Volume 6, Article 5
The Meaning of Life Satisfaction
Brittany Stahnke
Citation: Stahnke, B. (2022). The meaning of life satisfaction European Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 6, 5,1-5. https://www.nationalwellbeingservice.org/volumes/volume-6-2022/volume-6-article-5/
Processing dates: Submitted 28 August 2021; Resubmitted 21 December 2021; Accepted 21 January 2022; Published 13 May 2022
Abstract
Unlike commonly heard terms such as “wellbeing” and “happiness,” life satisfaction is a broad concept that encapsulates one’s feeling about their life. The differences in these terms will be explored and redefined in this conceptual article.
Despite a plethora of studies over time, few things have been found to be associated with life satisfaction, even things such as having children as is societally assumed. For those with life satisfaction, life is satisfying as a whole, though it is not perfect.
The three overarching factors to life satisfaction are: having social relationships, important work or school, and a kind of satisfaction with oneself (ie, spirituality, learning, growth), measured with
the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Further, some studies have demonstrated the importance partnership and accomplishment are to life satisfaction.
Society teaches that happiness is something to be attained, despite difficulties of things such asgenetics and neurochemistry. However, life satisfaction is a feeling that one works for – a feeling one has about their life. Past research is sporadic in concept, purpose, and findings, but further research regarding the life qualities of those individuals who rate their lives as extremely satisfied is indicated to understand what life satisfaction truly looks like in a human life.
Keywords: Life satisfaction; Satisfaction with Life Scale; happiness; wellbeing
Biography
Brittany Stahnke is with Newman University, 19 N. Tejon, Colorado Springs, CO 80911, USA
Email: drbrittanys@gmail.com
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0287-3369