Recently I was reading an article concerning well-being (Sheldon, K. M. (2008). Assessing the sustainability of goal-based changes in well-being over a four-year period. Journal of Research in Personality, 42, 223-229 ) and some thoughts popped up. I was thinking that maybe a additional ‘virtual’ life can be seen as a fresh experience itself what makes it a possible activity for increasing well – being. This virtual world provides continuous new experiences if people wish to do so. Therefore it could be an interesting activity – interesting because of the controllable and modifiable nature – for influencing a person’s well – being. The question is if this life modifies well – being as well in a positive as in a negative way. If a virtual life can be seen as a real life, then there should be stressors as well. But factors as anonimity and – in the end – the fact that you can always step out, if you wish, can regulate stressors in virtual life so there is less impact of stress. So a virtual life could facilitate well being in a way that people’s well-being goes up due to the constant fresh experiences. If they don’t find the experiences attractive enough this would lead to quit the second life.
Furthermore, if sdt is applicable in second life this would mean that people can gain well-being by entering the virtual life and building up a new and second life/virtual identity. Deficits in needs could motivate the decision to participate and continue a virtual life. When these needs are virtually met then this can have an impact on real life as well due to an improved general well-being of the participating person. I think of well-being as a state of a person wherever this person is or whatever he or she undertakes. So it shouldn’t be necessary to draw a line between well-being in the real life and well-being in a virtual life. Maybe one is less or equal happy in real life because of circumstances. But the well-being of someone should either way stay constant or improve (because it is a choice you make to be in the virtual world as well).There is research evidence that there are groups of people who are as well unhappy in real life as in second life (EPN rapport, 2006). This could be due to personality and social strategies, which is as well important in sl as in rl.
Posted by Amarys 
