Chapter 3: Subjective Well-Being

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Observational measures of well-being are now the most widely used assessment tool in most studies of happiness and life satisfaction.

B. Unlike those in the United States, people in other Western industrialized nations report low levels of happiness (an average of 2 on a scale from 1 to 10).

C. Most people in the United States report “above average” levels of happiness.

D. Self-reports of subjective well-being change significantly over time.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Measurement of Subjective Well-Being

Difficulty Level: Hard

2. Research on ______ became the first systematic study of happiness to focus on large groups of people and to utilize the statistical procedures and methodology of contemporary science.

A. flow

B. subjective well-being

C. resilience

D. emodiversity

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Subjective Well-Being

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Dr. Prieto assessed the quality of marriage, the quality of friendships, job satisfaction, and satisfaction in several other areas. He then combined them into a total score. He is using the ______.

A. top-down perspective

B. bottom-up perspective

C. integrative perspective

D. hedonic adaptation perspective

Cognitive Domain: Conceptual

Answer Location: Top-Down and Bottom-Up Theories

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. If the bottom-up perspective is correct, then interventions should focus on ______.

A. changing people’s attitudes

B. changing people’s beliefs

C. changing personality traits

D. changing people’s environments

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Top-Down and Bottom-Up Theories

Difficulty Level: Hard

5. Dr. Lorenz’s research showed that poverty is correlated with lower levels of subjective well-being. This finding supports the ______ of well-being.

A. top-down theory

B. bottom-up theory

C. biological theory

D. sustainable happiness model

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Top-Down and Bottom-Up Theories

Difficulty Level: Hard

6. One’s freely chosen interpretation of reality is referred to as ______.

A. construals

B. signature strengths

C. desirability bias

D. autonomous motivation

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Cognition: Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The data consistently show that women are happier than men.

B. Women tend to seek emotional support more than men.

C. Men have shown a decrease in self-reported happiness since 1972 both in the United States and other countries.

D. Recent research shows that women score lower on well-being than men in countries that are more traditional, less urbanized, and less economically developed.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Gender: Are Men or Women Happier?

Difficulty Level: Hard

8. Research has shown that ______ reported more enjoyment of life and less pain and sadness than others.

A. people with curly hair

B. people with dark hair

C. people who are more muscular than average

D. people who are taller than average

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Attractiveness, Climate, and Other Predictors

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. Which of the following is TRUE regarding the impact of discrimination on subjective well-being?

A. The negative effects of discrimination impact children more severely than adults.

B. Being a member of a discriminated group had a more negative impact than being the personal target of discrimination.

C. Positive social support had no significant impact on the impact of discrimination.

D. Perceived racism had more impact if the individual felt a positive identification with his or her race.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Impact of Discrimination on Subjective Well-Being?

Difficulty Level: Hard

10. People in which of the following groups tend to report the highest well-being?

A. White Americans

B. African Americans

C. Native Americans

D. Latinos

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Race and Subjective Well-Being

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. Research has shown that ______ report levels of happiness comparable to White Americans.

A. Native Americans

B. Asian Americans

C. individuals from multiracial backgrounds

D. Latinos

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Race and Subjective Well-Being

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. Which of the following was NOT found to be a significant predictor of happiness and life satisfaction among African Americans?

A. having more income

B. being older

C. being married

D. living in a warm climate

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Race and Subjective Well-Being

Difficulty Level: Medium

13. Which of the following is TRUE among transgender individuals?

A. Gender confirming surgery has no significant effect on eudaimonic well-being.

B. Gender confirming surgery improved eudaimonic well-being for trans men, but not for trans women.

C. Gender confirming surgery improved eudaimonic well-being for trans women, but not for trans men.

D. Gender confirming surgery improved eudaimonic well-being for both trans men and women.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Sexual Orientation and Sexual Identity

Difficulty Level: Hard

14 Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Traits have a different impact on well-being at different ages.

B. The Big 5 traits are the only personality traits found to predict well-being.

C. Extraversion is the only one of the Big 5 traits that is significantly correlated with well-being.

D. Personality does not impact negative emotionality.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Personality Traits

Difficulty Level: Hard

15. The facet of neuroticism that is most crucial for subjective well-being is ______.

A. depression

B. anxiety

C. anger

D. self-consciousness

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Neuroticism

Difficulty Level: Easy

16. Which of the following suggests that access to the social and economic benefits found in wealthier countries might account for differences in well-being?

A. broaden-and-build theory

B. livability theory

C. hedonic adaptation

D. the sustainable happiness model

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Money, Income, and Wealth

Difficulty Level: Medium

17. The importance of income to happiness is greatest for ______.

A. Jamil, lives in the United States and whose household income is $20,000

B. Malik, who lives in the United States and whose household income is $40,000

C. Jerika, who lives in the United States and whose household income is $60,000

D. Tamika, who lives in the United States and whose household income is $80,000

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Money, Income, and Wealth

Difficulty Level: Easy

18. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Materialistic satisfaction had a stronger impact on well-being in poorer countries than in affluent countries.

B. Levels of happiness in the United States have risen dramatically from 1946 to the present.

C. Satisfying one’s need for autonomy and respect had a stronger impact in poorer countries than in affluent countries.

D. The United States consistently ranks #1 on cross-cultural surveys of happiness and well-being.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Money, Income, and Wealth

Difficulty Level: Hard

19. Mercedes has moved several times over the past decade, each time getting a nicer and bigger home as her combined income with her partner has increased. She continues to work in an industry that pays really well even though she would prefer a work setting where she could utilize her artistic talents. She rationalizes that once she gets a bigger home in a more exclusive neighborhood she will finally become “really happy.” This is an example of ______.

A. the wealth fallacy

B. the hedonic treadmill

C. the livability theory

D. downward social comparisons

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Money, Income, and Wealth

Difficulty Level: Medium

20. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Young people gain more well-being from ordinary experiences than extraordinary ones.

B. Spending money on experiences, such as a family vacation, is more likely to correlate with happiness than spending money on material goods such as a new car.

C. Wealthier people contribute a larger percentage of their income to charity than do others.

D. Gazing at relatively small amounts of money while engaged in unrelated tasks resulted in people’s enjoying these tasks more.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Bottom-Up Predictors of Subjective Well-Being

Difficulty Level: Medium

True/False

1. Dr. Froman is getting ready to submit her research proposal to the IRB. One of the variables she will examine is well-being. She had about a dozen measures of well-being from which she could choose.

Cognitive Domain: Applied

Answer Location: Self-Report Measures of Subjective Well-Being

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Research shows that one’s average level of happiness and life satisfaction are both relatively stable.

Cognitive Domain: Conceptual

Answer Location: Stability of Subjective Well-Being

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Self-report measures of well-being are the most widely used assessment tool in most studies of happiness and life satisfaction.

Cognitive Domain: Conceptual

Answer Location: Stability of Subjective Well-Being

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Diener and colleagues (2007) found that people who scored “10” on a 10-point scale of happiness were actually wore off in a number of areas than those who score 8 or 9.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Why Is Happiness Important?

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Research consistently shows that women are happier than men.

Cognitive Domain: Conceptual

Answer Location: Gender: Are Men or Women Happier?

Difficulty Level: Medium

Essay

1. Explain whether happiness is a rare commodity in the United States and what the Gallup-Sharecare Well-being Index is.

Cognitive Domain: Conceptual

Answer Location: Why Is Happiness Important?

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. What is a Duchenne smile and how is it relevant to research in the area of subjective well-being conducted by Harker and Keltner (2001)?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Stability of Subjective Well-Being

Difficulty Level: Hard

3. How do cognitive theories of subjective well-being explain people’s level of happiness? Provide one research finding to support approach.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Cognition: Is the Glass Half Full or Half Empty?

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Discuss how social comparisons are related to happiness.

Cognitive Domain: Conceptual

Answer Location: Comments on the Cognitive Predictors

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Discuss at least two findings from research that has examined the question of whether men or women are happier.

Cognitive Domain: Conceptual

Answer Location: Gender: Are Men or Women Happier?

Difficulty Level: Medium