Title: Strive for what others want – the role of mindfulness, social pressure, time pressure and time perspectives on designers' happiness

Authors: Chaehan So

Addresses: Information and Interaction Design, Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Division, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea

Abstract: The present study investigated the specific life circumstances that determine designers' happiness measured in terms of life satisfaction and subjective well-being. To this aim, self-reports of 252 participants in an online survey were analysed using psychological measurement instruments for pressure, self-aspects, happiness and mindfulness. The findings highlight that social pressure and time pressure are negatively related to designers' happiness and to positive self-aspects (self-esteem, creative self-efficacy) by a small to medium effect size (r = .21). Judging partially mediates this detrimental effect by a small effect size (r = .09), is highly related to social comparison frequency (r = .50) and global happiness (r = –.40). Present focus and present value relate more positively to global happiness than future focus and future value (r = .17). A positive implication for designers derives from the result that creative self-efficacy closely relates to positive emotions (r = .43) and life satisfaction (r = .40) but is unaffected by social and time pressure.

Keywords: social pressure; time pressure; temporal perspectives; self-esteem; creative self-efficacy; social comparison; positive emotions; life satisfaction; happiness; mindfulness.

DOI: 10.1504/JDR.2019.105754

Journal of Design Research, 2019 Vol.17 No.2/3/4, pp.163 - 191

Accepted: 14 Aug 2019
Published online: 11 Mar 2020 *

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