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

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  • Min-Ah Lee
  • Ichiro Kawachi

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Min-Ah Lee & Ichiro Kawachi, 2019. "The keys to happiness: Associations between personal values regarding core life domains and happiness in South Korea," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0209821
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209821
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Richard A. Burns & Dimity A. Crisp, 2022. "Prioritizing Happiness has Important Implications for Mental Health, but Perhaps Only if you Already are Happy," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(1), pages 375-390, February.
    2. Francisia S. S. E. Seda & Kevin Nobel Kurniawan & Yosef Hilarius Timu Pera, 2023. "Social Inclusion Challenges and the Future of Relational Wellbeing: The Case of Indonesia and South-Korea," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 165(1), pages 309-332, January.
    3. Maham Mushtaq & Danish Ahmed Siddiqui, 2020. "Exploring the Nexus Between Culture, Values, Institutions, Happiness and Philanthropy: A Global Evidence," International Journal of Social Work, Macrothink Institute, vol. 7(1), pages 16-55, June.
    4. Misoon Jeon & Eun Sil Jang & Eun Ja Yeun, 2022. "Perspectives of the Value in Life among Nursing Professionals: A Q-methodology Study," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440221, March.

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