Subjective Wellbeing and Homeostatically Protected Mood: Theory Validation With Adolescents

Researchers generally agree that Subjective Wellbeing (SWB) comprises both cognitive and affective components. However, the proportioning of their contributions, and the relationship between these constructs and personality, remain equivocal. This study investigated the relationship between these constructs, representing affect by Homeostatically Protected Mood (HPMood). Using a sample of 205 Victorian high-school students aged between 13 and 20 years, structural equation modeling determined that an HPMood-driven model of SWB was better fitting than either a personality-driven model of SWB or a cognition-driven model of SWB, explaining 80% of variance. These results support HPMood as the major component of SWB. They also reinforce the proposition that HPMood may be the driving force behind individual SWB set-points and the variable that SWB homeostasis seeks to defend.