The keys to happiness: Associations between personal values regarding core life domains and happiness in South Korea

Personal values refer to the beliefs, principles or ideas that are important to people's lives. We investigated the associations between personal values and happiness. We inquired about the importance of four different categories of personal values: prioritizing social relationships, extrinsic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2019-01, Vol.14 (1), p.e0209821-e0209821
Main Authors: Lee, Min-Ah, Kawachi, Ichiro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Analysis
Biology and Life Sciences
Buddhists
Christianity
Christians
College students
Cross-Sectional Studies
Domains
Female
Friends
Happiness
Health Status
Humans
Leisure Activities
Literature reviews
Male
Materialism
Middle Aged
Morals
Personal Satisfaction
Physical Sciences
Psychology
Quality of Life
Religion
Republic of Korea
Research and Analysis Methods
Social Sciences
Spirituality
Studies
Values
Values (Philosophy)
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Summary:Personal values refer to the beliefs, principles or ideas that are important to people's lives. We investigated the associations between personal values and happiness. We inquired about the importance of four different categories of personal values: prioritizing social relationships, extrinsic achievements, physical health, and spirituality. Data were drawn from the Korean General Social Survey (KGSS), a nationally representative cross-sectional sample collected over three years (i.e., 2007, 2008, and 2009). The findings showed that respondents prioritizing religion (i.e., spirituality) were the most likely to be happy, followed by those prioritizing social relationships, including family, friends, and neighbors. Those who prioritized extrinsic achievements (money, power, educational attainment, work, and leisure) as well as health were least likely to be happy. The findings suggest that pursuing goals focused on self-enhancement or self-centered value are less likely to result in happiness compared to pursuing alter-centered collective goals or self-transcendence/selflessness.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0209821