Cross-cultural studies in well-being

In positive psychology, the presence of wellness is as important as the absence of illness and removing the illness does not necessarily mean that you bring about wellness. Psychological well-being has therefore become the focus of research in today’s psychology. Research has shown that well-being is also important from cultural points of view.

A series of cross-cultural studies in both university student and infertile women populations have investigated the cognitive and emotional components of well-being. The results of our research show that when comparing individualistic cultures (e.g. Sweden) and collectivistic cultures (e.g. Iran), there are similarities in the cognitive components of well-being at the same time as there are dissimilarities in its emotional components.