Search Results (286)

Despite growing evidence linking cultural participation to subjective well-being, existing research has largely focused on individual-level participation, local communities, or single-event case studies, leaving the role of festival density insufficiently explored at the national level. This study addresses this gap by examining the relationship between festival density, operationalized as the number of festivals per population (NFP), and national well-being through a cross-country comparative framework. The analysis integrates data from 121 countries and 7859 festivals obtained from the Vibrate platform with national well-being indicators from the World Happiness Report (2025). Using Pearson correlation analysis and supplementary regression-based robustness checks, the study identifies a moderate positive association between festival density and national well-being. However, the strength of this relationship varies across geographical and contextual settings, and weakens when broader socioeconomic factors are taken into account. The findings further indicate that cultural attributes, particularly festival genre, are more strongly associated with well-being outcomes than structural characteristics such as festival size. Religious festivals exhibit the strongest observed correlation, although this result should be interpreted cautiously due to the limited number of observations within this category. The study contributes to the literature by conceptualizing festival density as a macro-level indicator of cultural opportunity structures and by providing one of the first systematic cross-country analyses of its relationship with national well-being. The findings advance current knowledge by suggesting that the cultural characteristics of festival ecosystems may be more relevant to well-being than their scale alone, while also highlighting the importance of broader socioeconomic conditions in shaping national well-being outcomes. The findings also contribute to the sustainability literature by highlighting the role of cultural ecosystems as components of social sustainability. By fostering opportunities for social interaction, collective identity, and cultural participation, festival environments may support sustainable well-being and strengthen the social and cultural dimensions of sustainable development. Full article

This article examines the transformation of the concepts of contingency and providence from Aristotle to Augustine. For Aristotle, contingency defines the sublunary world: singular future events are neither determined nor already true, as he argues in De Interpretatione 9, 19a7–19b4, and action takes place among particulars that could be otherwise, τὸ ἐνδεχόμενον ἄλλως ἔχειν (“that which could be otherwise”). Φρόνησις (“practical wisdom”) enables deliberation in this realm by discerning the means to εὐδαιμονία (“happiness,” “the good life”), where rules do not exhaust judgment and outcomes remain exposed to risk. For Augustine, apparent contingency is encompassed within divine providence; casus (“chance,” “case”) or fortuitum (“the fortuitous”) expresses human ignorance, not the absence of an ordo causarum (“order of causes”). In De Civitate Dei V.9, nothing occurs without a cause known to God, and chance occurs occulto quodam ordine (“by a certain hidden order”). The relationship between the two is not one of direct influence, given that Augustine had limited and indirect access to Aristotle. The comparison is thematic: it analyzes how problems initially formulated by Aristotle—the open future, deliberation, particulars—are reconfigured through creatio ex nihilo (“creation out of nothing”), praescientia (“foreknowledge”), and gratia (“grace”). Both affirm human responsibility, though within distinct horizons: Aristotle, in an open field measured ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολύ (“for the most part”); Augustine, in a created order in which the will itself is foreknown and sustained by God. Prudence thus becomes twofold: navigating what might be otherwise without a guarantee of success and ordering temporal goods toward the unchanging Good, trusting that no risk escapes providence. Full article

Studies of quality of life have developed into a major field of academic research that examines the determinants of subjective well-being beyond traditional economic measures. The link between environmental quality and quality of life (also known as subjective well-being, usually measured by happiness) has been studied in different settings. However, the heterogeneity of the levels of development and of the policy settings in OECD countries offer an interesting environment to study this relationship. This study is the first to offer a complete analysis of the environmental quality–quality of life nexus across OECD member nations, with a special focus on developmental differences within the organization. We analyzed 38 OECD nations using panel data methods for the period 2010–2022, and also classify them into developed and developing subgroups according to income thresholds and United Nations development classifications. Our findings suggest a positive and significant correlation between environment quality (as evaluated by the Environmental Performance Index (EPI)) and subjective quality of life in developed OECD countries. However, this association was statistically insignificant in developing OECD countries, where economic concerns like unemployment and inflation have a more prominent influence on quality of life. Specifically, a 10-point increase in the EPI is associated with a 0.24-point increase in quality of life in developed OECD countries—an effect comparable to a one-percentage-point reduction in unemployment. In contrast, no significant association was found for developing OECD countries. These conclusions have substantial implications for the design of differentiated environmental policies in the OECD framework, and add to the broader knowledge of how sustainable development increases well-being at different phases of economic progress. Full article

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has grown in importance as a means for companies to engage with customers who are increasingly environmentally and socially conscious. This study examines how CSR affects sustainable consumer buying tendencies, emphasizing the mediating role of consumer happiness and corporate image. Scientists contend that customers are more inclined to support businesses whose values align with CSR programs that foster positive feelings and trust. Therefore, a conceptual model was developed by following cognitive consistency theory. Data from 504 customers in Pakistan, an expanding market where awareness of sustainability issues is continually rising, were gathered to test this. The results demonstrate that CSR has a significant and favorable influence on consumer purchasing preferences, as assessed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Crucially, the proposed relationship is not only direct: CSR improves consumer happiness and corporate image, leading to better purchase decisions. By emphasizing the emotional and perceptual processes involved, these findings provide a better understanding of how CSR influences consumer behavior. The study demonstrates how CSR can encourage more conscientious consumption habits from a sustainability standpoint, supporting Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production). Findings suggest that well-thought-out CSR programs may truly affect how and why customers make purchase decisions, especially in emerging countries, going beyond reputation-building. Full article

In the current era of accelerated urbanization, food security is facing unprecedented challenges. Urban agriculture, as a complex system integrating ecological, social and economic values, has become one of the effective solutions. Urban agriculture helps ensure food security, provides health benefits for the population, promotes social inclusiveness, and enhances people’s happiness. From a planning perspective, residential areas, as an important component of urban space, their integration with urban agriculture is an important way to alleviate urban food problems and enhance urban sustainability. However, existing studies mostly adopt uniform and homogeneous design methods and strategies, ignoring the differences between different types of residential areas, resulting in resource waste and insufficient implementation. Therefore, our study takes Nankai District of Tianjin as an example, uses the K-means clustering algorithm to classify residential areas, further proposes strategies for integrating spatial elements and management and operation mechanisms of different types of residential areas, and conducts a quantitative assessment of the sustainable benefits of the updated urban agriculture in residential areas. This study aims to break through the homogeneous design paradigm and provides a theoretical basis and practical references for promoting the update of urban agriculture in residential areas and sustainable urban development. The results show that differentiated urban agriculture updates in four types of residential areas can significantly improve the sustainable benefits of the residential areas. Full article

Tourism is increasingly recognized as a driver of well-being and sustainability in nature-based destinations, yet the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. This study investigates how travel frequency influences tourist authentic happiness through the mediating role of perceived stress. Data were collected from 385 visitors to Cotopaxi National Park, Ecuador, and analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). A Confirmatory Factor Analysis validated the measurement model, followed by a mediation SEM that incorporated demographic controls (age and income). Results indicate that perceived stress exerts a strong negative effect on happiness (β = −0.58, p < 0.001), confirming its role as a key inhibitor of well-being. Travel frequency significantly reduces stress (β = −0.36, p < 0.001), while its direct effect on happiness is not significant (β = 0.07, p > 0.05), evidencing full mediation. These findings refine traditional assumptions that “more travel equals more happiness,” highlighting stress mitigation as the critical pathway to sustainable tourist well-being. Practical implications suggest prioritizing low-stress, high-adjustment experiences through clear signage, real-time information, and simplified booking systems. This research contributes to tourism psychology and sustainable destination management by demonstrating that authentic happiness depends on reducing stress rather than increasing hedonic stimuli. Full article

This conceptual framework paper critically evaluates the economic, regulatory, and accounting significance of transparent reporting on investments in employee happiness, emphasizing its potential to reduce information asymmetry in capital markets. We define employee-happiness investments as deliberate organisational expenditures and management practices designed to enhance employees’ overall life satisfaction. Information asymmetry, a condition that occurs when managers possess better information than investors, poses substantial risks including market inefficiencies, misallocation of capital, and increased costs of capital. Empirical evidence consistently illustrates that employee happiness is positively correlated with enhanced firm productivity, lower risk, and improved financial performance. Despite these clear linkages, current international accounting and regulatory frameworks do not adequately capture investments in employee happiness, with International Accounting Standard 38 mandating immediate expensing rather than balance sheet recognition due to identifiability and control constraints. This treatment could exacerbate informational disparities and may potentially hinder effective investor decision-making by obscuring strategic resource allocation patterns within aggregated expense line items. Drawing on recent studies and real-world financial outcomes, the paper argues for complementary disclosure reforms mandating standardized reporting of employee-happiness investments and outcomes as a crucial step toward more informed market assessments and sustainable corporate practices. Full article

Energy poverty, as an emerging form of poverty, is key to consolidating the achievements of poverty alleviation and is also an important cornerstone for promoting energy transformation, social equity, and people’s well-being. Based on data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) for 2018 to 2022, we use the head of household’s subjective happiness to proxy for family happiness. Using a two-way fixed-effects model, we analyze the impact of energy poverty on family happiness and its mechanism from the theoretical and empirical aspects. The conclusions are as follows: (1) Energy poverty has a significant negative impact on family happiness, and the estimated results of instrumental variables after solving endogeneity are consistent. (2) Heterogeneity analysis finds that for families with relatively advantaged economic conditions, such as non-relatively poor families, urban families, and families with no loans, energy poverty significantly reduces their happiness, which contradicts our conventional understanding. (3) Mechanism analysis shows that energy poverty affects income gaps, health status, and economic status, which in turn affect family happiness. The respective percentages coming from the mechanisms of income gap, health status, and economic status are 43.31%, 26.11%, and 9.55%. We directly link energy sustainability, a core area of sustainable development, with residents’ well-being. It fills the systematic research gap on how energy poverty affects household happiness and deepens our understanding of its underlying transmission mechanism. Furthermore, it enriches research on the implementation pathways of energy policy and common prosperity, broadens the boundaries of research in energy economy and social welfare, and provides important practical implications for advancing energy inclusion and rural revitalization within the sustainable development framework. Full article

Background: Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Dualistic Model (DM) of Passion, this study examined the motivational mechanisms underlying psychological well-being among Tunisian physical education teachers. The objectives were twofold: to examine validity evidence of the Arabic version of the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSFS) and to test an integrative structural model linking harmonious passion, need satisfaction and frustration, well-being, vitality, happiness, and perceived stress. Methods: A representative sample of physical education teachers (1238) completed standardized instruments to assess passion, basic psychological needs, and well-being. To conduct exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the group was randomly divided into two independent subgroups. Reliability and validity were assessed using additional psychometric indicators, and a structural equation model was used to test the hypothesized relationships. Results: The results support the multidimensional structure and psychometric validity of the scale in the Tunisian context. Harmonious passion appears to be a positive factor in the satisfaction of psychological needs and a negative factor in cases of frustration. The satisfaction of these needs is closely linked to a high level of well-being, whereas their dissatisfaction is associated with adverse consequences. Well-being is also associated with increased vitality, greater happiness, and reduced stress, reflecting adaptive psychological functioning. Conclusions: Harmonious passion and basic psychological need satisfaction emerge as central resources for sustaining teacher well-being, vitality, and resilience against stress in educational contexts. Full article

Employee happiness has become a central concern for the social dimension of sustainability, particularly within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in emerging economies. However, empirical evidence remains limited regarding how advanced organizational self-management practices—especially when integrating holacracy-inspired practices and broader self-management mechanisms that show a positive and significant association with employee happiness in SME contexts, particularly in Latin America. Addressing this gap, this study examines the relationship between organizational self-management practices and employee happiness in Peruvian SMEs, adopting a predictive approach based on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Organizational Self-Management Practices (OSMPs) are modeled as a higher-order construct integrating holacracy-inspired and broader self-management practices. Data were collected from 383 SME employees through a structured questionnaire. The findings indicate that organizational self-management practices exert a positive and significant association with employee happiness, operating through an underlying mechanism in which self-management-oriented practices foster greater employee autonomy, participatory decision-making, role clarity, and shared responsibility, thereby supporting fundamental psychological needs and enhancing employees affective and cognitive well-being at work. By promoting these autonomy-supportive organizational conditions, Organizational Self-Management Practices (OSMPs) strengthen employee happiness in resource-constrained SME contexts, highlighting how Organizational Self-Management Practices function as internal governance mechanisms that enhance employee well-being and contribute to social sustainability by strengthening psychologically supportive, autonomy-enhancing, and socially sustainable work environments in emerging economy SMEs. These findings demonstrate that employee happiness represents a micro-level manifestation of social sustainability, linking internal organizational governance mechanisms with broader sustainable development outcomes in emerging economy contexts. Full article

(1) Background: Age-friendly emphasizes creating an appropriate living environment for people of all ages, which plays a crucial role in promoting intergenerational interaction in community public spaces and is conducive to achieving sustainable social development. This study explores how residents’ views on community public spaces affect their happiness, with intergenerational interaction acting as a mediating factor. (2) Methods: The data were sourced from 36 typical residential communities in 12 subdistricts of Yangpu District, Shanghai. Field investigations and questionnaire surveys were conducted on these communities, and a total of 1048 valid samples were collected. Descriptive statistics and structural equation models were employed to analyze the data. (3) Results: This research reveals that overall environmental perception significantly enhances happiness, and intergenerational support mediates this relationship. Factor loadings indicate that education & training and elderly & childcare spaces are the most salient dimensions of environmental perception, underscoring fundamental role in shaping how residents form their overall evaluation of community spaces. Through their strong association with intergenerational support, play a significant indirect role in enhancing residents’ happiness. Community belongingness plays a reinforcing role between intergenerational support interaction and happiness. The analysis of individual attributes further reveals that the length of residence and gender have moderating effects on the perception of public spaces. (4) Conclusions: This study examines the path of “Environmental perception → Intergenerational interaction → Happiness” and identifies the key mediating role of intergenerational support in this relationship. The conclusions indicate that optimizing community public spaces, particularly by improving “empowering” and “protective” spaces and fostering intergenerational integration through activities, can enhance residents’ belonging and happiness, offering a pathway to advance the SDGs. Full article

This review paper takes as its starting point a number of intriguing conundrums. Firstly, there is much interest in the research community in the assessment of happiness as a part of sustainability, including the development of indicators and indices, although it is often acknowledged that quantifying something as subjective as happiness is a challenge. Secondly, despite this compelling and oft-repeated case, the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator framework has just one mention of ‘happiness’ in all the 267 indicator metadata documents. While ‘sustainable happiness’ is often stated as a desired outcome of the SDGs, it seems that happiness has not been regarded as part of the ongoing assessment process. The review answers the question as to why that should be so. The methodology is founded on a review of the existing literature on SDG indicators and happiness, especially the insights gained from established examples of happiness indices, such as the Gross National Happiness Index (GNHI) of Bhutan and the Happy Planet Index (HPI), as well as other initiatives to create such indices in parallel to the SDGs, such as the ‘SDGs for Happiness’ and the ‘Sustainable Wellbeing Index’. Given that indicators and indices are typically intended to attract attention from the media, the paper explores the reporting of various happiness indices in one form of media—newspapers. One would expect that happiness indicators and indices would have an attraction for journalists, but do they? The review concludes that the complexity of measuring happiness on top of a ‘quagmire’ (as some authors put it) of quantification challenges with the SDG indicators seems the most likely explanation for its absence to date. But with experience gained by 2030, maybe there will be an opportunity to consider the inclusion of happiness, drawing insights in particular from the GNHI and HPI, for a successor SDG indicator framework. Full article

The Carbon Generalized System of Preferences (CGSP), theoretically rooted in value co-creation, serves as a vital policy tool for household carbon mitigation, yet faces an awareness-behavior gap during implementation. In this study, theoretical and empirical analyses were conducted to reveal the dual-pathway mechanism underlying the residents’ participation in the CGSP. The findings demonstrate that the residents’ participation behavior is positively influenced by the two-way communication between government and residents, as well as the residents’ sense of responsibility. Specifically, these two factors can also enhance participation by fostering egoistic and altruistic values, respectively. Notably, face culture weakens the positive effects of both values on participation, which embodies the paradigm conflict between traditional cultural and modern environmental governance systems. Residents with higher work happiness and women demonstrate significantly higher participation rates. The findings yield three policy recommendations for enhancing CGSP participation and operational sustainability. Full article

Ensuring equitable access to healthcare services safeguards individual wellbeing and enhances society’s overall happiness. This study investigates the complex relationships between spatial hospital accessibility, spatial inequality, and urban wellbeing, focusing on the physical dimension of access measured by travel time. Using geospatial and economic data from 13,776 hospitals, this study reveals that inequality in hospital accessibility, as measured by the Gini coefficient, significantly and negatively impacts urban happiness. Additionally, the results reveal a nonlinear, inverted U-shaped relationship between hospital accessibility and city-level happiness, indicating an optimal threshold beyond which marginal benefits decline. Additionally, the results indicate a key mediating mechanism: unequal access drives population out-migration and reduces the permanent resident population. This outcome, in turn, partially transmits adverse effects to city-level wellbeing. These findings demonstrate substantial spatial and contextual heterogeneity, underscoring the need for policymakers to tailor urban health policies that prioritize enhancing accessibility and ensure equitable distribution to foster sustainable demographic stability and overall urban wellbeing. Full article

This paper explores the relationships between indicators designed to assess the quality of natural habitats, the quality of governance, and self-reported well-being (often equated with ‘happiness’) at the country scale. A habitat/species ‘protection’ group of indicators was identified comprising the Terrestrial Biome Protection based on national weights (TBN), the Species Protection Index (SPI), and the Protected Area Representativeness Index (PAR), all of which require identification, demarcation, management, and protection of habitats and species, typically backed up with legislation, by government. This group of ‘protection’ indicators had a statistically significant and positive relationship with both the quality of governance and happiness (p < 0.05). However, it is suggested that the positive impact of this group of indicators on happiness is indirect; a better quality of governance has a positive influence on both this group of ‘protection’ indicators and happiness. A fourth indicator, the Species Habitat Index (SHI), differs from the other three in that it assesses the proportion of suitable habitats for a country’s species that remain intact relative to a baseline year, and this is not necessarily tied solely to protected areas and thus to government intervention. The SHI had no statistically significant association with the quality of governance and had a negative association with happiness (p < 0.001). It is suggested that the SHI may be conceptualized as an inverse indicator of perceived ‘development’; lower SHI values equate to greater pressures on land use for housing, farming, and industry, among others, and all of these can be seen by at least some people as positive and thus improve their sense of happiness. This paper makes suggestions for future research in this important nexus for sustainability of environment, governance, and happiness. Full article