Working Paper: NBER ID: w16668
Authors: David G. Blanchflower; Andrew J. Oswald
Abstract: This paper describes the findings from a new, and intrinsically interdisciplinary, literature on happiness and human well-being. The paper focuses on international evidence. We report the patterns in modern data; we discuss what has been persuasively established and what has not; we suggest paths for future research. Looking ahead, our instinct is that this social-science research avenue will gradually merge with a related literature -- from the medical, epidemiological, and biological sciences -- on biomarkers and health. Nevertheless, we expect that intellectual convergence to happen slowly.
Keywords: Happiness; Wellbeing; Subjective Wellbeing
JEL Codes: I1; I3
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| age (J14) | happiness (I31) |
| gender (J16) | happiness (I31) |
| education (I29) | happiness (I31) |
| employment status (J63) | happiness (I31) |
| marital status (J12) | happiness (I31) |
| income (E25) | happiness (I31) |