Exportar Publicação

Kuba, K., Kostoula, O., van Tilburg, W. A. P. , Mosca, O., Lee, J. H., Maricchiolo, F....Uchida, Y. (2025). Happiness maximization is a WEIRD way of living. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 20 (5), 874-902

K. Krys et al.,  "Happiness maximization is a WEIRD way of living", in Perspectives on Psychological Science, vol. 20, no. 5, pp. 874-902, 2025

@article{krys2025_1765125683926,
	author = "Kuba, K. and Kostoula, O. and van Tilburg, W. A. P.  and Mosca, O. and Lee, J. H. and Maricchiolo, F. and Kosiarczyk, A. and Kocimska-Bortnowska, A. and Torres, C. and Hitokoto, H. and Liew, K. and Bond, M. H. and Lun, V. M.-C. and Vignoles, V. L. and Zelenski, J. M. and Haas, B. W. and Park, J. and Vauclair, C.-M. and Kwiatkowska, A. and Roczniewska, M. and Witoszek, N. and Işık, I. and Kosakowska-Berezecka, N. and Domínguez-Espinosa, A. and Yeung, J. C. and Górski, M. and Adamovic, M. and Albert, I. and Pavlopoulos, V. and Fülöp, M. and Sirlopú, D. and Okvitawanli, A. and Boer, D. and Teyssier, J. and Malyonova, A. and Gavreliuc, A. and Serdarevich, U. and Akotia, C. S. and Appoh, L. and Arévalo Mira, D. M. and Baltin, A. and Denoux, P. and Esteves, C. S. and Gamsakhurdia, V. and Garðarsdóttir, R. B. and Igbokwe, D. O. and Igou, E. R. and Kascakova, N. and Kracmárová, L. K. and Kronberger, N. and Barrientos, P. E. and Mohorić, T. and Murdock, E. and Mustaffa, N. F. and Nader, M. and Nadi, A. and van Osch, Y. and Pavlović, Z. and Polácková Šolcová, I. and Rizwan, M. and Romashov, V. and Røysamb, E. and Sargautyte, R. and Schwarz, B. and Selecká, L. and Selim, H. A. and Stogianni, M. and Sun, C.-R. and Wojtczuk-Turek, A. and Xing, C. and Uchida, Y.",
	title = "Happiness maximization is a WEIRD way of living",
	journal = "Perspectives on Psychological Science",
	year = "2025",
	volume = "20",
	number = "5",
	doi = "10.1177/17456916231208367",
	pages = "874-902",
	url = "https://journals.sagepub.com/home/PPS"
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Happiness maximization is a WEIRD way of living
T2  - Perspectives on Psychological Science
VL  - 20
IS  - 5
AU  - Kuba, K.
AU  - Kostoula, O.
AU  - van Tilburg, W. A. P. 
AU  - Mosca, O.
AU  - Lee, J. H.
AU  - Maricchiolo, F.
AU  - Kosiarczyk, A.
AU  - Kocimska-Bortnowska, A.
AU  - Torres, C.
AU  - Hitokoto, H.
AU  - Liew, K.
AU  - Bond, M. H.
AU  - Lun, V. M.-C.
AU  - Vignoles, V. L.
AU  - Zelenski, J. M.
AU  - Haas, B. W.
AU  - Park, J.
AU  - Vauclair, C.-M.
AU  - Kwiatkowska, A.
AU  - Roczniewska, M.
AU  - Witoszek, N.
AU  - Işık, I.
AU  - Kosakowska-Berezecka, N.
AU  - Domínguez-Espinosa, A.
AU  - Yeung, J. C.
AU  - Górski, M.
AU  - Adamovic, M.
AU  - Albert, I.
AU  - Pavlopoulos, V.
AU  - Fülöp, M.
AU  - Sirlopú, D.
AU  - Okvitawanli, A.
AU  - Boer, D.
AU  - Teyssier, J.
AU  - Malyonova, A.
AU  - Gavreliuc, A.
AU  - Serdarevich, U.
AU  - Akotia, C. S.
AU  - Appoh, L.
AU  - Arévalo Mira, D. M.
AU  - Baltin, A.
AU  - Denoux, P.
AU  - Esteves, C. S.
AU  - Gamsakhurdia, V.
AU  - Garðarsdóttir, R. B.
AU  - Igbokwe, D. O.
AU  - Igou, E. R.
AU  - Kascakova, N.
AU  - Kracmárová, L. K.
AU  - Kronberger, N.
AU  - Barrientos, P. E.
AU  - Mohorić, T.
AU  - Murdock, E.
AU  - Mustaffa, N. F.
AU  - Nader, M.
AU  - Nadi, A.
AU  - van Osch, Y.
AU  - Pavlović, Z.
AU  - Polácková Šolcová, I.
AU  - Rizwan, M.
AU  - Romashov, V.
AU  - Røysamb, E.
AU  - Sargautyte, R.
AU  - Schwarz, B.
AU  - Selecká, L.
AU  - Selim, H. A.
AU  - Stogianni, M.
AU  - Sun, C.-R.
AU  - Wojtczuk-Turek, A.
AU  - Xing, C.
AU  - Uchida, Y.
PY  - 2025
SP  - 874-902
SN  - 1745-6916
DO  - 10.1177/17456916231208367
UR  - https://journals.sagepub.com/home/PPS
AB  - Psychological science tends to treat subjective well-being and happiness synonymously. We start from the assumption that subjective well-being is more than being happy to ask the fundamental question: What is the ideal level of happiness? From a cross-cultural perspective, we propose that the idealization of attaining maximum levels of happiness may be especially characteristic of Western, educated, industrial, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies but less so for others. Searching for an explanation for why “happiness maximization” might have emerged in these societies, we turn to studies linking cultures to their eco-environmental habitat. We discuss the premise that WEIRD cultures emerged in an exceptionally benign ecological habitat (i.e., faced relatively light existential pressures compared with other regions). We review the influence of the Gulf Stream on the Northwestern European climate as a source of these comparatively benign geographical conditions. We propose that the ecological conditions in which WEIRD societies emerged afforded them a basis to endorse happiness as a value and to idealize attaining its maximum level. To provide a nomological network for happiness maximization, we also studied some of its potential side effects, namely alcohol and drug consumption and abuse and the prevalence of mania. To evaluate our hypothesis, we reanalyze data from two large-scale studies on ideal levels of personal life satisfaction—the most common operationalization of happiness in psychology—involving respondents from 61 countries. We conclude that societies whose members seek to maximize happiness tend to be characterized as WEIRD, and generalizing this across societies can prove problematic if adopted at the ideological and policy level.
ER  -