Abstract
Decades of empirical research leave no doubt that friendship experiences are consistent correlates of happiness. Yet, little is known about how friendships are related to happiness. The present study examined personal sense of uniqueness as a mediator of the relationship between same-sex best friendship quality and happiness in three samples each employing a different measure of happiness (n = 2,429). Results provided support to the mediational model in every sample and showed that it was gender invariant. The findings suggest that one reason why the quality of friendships is related to happiness is because friendship experiences promote individuals' feelings of uniqueness. The implications of the findings for friendship and happiness research are discussed and directions for future research are outlined.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1201-1224 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Journal of Happiness Studies |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2013 |
Keywords
- Bootstrapping
- Happiness
- Personal sense of uniqueness
- Same-sex best friendship
- Structural equation modeling
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)