Belief in Hell and Parenting Priorities Concerning Child Independence and Obedience: Does Economic Context Matter?

This study examines the ways that belief in hell is associated with parental goals concerning child independence and obedience. Further, it assesses how this association is contingent upon economic circumstances of a nation, reflected by a country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. Multilevel analyses with data from the sixth wave of the World Values Survey (2010-2014) show that belief in hell is associated with a greater likelihood of opposing independence and endorsing obedience. Yet, these observed associations differ across national economic context. Specifically, the negative association between belief in hell and parental endorsement of independence is greater in countries that are more economically developed. Similarly, the positive association between belief in hell and parental endorsement of obedience is greater in countries that are more economically developed. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed regarding the interplay of religion, parental values about child socialization, and social context.     

Analysing trends in subjective well-being in 15 European countries, 1973–2002

Previous empirical research has been unable to find a sufficient correlation between subjective well-being and per capita income, being hampered by limited longitudinal information and an inability to account for the predictions of competing theories. We bring new evidence to this question by exploiting a long and complete time-series from the Eurobarometer Survey, 1973–2002 allowing an examination of trends in life satisfaction across 15 European countries employing a modified version of Kendall’s Tau. Our results show that while current GDP growth does not affect trends in well-being, accelerations in GDP growth do. In addition, faster GDP growth and faster growth of government consumption than in neighbouring countries induces positive trends in life satisfaction. Our findings are consistent with the predictions of aspirations theory and the theory of reference group comparisons.     

从GDP崇拜到GNH关怀的伦理分析

从GDP崇拜到GNH关怀,是两种发展观的转变,其实质就是对幸福的一种崭新诠释和评价标准的转变。GDP崇拜其实质就是唯效率崇拜,促进了经济的发展,但也带来了道德的困惑和系列社会问题,由政府善治,经济增长,文化发展和环境保护四极组成的GNH关怀发展理念,已成为我们党和政府的执政理念和行政理念,具有积极的伦理意义,必须予以高度重视。     

Life engagement is associated with higher GDP among societies

Research suggests that individuals who report a greater sense of purpose in life tend to fare better economically, which may be expected to extend to the societal-level, in terms of higher GDP. However, previous work has demonstrated a negative association between citizens’ reports of purpose and GDP. The current study reconciles these differences by specifically considering an important component of sense of purpose missing in the past societal work, namely life engagement. Using data representative of 99% of the world’s adult population from 2013 to 2015 Gallup World Poll, results demonstrate a clear positive association between life engagement and countries’ GDP. Moreover, results demonstrate the distinctive importance of assessing life engagement relative to alternative metrics for related constructs.     

Relative deprivation,national GDP and right-wing populism: A multilevel,multinational study

We conducted a secondary analysis of the 2018 (ninth round) European Social Survey dataset (N = 19,512, nested in 24 countries) to analyse the association between relative deprivation and right-wing populist voting, moderated by participants' income and their country's GDP. A multilevel moderated model showed that relative deprivation, income and GDP had no association with right-wing populist votes by themselves. However, income and GDP moderated the relation between relative deprivation and right-wing populist votes, that was significant for participants with high incomes and for those living in wealthy countries. The strengths, limitations and future developments of the study are discussed.     

A quarter of a century of job transitions in Germany

By examining trends in intra-organizational and inter-organizational job transition probabilities among professional and managerial employees in Germany, we test the applicability of mainstream career theory to a specific context and challenge its implied change assumption. Drawing on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), we apply linear probability models to show the influence of time, economic cycle and age on the probability of job transitions between 1984 and 2010. Results indicate a slight negative trend in the frequency of job transitions during the analyzed time span, owing to a pronounced decrease in intra-organizational transitions, which is only partly offset by a comparatively weaker positive trend towards increased inter-organizational transitions. The latter is strongly influenced by fluctuations in the economic cycle. Finally, the probability of job transitions keeps declining steadily through the course of one's working life. In contrast to inter-organizational transitions, however, this age effect for intra-organizational transitions has decreased over time.     

Openness,economic freedom and democracy moderate the relationship between national intelligence and GDP

Recent studies have shown a consistent relationship between per-capita GDP and the average intelligence of the population. In the present paper we show that intelligence is indeed a powerful predictor of GDP. However, other variables significantly moderate the relationship. The rise in GDP with rising intelligence proved more pronounced in countries exhibiting high levels of openness, Freedom/Democracy, and economic freedom. These conditions appear to enable a country to translate its cognitive capital into material wealth.     

Promoting happiness: The malleability of individual and societal subjective wellbeing

Is it possible to enhance the subjective wellbeing of individuals and societies? If so, what are the mental health interventions and economic mechanisms by which subjective wellbeing could be enhanced? We address these questions in our review of the literature on subjective wellbeing. Research now shows that although subjective wellbeing is heritable and stable, it can change substantially over time. Long‐term changes can be affected by positive or negative life events; subjective wellbeing interventions have also proved to be effective for boosting wellbeing for as long as six months. At the societal level, economic factors matter for the subjective wellbeing of citizens. Economic wealth is shown to be a predictor of societal wellbeing across countries and over time. Also, high unemployment severely lowers the wellbeing of individuals and has spillover effects on other societal members, such as the employed. Given the weight of evidence, we are optimistic that subjective wellbeing can be enhanced. For practitioners, policy makers, and economists interested in the wellbeing of individuals, we propose that these findings have implications for mental health practice and economic policies. Future research and methodological issues are discussed.     

Multinational data show that conspiracy beliefs are associated with the perception (and reality) of poor national economic performance

While a great deal is known about the individual difference factors associated with conspiracy beliefs, much less is known about the country-level factors that shape people's willingness to believe conspiracy theories. In the current article we discuss the possibility that willingness to believe conspiracy theories might be shaped by the perception (and reality) of poor economic performance at the national level. To test this notion, we surveyed 6723 participants from 36 countries. In line with predictions, propensity to believe conspiracy theories was negatively associated with perceptions of current and future national economic vitality. Furthermore, countries with higher GDP per capita tended to have lower belief in conspiracy theories. The data suggest that conspiracy beliefs are not just caused by intrapsychic factors but are also shaped by difficult economic circumstances for which distrust might have a rational basis.     

雾霾对地区GDP增长率的影响：抑郁情绪的中介效应

环境污染导致的天气变化对人的身心健康和社会发展都会产生重大影响。本研究以心理学的视角探讨雾霾天气是否会使人产生抑郁情绪,降低工作效率,进而影响社会经济发展。方法：收集2013-2015年中国大陆27个省会城市及4直辖市的PM2.5浓度、抑郁指数及地区生产总值增长率。采用百度统计平台基于关键词“抑郁”搜索量合成的抑郁指数作为抑郁情绪指标。结果表明：（1）2013-2015年各地区的PM2.5浓度与抑郁指数正相关显著(r= .33, p< .01),抑郁指数与地区GDP增长率的负相关显著(r= -.37, p< .01);（2）抑郁指数在PM2.5浓度和地区GDP增长率间起完全中介作用。（3）当lag=-6时,上海市2013年1月到2015年12月PM2.5浓度和抑郁指数的互相关系数最大(rR = .38, p< .05)。结论：雾霾天气可能会使人产生抑郁情绪,进而对经济增长产生负面影响。