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on Economics of Happiness |
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Issue of 2025–04–21
seven papers chosen by Viviana Di Giovinazzo, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca |
| By: | Fernandez-Urbano, Roger |
| Abstract: | This chapter examines the relationship between satisfaction with social life and overall subjective well-being in Spain. Despite increasing recognition of social life as a key determinant of well-being, direct empirical research on its influence remains scarce, particularly in Southern Europe, where much of the existing evidence is anecdotal. Unlike concepts such as social capital, social support, and relational support, satisfaction with social life captures the intrinsic value of social interactions rather than their instrumental utility. It reflects an individual's subjective appraisal of their overall social relationships, encompassing not only close ties but also broader interactions with acquaintances, neighbours, and peripheral contacts. Drawing on data from the first wave of the Global Flourishing Study (2020–2022), this chapter investigates how social life satisfaction contributes to both cognitive and affective well-being. Spanish findings are contextualized within a comparative framework, including high-income, upper-middle-income, and lower-middle-income countries. The results highlight that subjective evaluations of social life play a crucial role in shaping overall well-being, surpassing the influence of individual characteristics. Furthermore, the significance of social life satisfaction for both cognitive and affective well-being increases with socioeconomic development, positioning Spain alongside upper-middle-income countries with collectivistic and Latin cultural orientations. An analysis of heterogeneity within Spain reveals no substantial variations across gender, social background, or regions. However, significant age-related differences emerge, with the importance of social life satisfaction on overall well-being—particularly affective well-being—increasing with age. The chapter concludes by discussing theoretical and practical implications and outlining directions for future research, including methodological considerations. |
| Date: | 2025–03–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:tdm4c_v1 |
| By: | Harris, Tom (Harvard University); Iyer, Shankar; Rutter, Tom; Chi, Guanghua; Johnston, Drew; Lam, Patrick; Makinson, Lucy; Silva, Antonio S.; Wessel, Martin; Liou, Mei-Chen |
| Abstract: | Social capital is widely believed to impact a wide range of outcomes including subjective well-being, social mobility, and community health. We aggregate data on over 20 million Facebook users in the United Kingdom to construct several measures of social capital including cross-type connectedness, social network clustering, and civic engagement and volunteering. We find that social networks in the UK bridge class divides, with people below the median of the socioeconomic status distribution (low-SES people) having about half (47%) of their friendships with people above the median (high-SES people). Despite the presence of these cross-cutting friendships, we find evidence of homophily by class: high-SES people have a 28% higher share of high-SES friends. In part, this gap is due to the fact that high-SES individuals live in neighbourhoods, attend schools, and participate in groups that are wealthier on average. However, up to two thirds of the gap is due to the fact that high-SES people are more likely to befriend other high-SES peers, even within a given setting. Cross-class connections vary by region but are positively associated with upward income mobility: low-SES children who grew up in the top 10% most economically connected local authorities in England earn 38% more per year on average (£5, 100) as adults relative to low-SES children in the bottom 10% local authorities. The relationship between upward mobility and connectedness is robust to controlling for other measures of social connection and neighbourhood measures of income, education, and health. We also connect measures of subjective well-being and related concepts with individual social capital measures. We find that individuals with more connections to high-SES people and more tightly-knit social networks report higher levels of happiness, trust, and lower feelings of isolation and social disconnection. We make our aggregated social capital metrics publicly available on the Humanitarian Data Exchange to support future research. |
| Date: | 2025–03–23 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:kb7dy_v1 |
| By: | Fernandez-Urbano, Roger |
| Abstract: | This article explores the relationship between individuals’ satisfaction with their social life and global life satisfaction during periods of economic prosperity and crisis, using data from the Panel of Social Inequalities in Catalonia, Spain (PaD 2001-2012). The study also investigates how this relationship varies across different social origins. Catalonia is a pertinent context due to its significant increase in inequality and unemployment during the 2008 Economic Crisis, positioning it among the most affected regions in Europe. The findings reveal that satisfaction with one’s social life matters for global life satisfaction, even after accounting for individual and macro characteristics. However, contrary to the initial expectations, the study demonstrates that satisfaction with one’s social life becomes less influential for global life satisfaction during the macroeconomic crisis, particularly among individuals from middle and low social origins. Furthermore, while a strong positive relationship exists between satisfaction with one’s social life and global life satisfaction during times of economic prosperity for all social groups, a robust negative relationship emerges in periods of macroeconomic crisis for individuals from high social origins. The article offers several potential explanations for these findings. |
| Date: | 2024–03–26 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:6sj2t_v1 |
| By: | DA COSTA Shaun Mark (European Commission - JRC) |
| Abstract: | Wellbeing is a multidimensional concept that yields measurement challenges, such as how to aggregate different dimensions and which relative weights to give them. Composite indices are widely used to measure different aspects of wellbeing. While they are relatively easy to understand and construct, they often contain underlying trade-offs between dimensions that are difficult to discern. Preference-based measures are rooted in economic theory and derived from the trade-offs people make between different dimensions of wellbeing. However, they are data-intensive and pose measurement challenges. Investments to better measure outcomes and preferences at the individual level could yield a more nuanced view of well-being across the EU. |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc141107 |
| By: | Raquel Fonseca; Ana I. Moro-Egido |
| Abstract: | The present study investigates the role of proximity in shaping social income static and dynamic comparisons and their impact on well-being, measured in terms of self-assessed health. Using the Spanish Survey of Household Finances (2002-2017), the study examines how individuals compare their income trajectories with those of their peers, considering varying degrees of proximity. The findings reveal that well-being is negatively impacted by static comparisons only in the case of a significant income gap with richer individuals. However, when dynamic comparisons are introduced, individuals experience an improvement in their subjective well-being when comparing to individuals who previously earned more but now earn less, as long as they drop at a certain distance. Consequently, no effect is observed when comparing with individuals in closer proximity, and effects emerge when the degree of proximity is low. |
| Keywords: | static and dynamic relative hypotheses, income, proximity, well-being. |
| JEL: | C29 D31 I31 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rsi:creeic:2502 |
| By: | BENCZUR Peter (European Commission - JRC); BOSKOVIC Ana (European Commission - JRC); CARIBONI Jessica (European Commission - JRC); GIOVANNINI Enrico; PAGANO Andrea (European Commission - JRC); SANDOR Alina-Mihaela (European Commission - JRC) |
| Abstract: | The key drivers of wellbeing are not solely economic factors. Other factors, such as social relationships, environmental conditions, and access to social and healthcare systems, also play a significant role. Wellbeing in the EU has increased over the past decade, but it varies across Member States, with some countries having a good situation in certain areas while struggling in others. Northern and Western EU Member States record the best overall sustainable and inclusive wellbeing, while Eastern and Southern Member States show a weaker situation. The framework Developed by the JRC and other Commission services highlights the need to balance prosperity with environmental sustainability, as well as today’s and tomorrow’s wellbeing to ensure intergenerational fairnes. |
| Date: | 2025–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ipt:iptwpa:jrc141068 |
| By: | Liu, Doudou |
| Abstract: | Decent work is a popular topic of vocational psychology from the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT), yet no research on decent work has been conducted in the Chinese context from a person-centered perspective. The present study applies latent profile analysis and uses the 5 subfactors of the Decent Work Scale (DWS) as indicators. The following four profiles are identified based on a sample of 487 Chinese workers: 1) indecent work; 2) moderate indecent work; 3) moderate decent work; 4) decent work. According to the results, both differences and similarities can be recognized between the emerging decent work profiles in China and the United States. In addition, this research investigates the relations between the decent work profiles and work outcomes from PWT (i.e., work well-being, life well-being, work meaning, affective commitment, engagement, and turnover intention) and reveals that all work outcomes differ significantly across the four profiles. Implications and future directions of the results are discussed. |
| Date: | 2023–02–15 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:osfxxx:3ag6p_v1 |