Chapter 05
Happiness and Sinmyeong
When are Koreans happy?
01 What Is Cultural Psychology?02 The Korean Heart03 “I” and “We”04 Side by Side05 Happiness and Sinmyeong06 Meeting the Unfamiliar07 Koreans in Korean Society08 Fate and Ritual
In preparation · The essay for this chapter is in preparation. Meanwhile, start with the key papers below — each has a plain summary and an in-depth explainer.
Key papers in this chapter
The studies that became reference points — each opens a plain summary and an in-depth explainer.
Han (한) is the feeling of a wounded sense of self-worth; sinmyeong (신명) is the joy of that self-worth being restored. Reviewing the literature, the study maps two paths by which sinmyeong arises.
A Study of Conceptualizing Shinmyeong
한민, 한성열2007CH 05Key paper
Asking 3,406 students, parents, and teachers what raises and lowers quality of life, the study found relationships, money, self-regulation, and education at the core.
Factors Influencing Quality of Life for Individuals and Korean Society: Indigenous Psychological Analysis across Different Generations
박영신, 김의철CH 05Key paper
By asking Koreans when they actually felt happy, the study found that intense happiness comes from achievement, while frequent, everyday happiness comes from family and friends.
Happiness and Subjective Well-Being among Korean Students and Adults: Indigenous Psychological Analysis
구재선, 김의철2006CH 05Key paper
Collecting ordinary people's experiences of sinmyeong (신명), the study found it is the joy that bursts out when we rediscover the worth of ourselves or our group — a joy that grows as it is shared and released.
A qualitative study of conceptualizing ‘Shinmyeong’
한민, 한성열2007CH 05Key paper