Economic approaches to understanding change in happiness

"Are people condemned to an inherent level of experienced happiness? A review of the economic research on subjective well-being gives reason to the assessment that happiness can change. First, empirical findings clearly indicate that people are not indifferent to adverse living conditions when...

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Main Authors: Powdthavee, Nattavudh, Stutzer, Alois
Institution:ETUI-European Trade Union Institute
Format: TEXT
Language:English
Published: Bonn 2014
IZA
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19119749124919379219-economic-approaches-to-underst.htm
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author Powdthavee, Nattavudh
Stutzer, Alois
author_facet Powdthavee, Nattavudh
Stutzer, Alois
collection Library items
description "Are people condemned to an inherent level of experienced happiness? A review of the economic research on subjective well-being gives reason to the assessment that happiness can change. First, empirical findings clearly indicate that people are not indifferent to adverse living conditions when reporting their subjective well-being as observed for limited freedom of choice, low levels of democratization, unemployment, low income, etc. Second, considering people's adaptation to life events and (external) conditions reveals substantial heterogeneity in the speed as well as the degree of reversion. Together, the evidence suggests that reported subjective well-being is a valuable complementary source of information about human well-being and the phenomenon of adaptation. Many challenges, of course, remain. First, we are only at the beginning of understanding variation in the process of adaptation. The modeling of happiness over the life course promises a productive perspective. Second, adaptation might well pose a challenge to individual decision-making when people are not good in predicting it. Third, adaptation might have great consequences for public policy and the idea of social welfare maximization depending on how fast and slow adapting people are treated."
format TEXT
id 19119749124919379219_60cd4267057e48c4a302740b526f45dc
institution ETUI-European Trade Union Institute
is_hierarchy_id 19119749124919379219_60cd4267057e48c4a302740b526f45dc
is_hierarchy_title Economic approaches to understanding change in happiness
language English
physical 24 p.
Digital
publishDate 2014
publisher Bonn
IZA
spellingShingle Powdthavee, Nattavudh
Stutzer, Alois
living conditions
quality of life
well being
Economic approaches to understanding change in happiness
thumbnail https://www.labourline.org/Image_prev.jpg?Archive=109398092757
title Economic approaches to understanding change in happiness
topic living conditions
quality of life
well being
url https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19119749124919379219-economic-approaches-to-underst.htm