How cultural beliefs shape adaptive behavior and views of happiness: The good life in the community of Uzbekistan

The levels, predictors, and meanings of happiness in Central Asia are considered uniquely shaped by its cultural context. However, the culture-specific pattern of happiness remain underexplored in previous studies. This study aims to elaborate on Uzbekistan’s culturally formed conception of happiness by employing the social niche construction approach to culture, which emphasizes the role of cultural beliefs and the interaction with socioecological environments. Based on qualitative fieldwork conducted in a traditional Uzbek community, the findings reveal that residents live in sociocultural environments characterized by dense kinship and neighborhood networks. In this context, expecting positive responses from others and maintaining social harmony are crucial. Accordingly, residents may actively create and maintain interpersonal relationships as an adaptation to their environment. Furthermore, residents share views of happiness rooted in family ties and Islamic values: they cherish achieving desirable family living conditions and expressing gratitude and contentment with their current life circumstances, for fulfilling cultural beliefs around parental and Islamic ideals. Importantly, expressing and embodying these family-oriented and Islamic-oriented views of happiness can be seen as an adaptive strategy for constructing harmonious relationships and enriching social life. This study argues that such adaptive behavior plays a crucial role in shaping the culture-specific pattern of happiness within the community.