Larsen Mads, Witoszek Nina, Yeung June Chun
Centre for Development and the Environment, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland.
Front Psychol. 2023 Feb 23;14:1068119. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1068119. eCollection 2023.
This article proposes an evolutionary model for well-being informed by multilevel selection. We posit that people's subjective assessment of their own quality of life is the sum their happiness, which is related to individual selection, and their sense of having a meaningful life, which is related to group selection. Conceptualizing life quality as "Happiness + Meaning = Well-being" offers insights into how the human well-being system helps people navigate between individual and group needs. We define happiness as the cluster of affects that reward individuals for solving adaptively relevant problems. We approach meaning as a reward individuals experience when contributing to their community. While people derive happiness from cooperation and competition, meaning originates from prosocial (cooperative/altruistic) behavior. Since increased within-group competition often reduces societal well-being, public policy should aim at cooperative means for good living. Our model brings attention to these dynamics. The Nordic countries, which score highest on quality of life, facilitate multilevel well-being, that is, individual prosperity and altruistic opportunity. Our preliminary quantitative study confirmed the correlation between some markers of prosociality and well-being at a national level. To investigate the psychological mechanisms behind this correlation, we conducted in-depth interviews of Nordic and Slavonic helpers of Ukrainian refugees in Norway ( = 32). A primary ambition was to illuminate how the human quest for meaning contributes both to individual flourishing and group selection. In line with Nesse's view on happiness not as an affect meant to be maximized, but an evolutionary signal, we use a qualitative approach that allows for a deeper understanding of how individuals adapt to these signals. Our findings suggest that happiness is transient so that the well-being system's signal sensitivity can be preserved. Meaning is enduring since it assesses and reinforces social belonging. These insights are relevant for our era's turn toward more holistic development policies. Compared to often materialistic, competition-driven happiness pursuits, meaning-driven well-being is a more sustainable alternative for individuals, communities, and the planet.
本文提出了一种基于多层次选择的幸福进化模型。我们假定，人们对自身生活质量的主观评估是其幸福感（与个体选择相关）和有意义生活感（与群体选择相关）的总和。将生活质量概念化为“幸福 + 意义 = 福祉”，有助于深入了解人类福祉系统如何帮助人们在个体需求和群体需求之间找到平衡。我们将幸福定义为因解决适应性相关问题而奖励个体的一系列情感。我们将意义视为个体在为社区做出贡献时所体验到的奖励。虽然人们从合作与竞争中获得幸福，但意义源于亲社会（合作/利他）行为。由于群体内部竞争加剧往往会降低社会福祉，公共政策应以促进良好生活的合作方式为目标。我们的模型关注到了这些动态。在生活质量方面得分最高的北欧国家，促进了多层次的福祉，即个体的繁荣和利他的机会。我们的初步定量研究证实了在国家层面亲社会行为的一些指标与福祉之间的相关性。为了探究这种相关性背后的心理机制，我们对挪威的乌克兰难民的北欧和斯拉夫志愿者（n = 32）进行了深入访谈。一个主要目标是阐明人类对意义的追求如何既有助于个体的繁荣又有助于群体选择。与内斯关于幸福不是一种要最大化的情感而是一种进化信号的观点一致，我们采用定性方法，以便更深入地理解个体如何适应这些信号。我们的研究结果表明，幸福是短暂的，这样福祉系统的信号敏感性才能得以保留。意义是持久的，因为它评估并强化社会归属感。这些见解与我们这个时代转向更全面发展政策的趋势相关。与通常由物质主义、竞争驱动的幸福追求相比，意义驱动的福祉对个人、社区和地球来说是一种更可持续的选择。
