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on Economics of Happiness |
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Issue of 2024‒04‒22
seven papers chosen by |
| By: | Macchia, Lucía |
| Abstract: | Physical pain has been traditionally regarded as a body sensation. Most recently, physical pain has been considered an important human feeling. Subjective Well-Being (SWB) is a self-reported metric of well-being and involves different components including life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, and sense of fulfilment in life. This piece argues that physical pain should be considered a component of Subjective Well-Being. Physical pain and the current indicators of SWB have critical features in common that support the inclusion of physical pain in the conceptualization of SWB. Despite the similarities, none of the present measures of SWB are perfect proxies for pain. This underscores the potential of physical pain to capture aspects overlooked by the existing components of SWB. Considering physical pain a component of SWB can help researchers and policymakers to better understand individuals’ well-being and to advance the field in the coming decades. |
| Date: | 2024–03–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:fpsut&r=hap |
| By: | James Andreoni; B. Douglas Bernheim; Tingyan Jia |
| Abstract: | Validation of happiness measures is inherently challenging because subjective sensations are unobserved. We introduce a novel validation method: subjects report how happy they would feel (or did feel) after some specified event, as well as how they would respond (or would have responded) to a survey question about their happiness after the same event. The difference between these two responses measures “self-reported misreporting.” We demonstrate that self-reported misreporting varies across events and is substantial for certain types of events. These findings imply that caution is warranted when interpreting differences in self-reported well-being across contexts. |
| JEL: | D60 D63 |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32208&r=hap |
| By: | Jihye Lee; Elena Tosetto |
| Abstract: | Existing well-being measurement initiatives in the region, such as the Quality of Life Indicators in Korea, Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index and Quality of Life Index in the Philippines, shed some insight on dimensions that should be considered for measuring well-being beyond GDP in Asia. Dimensions of housing, health, education, environment and civic engagement recur across several Asian well-being measurement frameworks, as well as dimensions such as family and culture which are more characteristic of the region. Identifying vulnerable population groups and securing better evidence on social mobility are also necessary to better measure progress in the region. Going forward, it would be helpful for countries to exchange knowledge on how well-being data available can be used for policy making in a more concrete way, for example, by including it in national development plans or budgeting processes. |
| Keywords: | happiness, quality of life, sustainable development, well-being |
| JEL: | I30 I31 I38 |
| Date: | 2024–04–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:wiseaa:22-en&r=hap |
| By: | Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés; Bartalucci, Federico; Kurmanov, Bakhytzhan; Rau, Genadiy; Nigmetov, Kaisar |
| Abstract: | Growing disparities in wealth, well-being, and access to services in Kazakhstan have raised serious concerns among policymakers, especially since the January 2022 protests. This paper evaluates these regional inequalities and presents the findings from Kazakhstan’s inaugural well-being survey. The survey, based on global best practices, involves 4, 032 face-to-face interviews with a diverse sample across all 20 regions, ensuring representation. The resulting indices—the Subjective Well-Being Index and the Regional Well-Being Index—highlight both within-region and between-region disparities. Notably, the indices reveal significant variations in well-being, with certain regions reporting notably lower satisfaction levels across dimensions like trust in institutions, satisfaction with financial and housing conditions, health care and education quality, and personal security perceptions. |
| Keywords: | well-being survey; inequality; Kazakhstan; regional development |
| JEL: | P25 P28 R58 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:122341&r=hap |
| By: | Magdalena Grabowska (University of Warsaw, Faculty of Economic Sciences); Agata Górny (University of Warsaw, Faculty of Economic Sciences); Małgorzata Kalbarczyk (University of Warsaw, Faculty of Economic Sciences) |
| Abstract: | This paper studies happiness’ variability in the course of life and examines how psychological and socio-economic factors influence the probability that an individual is capable of identifying the happiest period in life and its length. The study is based on SHARELIFE data and uses logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models. Results show that the personality traits significantly, but differently, influence the probability of isolating the happiest life period and its length. Importantly, both positive and negative socio-economic circumstances augment the probability of identifying the happiest period and shorten its duration. These circumstances relate to familial events and socioeconomic status in the life course. The happiest moments of life are thus concentrated around not only positive but also negative changes in life. Our results contribute to the research on changes in the levels of happiness by identifying factors shaping occurrence and duration of the most happiest moments in life. |
| Keywords: | Subjective well-being, SHARELIFE, Retrospective data, Cox proportional hazards model, Big 5 |
| JEL: | I31 J10 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:war:wpaper:2024-06&r=hap |
| By: | Fabrice Murtin |
| Abstract: | This paper first presents a meta-analysis of the causal impact of cultural participation on well-being. The meta-analysis classifies the literature according to the strength of the evidence available and various types of cultural activities. Secondly, this paper uses data from time use surveys from Canada, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States to study individuals’ emotional responses to a series of daily activities. This is then used as a basis for an empirical assessment of the drivers of time allocation across different activities, showing that expectations of future well-being are one of the reasons why individuals decide to engage in cultural activities. Furthermore, the model helps explain why cultural participation, in spite of being one of the most enjoyable human activities, is also the least undertaken. We show that heterogeneity of preferences results in a strong selection effect in available statistics. |
| Keywords: | arts, cultural activities, experienced well-being, time use survey, U-index, well-being |
| JEL: | I31 J22 Z11 Z18 |
| Date: | 2024–03–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:oec:wiseaa:21-en&r=hap |
| By: | MATSUMOTO Kodai |
| Abstract: | The purpose of this study is to verify whether receiving public assistance affects the well-being of the older people. When socially nondependency norms have formed, receiving public assistance may reduce well-being. The study focuses on older people in Japan, where public assistance is minimal. The results show that receiving public assistance has little effect on well-being for the older people but negatively affects the working-age population. The older people are likelier to not work, which may weaken the nondependency. Additionally, the heterogeneity in the relationship between the receipt of public assistance and well-being is confirmed by region. |
| Date: | 2024–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:eti:dpaper:24039&r=hap |