The relationship between selflessness and subjective well-being: A life history perspective

Ronghua Zhang^1,#, Ying Luo^2,#, Jianwen Chen², Hechen Li¹, Chunmei Zhang^3,*
1 Department of Ideological and Political Education, School of Marxism, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
2 Graduate School of Education, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
3 Department of Psychology, Academy of Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
* Corresponding Author: Chunmei Zhang. Email: email
# These authors contributed equally to this work and share first authorship

Journal of Psychology in Africa https://doi.org/10.32604/jpa.2026.076753

Received 26 November 2025; Accepted 28 April 2026; Published online 31 July 2026

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Abstract

This study examined the association between selflessness, defined as a decentered and interconnected sense of self, and subjective well-being, as well as the role of life history strategy in this relationship. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 373 Chinese undergraduates (females = 71.3%; M_age = 18.29 years, SD_age = 0.61 years) who completed the Selflessness Scale, Mini-K Life History Strategy Scale, and Subjective Well-Being Scale in supervised classroom sessions. Correlation and mediation analyses showed that selflessness was associated with higher subjective well-being. Life history strategy mediated the association between selflessness and subjective well-being. These findings are consistent with the Selflessness/Self-centeredness Happiness Model and with a life history perspective, suggesting that a future-oriented and regulated life history strategy may be one pathway through which selflessness is associated with higher subjective well-being. The findings also suggest that such a strategy may represent a useful target for counselling and well-being interventions among university students.well-being.