Cultural Evolution Shifts the Source of Happiness from Religion to Subjective Freedom

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Authors

Numerous studies have reported a positive individual-level association between happiness and two psychologically distinct states of mind: religious faith and subjective freedom (a feeling of life control). Although the strength of these relationships varies across countries, no general pattern driving this variation has been shown so far. After surveying 40,534 randomly selected respondents from 43 nations, we find that in countries where happiness is more closely related to religious faith, it is less strongly associated with subjective freedom, and vice versa. We have also identified the driving force behind this inverse relationship. Rising individualism and emancipative values, as an outcome of modernization, diminish the importance of religious faith for people’s happiness, while increasing the importance of subjective freedom. We conclude that the dominant emancipatory direction of cultural evolution favors freedom over religion.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Happiness Studies
Volume21
Issue number8
Pages (from-to)2873-2888
Number of pages16
ISSN1389-4978
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.12.2020

    Research areas

  • Happiness, Individualism, Religion, Subjective freedom, Subjective well-being
  • Politics

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