nep-hap New Economics Papers
on Economics of Happiness
Issue of 2024‒01‒29
seven papers chosen by



  1. Facing a time crunch: Time poverty and travel behaviour in Canada By Kim, Sang-O; Palm, Matthew; Han, Soojung; Klein, Nicholas J.
  2. Do National Well-Being Scores Capture Nations’ Ecological Resilience? Evidence for 124 Countries By Heinz Welsch
  3. The Effect of Geopolitical Region and Development Level on the Relationship Between Economic Freedom and Happiness By Kutnyi, Oleh
  4. Pursuit of well-being and masochism: why do tourists voluntarily consume pain and negative emotions? By Sarah Peronne
  5. Non-hedonic experiences: why do people voluntarily consume pain and negative emotions? By Sarah Peronne
  6. Tourist experience: how can pain and negative emotions contribute to eudemonic well-being? By Sarah Peronne
  7. The COVID-19 pandemic: an economic disaster, a philosophical challenge. A philosophical essay By Fischer, Justina AV

  1. By: Kim, Sang-O; Palm, Matthew; Han, Soojung; Klein, Nicholas J. (Conrell University)
    Abstract: Transportation scholars are keenly interested in the relationship between transportation and subjective well-being. To date, this body of scholarship has not addressed feelings of time pressure. We use the time crunch index from Canada’s 2015 General Social Survey (GSS) to analyze the role that transportation resources, travel behavior, and social demographics play in respondents’ self-reported experiences of time pressure. We find that resources and daily travel strongly affect the time crunch index and are compounded by the large effect of sociodemographic vulnerability, namely being a woman, immigrant, or member of an ethnic minority, and having a condition of disability. Our analysis presents a new approach for transportation scholars to measure the relationship between social well-being and transportation grounded in several decades of social science research on time use and well-being.
    Date: 2023–12–27
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:z6tvd&r=hap
  2. By: Heinz Welsch (University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics)
    Abstract: Resilience is the ability of an entity to manage a destabilizing shock or rise in pressure. The recently published State Resilience Index (SRI) includes ecological resilience along with several other “pillars†of state resilience. Given that indicators of subjective well-being (SWB) are increasingly accepted as a measure of national performance and as a standard for evaluating public policy, this paper investigates whether national SWB scores capture the ecological resilience dimension of national performance. Regression analysis of data for 124 countries reveals that SWB is significantly positively related to the ecological pillar of state resilience as well as some of its sub-pillars, but not others. In multivariate regressions, significant sub-pillars of ecological resilience are agricultural productivity, low levels of pollution, and freshwater availability, but not ecosystem health, long-term climate stability and biodiversity. The evidence is taken to suggest that SWB captures the more tangible aspects of the state of the environment rather than latent ecological threats whose full consequences will mainly be felt in the future. To capture latent ecological threats, SWB-based performance measures will therefore have to be complemented by more forward-looking indicators of ecological resilience.
    Keywords: ecological resilience; subjective well-being; national performance; environmental threat; forward-looking
    Date: 2024–01
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:old:dpaper:443&r=hap
  3. By: Kutnyi, Oleh
    Abstract: This study explores the nuanced relationship between economic freedom and happiness, investigating the influence of geopolitical regions and developmental stages on this association. Utilizing cross-sectional secondary data from 135 countries in 2021, this research employs a regression analysis incorporating economic freedom as the independent variable and happiness as the dependent variable. The model further includes interactions between economic freedom and both the geopolitical region and level of development. Initial findings affirm a positive correlation between economic freedom and happiness across countries. However, when considering interactions, distinct patterns emerge. Contrary to expectations, the impact of economic freedom on happiness does not significantly differ among countries at varying development stages. Conversely, geopolitical context emerges as a critical factor, notably highlighting the significance of economic freedom in fostering happiness within Western Europe compared to other regions.
    Keywords: Economic Freedom, Happiness, Geopolitical Regions, Western Europe
    JEL: C3 I3 I31
    Date: 2023–12–30
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:119620&r=hap
  4. By: Sarah Peronne (GRANEM - Groupe de Recherche Angevin en Economie et Management - UA - Université d'Angers - Institut Agro Rennes Angers - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement)
    Abstract: Numerous marketing studies stipulate that negative emotions during consumption lead to undesirable reactions, such as dissatisfaction (Phillips and Baumgartner, 2002) and complaints (Zeelenberg and Pieters, 2004). In the tourism sector, rooted in the hedonistic perspective, the consumption of tourism experiences and destinations is based on the bipolarity hypothesis that negative and positive emotions are mutually exclusive (Babin et al., 1998) and that negative emotions detract from the tourism experience (Kim et al., 2021). While this research is relevant, it fails to capture the reasons why some people actively and voluntarily engage in tourist experiences involving negative emotions and/or physical pain. Thanks to four participant observations conducted during various tourism and leisure experiences (at Ryumon Ji Zen Temple, La Frappadingue, Explora Project and the Panik Room escape game), we have shown that, under certain conditions, pain and negative emotions represent a necessary step towards the perception of personal benefits, particularly in terms of fun, eudemonic well-being or social bonding. The results of this research will give rise to recommendations for tourism and leisure professionals, enabling their customers to satisfy their quest for fulfillment and pleasure through emotionally and physically challenging experiences.
    Abstract: De nombreuses recherches en marketing stipulent que les émotions négatives pendant la consommation entraînent des réactions indésirables, telles que l'insatisfaction (Phillips et Baumgartner, 2002) et les plaintes (Zeelenberg et Pieters, 2004). Dans le secteur du tourisme, ancré dans la perspective hédoniste, la consommation d'expériences et de destinations touristiques s'appuie sur l'hypothèse de la bipolarité selon laquelle les émotions négatives et positives s'excluent mutuellement (Babin et al., 1998) et que les émotions négatives nuisent à l'expérience touristique (Kim et al., 2021). Bien que ces recherches soient pertinentes, elles ne permettent pas de saisir les raisons pour lesquelles certaines personnes s'engagent activement et volontairement dans des expériences touristiques impliquant des émotions négatives et/ou une douleur physique. Grâce à quatre observations participantes menées lors d'expériences touristiques et de loisirs variées (au Temple Zen Ryumon Ji, à La Frappadingue, chez Explora Project puis à l'escape game de la Panik Room), nous avons notamment montré que, dans certaines conditions, la douleur et les émotions négatives représentent une étape nécessaire à la perception de bénéfices personnels, notamment en terme d'amusement, de bien-être eudémonique ou de lien social. Les résultats de cette recherche donneront lieu à des préconisations à destination des professionnels du tourisme et des loisirs afin de permettre à leurs clients d'assouvir leur quête d'accomplissement et de plaisir grâce à des expériences challengeantes aussi bien sur le plan émotionnel que physique.
    Keywords: Bien-être eudémonique, Masochisme, expériences non hédoniques, Marketing experientiel, Ethnomarketing
    Date: 2023–05–31
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04347001&r=hap
  5. By: Sarah Peronne (GRANEM - Groupe de Recherche Angevin en Economie et Management - UA - Université d'Angers - Institut Agro Rennes Angers - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement)
    Abstract: Horror movies, dark tourism, skydiving, rafting, marathons, survival camps, are all market experiences that propose to consumers to pay in order to experience, in the short term, moments of difficulty, both physical and emotional. Our research focuses on the experiential context of non-hedonic consumption experiences, that is, experiences that by their nature involve negative emotions and/or physical pain, and the perceived meaning and benefits of such consumption? Through four participant observations conducted during various tourist and leisure experiences (silent retreat, Mud Day, cold reinforcement trip, and horror Escape Game), we have shown, among other things, that, under certain conditions, pain and negative emotions represent a necessary step to the perception of personal benefits, particularly in terms of fun, eudemonic well-being, and social connection.
    Abstract: Films d'horreur, dark tourism, sauts en parachute, rafting, marathons, stages de survie, autant d'expériences marchandes qui proposent aux consommateurs de payer afin d'expérimenter, à court terme, des moments de difficulté, aussi bien physiques qu'émotionnels. Notre recherche porte sur le contexte expérientiel des expériences de consommation non hédoniques, à savoir, des expériences qui, par leur nature, impliquent des émotions négatives et/ou une douleur physique, ainsi que sur le sens et les bénéfices perçus d'une telle consommation ? Grâce à quatre observations participantes menées lors d'expériences touristiques et de loisirs variées (une retraite silencieuse, un Mud Day, un séjour de renforcement par le froid et un Escape Game d'horreur), nous avons notamment montré que, dans certaines conditions, la douleur et les émotions négatives représentent une étape nécessaire à la perception de bénéfices personnels, notamment en termes d'amusement, de bien-être eudémonique et de lien social. Mots clefs : Bien-être eudémonique ; douleur ; émotions négatives ; ethnomarketing ; marketing expérientiel.
    Keywords: Bien-être eudémonique, émotions négatives, Douleur, Ethnomarketing, Marketing expérientiel
    Date: 2023–05–10
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04345308&r=hap
  6. By: Sarah Peronne (GRANEM - Groupe de Recherche Angevin en Economie et Management - UA - Université d'Angers - Institut Agro Rennes Angers - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement)
    Abstract: De nombreuses recherches en marketing et en gestion ont signalé que les émotions négatives pendant et après la consommation entraînent des résultats indésirables, tels que l'insatisfaction (Phillips et Baumgartner, 2002), les plaintes (Zeelenberg et Pieters, 2004), le bouche-à-oreille négatif et la non-intention de revisite (Kim, Guo et Wang, 2021). Le secteur du tourisme en particulier, ancré dans la perspective hédoniste, suppose que la consommation d'expériences et de destinations touristiques sert principalement à éprouver du plaisir et des émotions positives (Hosany et Gilbert, 2010). Ainsi, une grande partie de la recherche sur la consommation et plus particulièrement sur la consommation touristique s'appuie sur l'hypothèse de la bipolarité selon laquelle les émotions négatives et positives s'excluent mutuellement (Babin et al., 1998) et que les émotions négatives nuisent à l'expérience touristique (Kim, Guo et Wang, 2021). Bien que ces recherches soient pertinentes, elles ne permettent pas de saisir pourquoi certaines personnes s'engagent activement et volontairement dans des expériences touristiques qui impliquent des émotions négatives et/ou une douleur physique. Récemment, les spécialistes du tourisme ont commencé à se pencher sur ce phénomène et ont appelé à une intensification de ces recherches (Knobloch et al., 2017; Nawijn et Biran, 2019; Oren, Shani et Poria, 2021; Nørfelt et al., 2022). Notre recherche doctorale s'inscrit dans ce nouveau courant de littérature en s'intéressant aux rôles des émotions négatives et de la douleur dans le déclenchement d'un sentiment de bien-être eudémonique chez les consommateurs. Pour ce faire, nous avons choisi d'étudier des expériences touristiques non hédoniques, révélatrices d'une consommation volontaire d'émotions négatives et/ou de douleur.
    Keywords: Bien-être eudémonique, Expériences non hédoniques, Émotions négatives, Ethnomarketing, Marketing expérientiel
    Date: 2022–11–17
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04347028&r=hap
  7. By: Fischer, Justina AV
    Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown policies in the years 2020 and 2021 have exerted economic, social, and psychic implications for most people. The reception by social scientists is almost exclusively a negative one; in this essay, a contrasting, more positive perspective is developed, based on the philosophy of Aristotelian Ethics. The idea is developed that this coronavirus pandemic interrupts and distorts the work-consumption-treadmill, enabling people to live out those talents and capabilities that make people human, lifting them beyond the stage of an animal with only basic needs. This societal development continues under the influence of the energy crisis and the rising inflation in the year 2022.
    Keywords: COVID-19; happiness; treadmill; philosophy; ethics; capability; Aristotle; A. Smith
    JEL: B1 H1 H12 I31
    Date: 2024
    URL: http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:119477&r=hap

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