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on Economics of Happiness |
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Issue of 2017‒08‒20
two papers chosen by |
| By: | Gizem Hülür; Jutta Heckhausen; Christiane A. Hoppmann; Frank J. Infurna; Gert G. Wagner; Nilam Ram; Denis Gerstorf |
| Abstract: | It is well-documented that well-being typically evinces precipitous decrements at the end of life. However, research has primarily taken a postdictive approach by knowing the outcome (date of death) and aligning in retrospect how well-being has changed for people with documented death events. In the present study, we made use of a predictive approach by examining whether and how levels of and changes in life satisfaction prospectively predict mortality hazards and delineate the role of contributing factors, including health, perceived control, and social orientation. To do so, we applied shared parameter growth-survival models to 20-year longitudinal data from 10,597 participants (n = 1,560 or 15% deceased; age at baseline: M = 44 years, SD = 17, range: 18–98 years) from the national German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP). Our findings showed that lower levels and steeper declines of life satisfaction each uniquely predicted higher mortality risks. Results also reveal moderating effects of age and perceived control: Life satisfaction levels and changes had stronger predictive effects for mortality hazards among older adults. Perceived control is associated with lower mortality hazards; however, this effect is diminished for those who experience accelerated life satisfaction decline. Variance decomposition suggests that predictive effects of life satisfaction trajectories were partially unique (3-6%) and partially shared with physical health, perceived control, and social orientation (16-19 %). Our discussion focuses on the strengths and challenges of a predictive approach to link developmental changes (in life satisfaction) to mortality hazards and considers implications of our findings for healthy aging. |
| Keywords: | mortality, life satisfaction, perceived control, longitudinal, German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) |
| Date: | 2017 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp919&r=hap |
| By: | TAE-HWAN KIM (Yonsei University); HOON HONG (Yonsei University); JONGHYUN PARK (Gyeongnam National University of Science and Technology); CHUNG SIK YOO (Yonsei University); JONGICK JANG (Hanshin University) |
| Abstract: | It is well known that measuring the non-economic outcomes produced by social economy organizations is fairly difficult and complex. Usually, social economy organizations feature participatory and democratic decision-making processes that help create social capital and relational goods, and they are interested in social integration; accordingly, they tend to create an organizational culture that encourages their workers to contribute to local communities. Therefore, the hypothesis that increased activities of social economy organizations have a causal effect on the subjective well-being of people living near those organizations is highly plausible. In this paper, we estimate the causal effect and attempt to statistically test the hypothesis using a dataset called the ¡°Seoul Survey,¡± which provides observations on the level of subjective well-being of 45,496 citizens living in Seoul and the size of social economy organizations. Controlling for variables in district level and the appropriate socio-economic characteristics of each individual in the dataset, it is found that the size of social organizations is highly significant. This empirical result remains with a causality test using a dummy variable regarding recognition on social economy. |
| Keywords: | Social economy, Collective externalities effect, Subjective well-being, Happiness |
| Date: | 2017–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:yon:wpaper:2017rwp-104&r=hap |