting GWAS summary statistics of depressive symptoms from those of happiness and meaning in life, we obtained GWASs of respectively “pure” happiness (neffective = 216,497) and “pure” meaning (neffective = 102,300). For both, we identified one genome-wide significant SNP (rs1078141 and rs79520962, respectively). After subtraction, SNP heritability reduced from 6.3% to 3.3% for pure happiness and from 6.2% to 4.2% for pure meaning. The genetic correlation between the well-being measures reduced from 0.78 to 0.65. Pure happiness and pure meaning became genetically unrelated to traits strongly associated with depressive symptoms, including loneliness, and psychiatric disorders. For other traits, including ADHD, educational attainment, and smoking, the genetic correlations of well-being versus pure well-being changed substantially. GWAS-by-subtraction allowed us to investigate the genetic variance of well-being unrelated to depressive symptoms. Genetic correlations with different traits led to new insights about this unique part of well-being. Our results can be used as a starting point to test causal relationships with other variables, and design future well-being interventions.
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