Individualistic societies often has a negative connotation in the public debate (Van Noort 2019, Campton 2020). It is said to be the cause of loneliness because people living in an individualistic society are more concerned with themselves and, therefore, pay less attention to maintaining a close relationship with others. This increased loneliness would make people in an individualist society unhappier than individuals in a collectivist society. Yet there are clear indications that people in an individualistic society are happier than people in a collectivist society.
What are individualistic and collectivist societies?
To elaborate on the proposition, it is important to describe the differences between individualistic and collectivistic societies. Individualism and collectivism says something about the relationship of the individual to the group. It is a collection of social norms that exist in social institutions such as; family influence, religion and politics (Hofstede 2001). In a collectivist society, these norms are aimed at promoting cooperation in a group (Aaron 2002). In an individualistic society, norms are aimed at bringing about the best for the individual. In a collectivist society, the group comes first and the individual second. In an individualistic society this is reversed, the individual is the most important and the group comes second. This means that ties between people in a collectivistic society are stronger than in an individualistic society.
What makes people living in an individualistic society happier?
An important mechanism that makes people in an individualistic society happier than people in a collectivistic society is the amount of freedom of choice. In a collectivist society, individuals have less freedom of choice because the individual’s freedom of choice is limited by the norms of the group. An example of this is that a son or daughter is encouraged by their parents to work in the family business when he or she would rather have gone to college. An individualistic society, on the other hand, gives us the opportunity to make choices that suit us.
In addition to freedom of choice, an individualistic society promotes the pursuit of intrinsic goals such as autonomy and personal growth (Kasser & Ryan, 1996). Intrinsic goals differ from extrinsic goals in that they are not aimed at meeting the expectations of others. Research by Kasser & Ryan (1996) shows that people who mainly pursue intrinsic goals are happier than people who mainly pursue extrinsic goals. This has two causes; first of all, intrinsic goals bring about more moments of happiness because they are less influenced by the environment. An economic crisis or a shift in the value of status symbols has a major impact on extrinsic goals. For example, when someone has set the goal of buying a large car, but having a large car is then no longer seen as something to be proud of because it pollutes the environment. Intrinsic goals are less susceptible to this because the value of these goals is determined by the individual himself. Moreover, pursuing extrinsic goals is associated with spending more time at work. As a result, behaviour that has a negative impact on happiness is more likely to be exhibited. Examples of this are not getting enough rest and spending less time with friends and family. In a collectivist society, extrinsic goals are more likely to be pursued than in an individualistic society because bonds between people are stronger. These strong ties ensure that the position of the individual in the group is of greater importance, so that people are more likely to set the goal of achieving status. Obtaining financial success is also more likely to be a goal because money can be used to improve the position of the group.
What about loneliness in individualistic societies?
A frequently heard negative effect of an individualistic society is the higher degree of loneliness compared to a collectivistic society. This would result from the pursuit of individual goals. The fact that loneliness has a negative impact on perceived happiness is well-founded in science (VanderWeele, Hawkley, and Cacioppo 2012, Shankar, Rafnsson, & Steptoe, 2014). This does not mean that loneliness is more prevalent in an individualistic society. Swader 2018, Fokkema, De Jong Gierveld, & Dykstra, 2012 show that there is more loneliness in a collectivist society than in an individualistic society. This difference in loneliness can partly, but not entirely, be attributed to a difference in frame of reference. When it is the norm that someone has a lot of social contact, someone is more likely to feel lonely than when this is not the case (Swader 2018). People also feel less lonely in an individualistic society because there are more opportunities to get social interaction when someone does not have strong social ties. For example, in individualistic societies it is customary to come alone to someone’s birthday, to go on holiday with a strange travel group or to become a member of a sports club of which others from the immediate social environment are not yet members. These examples are less self-evident in a modern collectivist culture such as Japan. As a result, individuals who are not part of a close-knit group will have more difficulty building a social life and will therefore be more likely to become lonely.
Concluding
All in all, we can say that an individualistic society has a positive influence on the happiness we experience. An individualistic society offers the opportunity to make choices that suit us. Individuals have less regard for the opinion of the group and are free to make their own choices and set goals. In addition, an individualistic society stimulates the pursuit of intrinsic goals, so that more moments of happiness are experienced. Individuals in a collectivistic society are more likely to pursue extrinsic goals, which can have a negative impact on perceived happiness. A frequently heard negative aspect of an individualistic society is a higher degree of loneliness compared to a collectivistic society. This argument turns out to be unfounded. Loneliness is less common in an individualistic society than in a collectivistic society. All these aspects together make people in an individualistic society happier than people in a collectivistic society.
References
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Campton, J. Mindfulness and wellbeing: The relentless, creepy rise of the enforced happiness industry. Retrieved fromhttps://moneyweek.com/520406/mindfulness-and-wellbeing-the-relentless-creepy-rise-of-the-enforced-happiness-industry/
Fokkema, T., De Jong Gierveld, J., & Dykstra , PA (2012). Cross-national differences in older adult loneliness.The Journal of Psychology, 146(1-2), 201-228. doi:10.1080/00223980.2011.631612
Hofstede, G. (2001).Culture’s consequences : Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations(2nd [rev. and updated] ed. ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA [etc.]: Sage. Retrieved fromhttps://rug.on.worldcat.org/oclc/782994038
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Swader, CS (2018). Loneliness in europe: Personal and societal individualism-collectivism and their connection to social isolation.Social Forces, 97(3), 1307-1336. doi:10.1093/sf/soy088
Van Noort, W. It is a big misconception that you can make yourself happy. Retrieved fromhttps://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2019/08/23/het-is-een-grote-misvangen-dat-je-jezelf-gelukkig-kunt-maken-a3970966
VanderWeele, TJ, Hawkley, LC , & Cacioppo, JT (2012a). On the reciprocal association between loneliness and subjective well-being.American Journal of Epidemiology, 176(9), 777-784. doi:10.1093/aje/kws173
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