Friendship and Happiness in Latin America: A Review

Abstract

This chapter summarizes the recent Latin American literature on friendship and its relations to happiness and related topics such as subjective well-being and quality of life. Although the investigation of the topic is limited in the continent, one can conclude, based on the available studies, that friendship is perceived to be a source of happiness among individuals in Latin America. Two points should be highlighted. First, the diversity of concepts and measures used to assess friendship and happiness across studies makes it difficult to compare data from different studies. Second, studies are sometimes guided by theory but are rarely an attempt to replicate findings obtained in other cultures. An agenda for future research is provided such as increasing international cooperation efforts aiming at using similar methods and constructs (e.g., similar definitions of friendship) to help to create a common ground, and developing measures sensitive to the cultural context when investigating friendship and happiness.