Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
11-2016
Abstract
We propose the savanna theory of happiness, which suggests that it is not only the current consequences of a given situation but also its ancestral consequences that affect individuals’ life satisfaction and explains why such influences of ancestral consequences might interact with intelligence. We choose two varied factors that characterize basic differences between ancestral and modern life – population density and frequency of socialization with friends – as empirical test cases. As predicted by the theory, population density is negatively, and frequency of socialization with friends is positively, associated with life satisfaction. More importantly, the main associations of life satisfaction with population density and socialization with friends significantly interact with intelligence, and, in the latter case, the main association is reversed among the extremely intelligent. More intelligent individuals experience lower life satisfaction with more frequent socialization with friends. This study highlights the utility of incorporating evolutionary perspectives in the study of subjective well-being.
Keywords
evolutionary psychology, positive psychology, subjective well-being, population density, friendships
Discipline
Applied Behavior Analysis | Psychology
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
British Journal of Psychology
Volume
107
Issue
4
First Page
675
Last Page
697
ISSN
0007-1269
Identifier
10.1111/bjop.12181
Publisher
Wiley: 12 months
Citation
LI, Norman P., & KANAZAWA, Satoshi.(2016). Country roads, take me home ... to my friends: How intelligence, population density, and friendship affect modern happiness. British Journal of Psychology, 107(4), 675-697.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/1910
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12181