Does Self-Transcendent Wisdom Mediate the Relation between Spirituality and Well-Being? A Test Across Six Nations

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine whether self-transcendent wisdom mediates the positive relation of spirituality on general well-being and life satisfaction. Design and Participants: We used ANOVA, bivariate correlations, and multi-group path analyses to assess whether spirituality is positively related to life satisfaction (LS) and general well-being (GWB), and whether these relations are mediated by self-transcendent wisdom (STW). Our sample included 630 adults (aged 19 to 99 years) from six countries (the USA, Canada, Serbia, Ukraine, Iran, and China), with approximately equal representation of young and older adults by nation and by gender. Results: Despite differences by nation in the means of spirituality, STW, LS, and GWB, self-transcendent wisdom fully mediated the positive association between spirituality and general well-being in all six nations. Self-transcendent wisdom partially mediated the positive relation between spirituality and life satisfaction in Canada, Iran, and China. In the USA, Serbia, and Ukraine, spirituality had only an indirect effect on life satisfaction, mediated by self-transcendent wisdom. Conclusions: The relation between spirituality and subjective well-being is mediated by self-transcendent wisdom among participants in Asian, East European, Middle-Eastern and North American national cultures, despite their very different religious and political systems. This finding suggests that spirituality tends to result in greater subjective well-being through the transcendence of egocentric concerns.