RT Journal Article
T1 Criteria for Happiness Among People Living in Extreme Poverty in Maputo, Mozambique
A1 Costa-Galinha, Iolanda
A1 García-Martín, Miguel Ángel
A1 Gomes, Clara
A1 Oishi, Shigehiro
K1 Pobreza - Aspectos psicológicos - Mozambique
K1 Felicidad - Mozambique
AB The criteria for happiness of people living near the limit of survival needs in diversecultural contexts allow us to understand the fundamental and universal or culturallyspecific sources of human happiness. Twenty-five participants (11 men, 14 women)from Maputo, Mozambique, M   37.36; SD   15.86 years old (19 to 80), reported aper capita monthly household income between 143 and 1,000 Meticals (3.86 and 27.03USD). Participants responded to (a) a semistructured interview about happiness, criteriafor happiness, positive and negative life events, and hopes and fears for the future and(b) a structured interview about satisfaction in specific life domains and comparativeincome. Only 16% of the participants reported being happy. Participants said that whenbasic needs are not satisfied happiness is impossible. Overall, satisfaction with life inspecific domains was higher because of satisfaction in nonmaterial domains. The maincriteria for happiness were having basic living conditions, a job, and positive relation ships with family and neighbors. After survival needs were met, social, spiritual, andpersonal aspects of life became important for subjective well-being. Satisfaction withincome was correlated with comparative income and not with objective income. Beingable to provide wedding and funeral ceremonies and having good relationships withneighbors may be culturally specific criteria for happiness in Maputo. The breakup ofmarital relationships, family abandonment, and spousal infidelity (reported mainly bywomen) may be gender-specific sources of unhappiness in Maputo.
PB APA
YR 2016
FD 2016
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/33758
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/33758
LA eng
NO This project was financed by the Portuguese Science andTechnology Foundation—BPD/26479/2006
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 20 ene 2026