Predictors of subjective physical health and global well-being: Similarities and differences between the United States and Germany

Predictors of subjective physical health and global well-being were compared in a representative U.S. (N = 2,400) and a German (N = 1,607) sample of adults (age range: 25-65 years). Because of cultural overlap between Western industrialized nations, similarities in predictive patterns were expected. Differences in the economic and social systems as well as the cultural background, however, should also generate differences. As expected, the overall predictive power of the three sets of predictors (sociostructural variables, personality traits, and self-regulatory characteristics) was sizable in both countries. The strongest unique predictors were self-regulatory indicators for subjective physical health and personality traits for global well-being. In addition, however, theory-consistent country differences emerged in how personal and social resources seem to be orchestrated to maximize well-being.