Abstract
How to better the lives of people is central to the mission of positive psychology, and understanding and fostering life satisfaction is widely seen as being central to this goal. A wide range of studies attests to the role that life satisfaction plays in successful functioning in youth. Increased life satisfaction is consistently related to adaptive psychosocial functioning, interpersonal and social relationships, academic success, decreased behavior problems, increased healthier behaviors, and a host of school-related variables, including perceived academic efficacy, competence, and self-efficacy. This chapter reviews the factors that are associated with and predictive of life satisfaction in youth, including supportive interpersonal relationships with both family and peers, participation in meaningful instrumental activities, having a healthy lifestyle, cultural integration, positive behavior, and peer interactions. Further, the chapter also reviews specific positive psychology interventions that have been shown to increase life satisfaction, including gratitude diaries, the teaching of well-being in schools, and character strengths interventions.
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Proctor, C., Linley, P.A. (2014). Life Satisfaction in Youth. In: Fava, G., Ruini, C. (eds) Increasing Psychological Well-being in Clinical and Educational Settings. Cross-Cultural Advancements in Positive Psychology, vol 8. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8669-0_13
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