ABSTRACT

A major goal of subjective well-being research is to examine and explain interindividual differences in happiness. Presumably, variation in subjective feelings about one's life results from an interplay between one's personality, one's goals, and the resources the individual can marshal to attain those goals. If individuals can change their goals or assemble greater resources, increased happiness would be expected. Studying subjective well-being across the life span offers an interesting test of the relative importance of personality, goals, and resources. The things people want in life change drastically from the time they are children to the time they are older adults. Furthermore, for most individuals, the resources they have to accomplish their goals fluctuate at different points in their lives. When there are systematic trends in meaningful resources across the life span, it is possible to better understand the role that these domains play in overall subjective well-being.