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Positive and negative life events and well-being

Research shows that there is dynamic relationship between high well-being and important outcomes in individuals’ lives with effects running in both directions (De Neve et al., 2013). The previous studies on life outcomes and well-being mostly focused on negative life events. More research is needed to gain better insight on well-being and positive life events. This study explores the relationship between life outcomes defined as positive and negative life events and well-being. The aim is to examine whether the different components of well-being such as life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, and psychological well-being are distinctly associated with positive and negative life events and perceived level of events’ controllability and intensity. This study is initial survey which is a part of the longitudinal research on well-being and life events in Croatia that investigate whether well-being can be considered not only an indicator of good life, but also an ingredient for positive outcomes and favourable life events (CRO-WELL project, financed by Croatian science foundation). The sample consists of adult internet users in Croatia who voluntarily decide to participate in the study. The plan is to recruit around 5000 participants who will complete the initial survey consisting of battery of questionnaires. The following measures of well-being are used: Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (Diener et al., 2010), one-item measure of Life satisfaction and Happiness, and Flourishing Scale (Diener et al., 2010). The list of Life events contains 90 positive and negative events, and was constructed using the life event repertories employed in previous studies (adapted from Leist et al., 2010). It captures the major and minor life events, and participants report the level of events’ controllability and intensity. Demographic variables which include participants’ age, gender, education and income level, will be controlled in the analyses. The survey is administrated on-line. The predictive values of well-being variables will be examined in relationships to life outcomes and their controllability and intensity. We hypothesize differential relationships between well-being components, positive and negative life events and their attributes. For example, the experience of positive emotions would be the strongest predictor of the frequency and intensity of positive life events, while negative affect and lower psychological well-being will be related to negative life events. The data are in the process of gathering, so that first preliminary results of these relationships will be presented.

life events; happiness; life satisfaction affects

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