Feeling Important, Feeling Well. The Association Between Mattering and Well-being: A Meta-analysis Study

Monica Paradisi (), Camilla Matera () and Amanda Nerini ()
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Monica Paradisi: University of Florence
Camilla Matera: University of Florence
Amanda Nerini: University of Florence

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2024, vol. 25, issue 1, No 24, 27 pages

Abstract: Abstract Perception of mattering, the feeling of being important to others (Rosenberg & McCullogh in Community Ment Health J 2:163–182, 1981), is receiving increasing attention as a factor that promotes well-being. Individual well-being has been defined in different ways, such as hedonic, as in a deep satisfaction with life (Diener & Lucas in Well-being: Foundations of Hedonic Psychology 213, 1999), eudaimonic, as in the realization of the true self (Ryff in Curr Dir Psychol Sci 4(4):99–104, 1995), and holistic, which is satisfaction across all domains of life (Prilleltensky et al., in J Community Psychol 43(2):199–226, 2015). The present study aims to systematize this body of literature on mattering and well-being to clarify whether the two constructs are linked independently from their conceptualization; to this end, a meta-analysis of 30 studies, following the PRISMA framework, was conducted. A significant medium effect size emerged between mattering and well-being (r = 0.41*** [95% CI 0.33, 0.49]), with eudaimonic well-being showing a higher effect size in association with mattering (r = 0.55*** [95% CI 0.46, 0.64]). The results indicate that mattering is a relevant construct when studying the positive functioning of individuals; in particular, mattering was found to be a key factor in the process of defining one’s sense of worth and purpose in life.

Keywords: Mattering; Well-being; Meta-analysis; Happiness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s10902-024-00720-3

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