Abstract

This is a review of cross-cultural research on Subjective Well-Being (SWB). Following a brief overview of the psychosocial perspective in the investigation of personal well-being, this article considers the methodological problems that must be tackled in cross-cultural studies, and primary research domains found in scientific literature. These include: surveys and international studies on levels of subjective well-being in various populations; studies on social and cultural correlates of well-being - such as national wealth and norms for approval of emotions -; studies on cross-cultural differences in individual correlates of well-being - such as the self-concept, and personal goals. This review ends with remarks concerning limitations of the psychosocial approach upon studying personal well-being and with issues that cross-cultural research should consider.