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Revisiting the Paradox of Well-being: The Importance of National Context

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  • Hannah J. Swift
  • Christin-Melanie Vauclair
  • Dominic Abrams
  • Christopher Bratt
  • Sibila Marques
  • Maria-Luisa Lima

Abstract

Objectives. Despite age-related changes or declines in circumstances, health or income, many older people are able to maintain subjective well-being (SWB) in later life. This is known as the paradox of well-being. To date, much research has focused on either individual- (e.g., age, health, and income) or country-level (e.g., national wealth, inequality) differences in SWB. The present research investigates how these levels combine, and whether the paradox of well-being persists across different economic contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Hannah J. Swift & Christin-Melanie Vauclair & Dominic Abrams & Christopher Bratt & Sibila Marques & Maria-Luisa Lima, 2014. "Revisiting the Paradox of Well-being: The Importance of National Context," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 69(6), pages 920-929.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:geronb:v:69:y:2014:i:6:p:920-929.
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ed Diener, 1994. "Assessing subjective well-being: Progress and opportunities," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 31(2), pages 103-157, February.
    2. Blanchflower, David G. & Oswald, Andrew J., 2008. "Is well-being U-shaped over the life cycle?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(8), pages 1733-1749, April.
    3. Angus Deaton, 2008. "Income, Health, and Well-Being around the World: Evidence from the Gallup World Poll," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 22(2), pages 53-72, Spring.
    4. Disney, Richard, 2000. "Crises in Public Pension Programmes in OECD: What Are the Reform Options?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(461), pages 1-23, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Thomas Hansen & Morten Blekesaune, 2022. "The age and well-being “paradox”: a longitudinal and multidimensional reconsideration," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1277-1286, December.
    2. Brooke Massey & Alice Vo Edwards & Laura Musikanski, 2021. "Life Satisfaction, Affect, and Belonging in Older Adults," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 16(3), pages 1205-1219, June.
    3. Piotr Bialowolski & Dorota Weziak-Bialowolska, 2021. "Longitudinal Evidence for Reciprocal Effects Between Life Satisfaction and Job Satisfaction," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1287-1312, March.
    4. Hudomiet, Péter & Hurd, Michael D. & Rohwedder, Susann, 2021. "The age profile of life satisfaction after age 65 in the U.S," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 431-442.
    5. Hsin-Yu An & Wei Chen & Cheng-Wei Wang & Hui-Fei Yang & Wan-Ting Huang & Sheng-Yu Fan, 2020. "The Relationships between Physical Activity and Life Satisfaction and Happiness among Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-10, July.

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