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Does Infant Happiness Forecast Adult Life Satisfaction? Examining Subjective Well-Being in the First Quarter Century of Life

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  • John Coffey
  • Michael Warren
  • Allen Gottfried

Abstract

Few empirical studies have focused on young children’s happiness (high positive affect and low negative affect) and specifically whether it is related to adult well-being. Adult well-being indices (e.g., life satisfaction, workplace hope, and optimism) may have developmental roots in early affect. In the 28-year Fullerton Longitudinal Study (N = 129) we examined positive affect and negative affect as independent constructs during infancy (parent report) and adolescence (self-report) to determine their relationship to global adult life satisfaction (self-report). In addition, we tested the generalizability of the effects of positive and negative affect in relation to domain-specific adult well-being constructs (i.e., workplace hope and optimism), which hold utility for concurrent and prospective well-being. Structural equation modeling revealed that positive affect during infancy and adolescence each uniquely predicted adult life satisfaction. In a separate model for a subsample of employed adults, infant positive affect showed significant positive associations with workplace hope and optimism. Neither infant nor adolescent negative affect predicted any adult well-being outcomes. Our results highlight the need for more developmental studies examining the relationship between children’s positive and negative affect and long-term well-being. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • John Coffey & Michael Warren & Allen Gottfried, 2015. "Does Infant Happiness Forecast Adult Life Satisfaction? Examining Subjective Well-Being in the First Quarter Century of Life," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 16(6), pages 1401-1421, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:16:y:2015:i:6:p:1401-1421
    DOI: 10.1007/s10902-014-9556-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Craig Olsson & Rob McGee & Shyamala Nada-Raja & Sheila Williams, 2013. "A 32-Year Longitudinal Study of Child and Adolescent Pathways to Well-Being in Adulthood," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 1069-1083, June.
    2. Mark Holder & Ben Coleman, 2009. "The Contribution of Social Relationships to Children’s Happiness," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 10(3), pages 329-349, June.
    3. Antonella Delle Fave & Ingrid Brdar & Teresa Freire & Dianne Vella-Brodrick & Marié Wissing, 2011. "The Eudaimonic and Hedonic Components of Happiness: Qualitative and Quantitative Findings," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 100(2), pages 185-207, January.
    4. Mark Holder & Andrea Klassen, 2010. "Temperament and Happiness in Children," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 11(4), pages 419-439, August.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Elizabeth A Simpson & Lauren M Robinson & Annika Paukner, 2019. "Infant rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) personality and subjective well-being," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(12), pages 1-23, December.
    3. Susan L. Prescott & Alan C. Logan, 2016. "Transforming Life: A Broad View of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Concept from an Ecological Justice Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-44, November.
    4. Xinwen Bi & Shuqiong Wang & Yanhong Ji, 2022. "Parental Autonomy Granting and Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Roles of Emotional Self-Efficacy and Future Orientation," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 2113-2135, June.
    5. Panagiotis E. Petrakis & Anna-Maria Kanzola, 2022. "On the Micro-Foundations of Creative Economy: Life Satisfaction and Social Identity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-17, April.
    6. Aysun Gündoğan, 2022. "“Hear my Voice”: Subjective Well-Being Scale for Young Children (SWB-YC)," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 15(3), pages 747-761, June.
    7. Avinash Auliah & Lei Mee Thien & Siaw Hui Kho & Nordin Abd Razak & Hazri Jamil & Mohammad Zohir Ahmad, 2021. "Exploring Positive School Attributes: Evidence From School Leader and Teacher Perspectives," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, December.

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