Social Sciences and Humanities Open (Jan 2023)
Minimal social interactions and subjective well-being in the Japanese context: Examination of mediation processes using a national representative sample
Abstract
Minimal social interactions are brief interactions with non-intimates or strangers. A previous study claimed that minimal social interactions improve subjective well-being and that this effect is mediated by an enhanced sense of belonging. However, the previous study is based on a small sample of participants, and no other studies have attempted to replicate the mediation process thus far. The present study examined the mediation process based on data from a social survey of a nationally representative sample of Japanese residents. The survey was conducted in early 2022. The survey targeted 2,100 Japanese residents, and 957 respondents were included in the analyses after excluding those with missing values on the key measures. Based on the data analysis, it was found that minimal social interaction was positively correlated with happiness and the effects of minimal social interaction were significantly mediated by loneliness, a measure of sense of belonging. The sizes of the mediation effects were not affected by whether covariates, such as demographic profiles, were included or excluded. Sense of community, another measure of sense of belonging, did not significantly mediate the effect of minimal social interaction on happiness because its path coefficient on happiness was not significant when controlling for loneliness. These results provide support for a mediation model proposed in the previous study. The implications and limitations of the present study are discussed.
