The SWLS has substantial research that provides normative data from a variety of samples, including different ages, genders, countries, and samples with underlying psychological distress (Pavot & Diener, 1993, 2008). This information is valuable to researchers seeking to further understand how significant life events can influence life satisfaction and provide comparisons across different populations. Differences in samples can provide researchers with some insight into how different cultures address life satisfaction and, with further empirical experimentation, such as manipulation, may allow researchers to identify any systematic differences in how life satisfaction is addressed. Due to the open nature of the SWLS, which allows participants to create their own evaluation criteria, there may be systematic differences between different cultures in the meaning of these criteria.