Lopes, Ana Rita Camilo; (2024) Happiness at Work: the impact of Affect Experience on Organizational Outcomes. An Experience Sampling perspective. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

Text Thesis-Lopes_2024.pdf - Submitted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 1 June 2025. Download (1MB)

Abstract

Studies regarding happiness at work appear to rely mostly on cross-section and aggregate data that require accurate memory encoding and retrieval and dismisses the relevance of time as a variable in the Subjective Well-Being (SWB) equation. The experience sampling (ESM) methodology enables researchers to collect disaggregated, real time, multilevel data that permits the inclusion of time varying effects, such as work activities and social interactions in the workplace and examine their relationship to happiness. This thesis contributes to the understanding of how happiness fluctuates over time by considering the state-like affective component of SWB through the development of a happiness experience sampling mobile app. Happiness was evaluated as an outcome of individual differences (temporally stable) and situational aspects (time varying), before it was placed in the role of an antecedent of productivity in the workplace. The studies in this thesis are longitudinal and rely on ESM. International participants provided repeated momentary happiness ratings (N=192 and N=111 were used for the studies) which demonstrated that (a) temporally stable predictors (such as personality) of happiness were weaker than the literature suggested, (b) situational parameters were stronger predictors of momentary happiness fluctuations and explained a larger proportion of its variance, and (c) time varying happiness and situational factors significantly predicted self-assessed productivity perceptions. Theoretical and methodological discussion points are raised, including the need for a better consideration of the relevance of time as a variable in the study of SWB, and the need to continue to research the affective component of SWB to a higher extent, and through the use of longitudinal, experience based, methodologies. The development of a reliable and reusable happiness experience sampling mobile app also has the potential to improve employers’ capabilities to make decisions, as well as boost interest in their workforce's happiness and contribute to practice.

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