Does happiness pay?: An exploration based on panel data from Russia

Type Journal Article - Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization
Title Does happiness pay?: An exploration based on panel data from Russia
Author(s)
Volume 55
Issue 3
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2004
Page numbers 319-342
URL https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jeborg/v55y2004i3p319-342.html
Abstract
Well-being research has supported the common sense view that income, health, and other factors affect happiness. We use panel data from Russia to assess the reverse causation — that happiness itself affects income, health, and other factors. We find that people who had higher “residual happiness” in 1995 – people who were happier after correcting for the usual determinants of well-being – made more money and were in better health in a survey 5 years later. Psychologists attribute a large part of well-being to factors such as self-esteem and optimism. The same factors appear to influence individuals’ wealth and health.

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