I thought I saw something about income increasing happiness but only up to a certain level (and then saw more studies that disagreed), i always thought it’s probably more correlated in Western countries where status and income are almost synonymous.
We present evidence that psychological well-being is U-shaped through life. A difficulty with research on this issue is that there are likely to be omitted cohort effects (earlier generations may have been born in, say, particularly good or bad times). First, using data on 500,000 randomly sampled Americans and West Europeans, the paper designs a test that can control for cohort effects. Holding other factors constant, we show that a typical individual’s happiness reaches its minimum - on both sides of the Atlantic and for both males and females - in middle age. Second, evidence is provided for the existence of a similar U-shape through the life-course in East European, Latin American and Asian nations. Third, a U-shape in age is found in separate well-being regression equations in 72 developed and developing nations. Fourth, using measures that are closer to psychiatric scores, we document a comparable well-being curve across the life cycle in 2 other data sets (1) in GHQ-N6 mental health levels among a sample of 16,000 Europeans, and (2) in reported depression-and-anxiety levels among 1 million UK citizens. Fifth, we discuss some apparent exceptions, particularly in developing nations, to the U-shape. Sixth, we note that American male birth-cohorts seem to have become progressively less content with their lives. Our results are based on regression equations in which other influences, such as demographic variables and income, are held constant.
I dont’ think its status as much as a decent basic necessitites thing along with security. If you have the money to live in a decent, clean, healthy environment with food and knowing health needs or such will be met and then further know that will be the case until you die. Then its much easier to be happy. I get the studies though but im always suspect. Like how much of the U is specific to a sorta point in time and is it eroding for people getting to those ages.
I thought I saw something about income increasing happiness but only up to a certain level (and then saw more studies that disagreed), i always thought it’s probably more correlated in Western countries where status and income are almost synonymous.
We present evidence that psychological well-being is U-shaped through life. A difficulty with research on this issue is that there are likely to be omitted cohort effects (earlier generations may have been born in, say, particularly good or bad times). First, using data on 500,000 randomly sampled Americans and West Europeans, the paper designs a test that can control for cohort effects. Holding other factors constant, we show that a typical individual’s happiness reaches its minimum - on both sides of the Atlantic and for both males and females - in middle age. Second, evidence is provided for the existence of a similar U-shape through the life-course in East European, Latin American and Asian nations. Third, a U-shape in age is found in separate well-being regression equations in 72 developed and developing nations. Fourth, using measures that are closer to psychiatric scores, we document a comparable well-being curve across the life cycle in 2 other data sets (1) in GHQ-N6 mental health levels among a sample of 16,000 Europeans, and (2) in reported depression-and-anxiety levels among 1 million UK citizens. Fifth, we discuss some apparent exceptions, particularly in developing nations, to the U-shape. Sixth, we note that American male birth-cohorts seem to have become progressively less content with their lives. Our results are based on regression equations in which other influences, such as demographic variables and income, are held constant.
I dont’ think its status as much as a decent basic necessitites thing along with security. If you have the money to live in a decent, clean, healthy environment with food and knowing health needs or such will be met and then further know that will be the case until you die. Then its much easier to be happy. I get the studies though but im always suspect. Like how much of the U is specific to a sorta point in time and is it eroding for people getting to those ages.