Leiden University Student Repository

Scheffer, Noah (2026)

Rust in de Rede: De Relatie Tussen Stoïcijnse Attitudes en Affectief Welzijn

Bachelor thesis | Psychologie (BSc)

The aim of this study was to examine the extent to which Stoic attitudes are associated with affective well-being, defined as the presence of happiness and the absence of anxiety. In addition, the study investigated whether rational thinking ability, measured with one item from the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), influences this relationship. In total, 192 participants completed an online questionnaire consisting of the newly developed Stoicism Questionnaire (SQ), the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Linear regression analyses showed that Stoic attitudes were significantly positively associated with happiness and significantly negatively associated with anxiety, suggesting that Stoic principles, such as reflection, self-control, and the dichotomy of control, are related to higher affective well-being. Rational thinking ability did not moderate these relationships. The SQ demonstrated good internal consistency (α = .78) and an...Show moreThe aim of this study was to examine the extent to which Stoic attitudes are associated with affective well-being, defined as the presence of happiness and the absence of anxiety. In addition, the study investigated whether rational thinking ability, measured with one item from the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT), influences this relationship. In total, 192 participants completed an online questionnaire consisting of the newly developed Stoicism Questionnaire (SQ), the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Linear regression analyses showed that Stoic attitudes were significantly positively associated with happiness and significantly negatively associated with anxiety, suggesting that Stoic principles, such as reflection, self-control, and the dichotomy of control, are related to higher affective well-being. Rational thinking ability did not moderate these relationships. The SQ demonstrated good internal consistency (α = .78) and an underlying structure consisting mainly of two interpretable components: ‘Reflective Regulation’ and ‘Control & Self-control’. However, not all Stoic virtues were reflected in the extracted factors, indicating a need for revision of the instrument’s content validity and underlying structure. Methodological limitations, including the use of self-report measures, insufficient measure of rational thinking ability, convenience sampling, and the correlational design, limit causal interpretations and generalizability. Nevertheless, the findings highlight the potential of Stoic attitudes as a foundation for broadly applicable interventions aimed at increasing affective well-being and indirectly long-term happiness. Future research may focus on experimental designs, more comprehensive assessments of rational thinking ability, and further development of the SQ to capture Stoic concepts more accurately and comprehensively.Show less

Stoicism, Positive Psychology, Psychology, Happiness

Author

Scheffer, Noah

Faculty

Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences

Supervisors

van den Berg, T.

ECTS Credits

15

Language

nl