@techreport{Stevenson2008Economic,
abstract = {The Easterlin paradox suggests that there is no link between a society's economic development and its average level of happiness. We re-assess this paradox analyzing multiple rich datasets spanning many decades. Using recent data on a broader array of countries, we establish a clear positive link between average levels of subjective well-being and GDP per capita across countries, and find no evidence of a satiation point beyond which wealthier countries have no further increases in subjective well-being. We show that the estimated relationship is consistent across many datasets and is similar to the relationship between subject well-being and income observed within countries. Finally, examining the relationship between changes in subjective well-being and income over time within countries we find economic growth associated with rising happiness. Together these findings indicate a clear role for absolute income and a more limited role for relative income comparisons in determining happiness.},
address = {Bonn},
author = {Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers},
copyright = {http://www.econstor.eu/dspace/Nutzungsbedingungen},
keywords = {D6; 330; Happiness; subjective well-being; Easterlin Paradox; life satisfaction; economic growth; well-being-income gradient; hedonic treadmill; Lebenszufriedenheit; Lebensstandard; Wirtschaftswachstum; Sozialprodukt; Lebensqualit\"{a}t; Welt; Lebenszufriedenheit; Lebensstandard; Wirtschaftswachstum; Sozialprodukt; Lebensqualit\"{a}t; Welt},
language = {eng},
note = {urn:nbn:de:101:1-20080828153},
number = {3654},
publisher = {IZA},
title = {Economic growth and subjective well-being: reassessing the easterlin paradox},
type = {IZA Discussion Papers},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10419/35136},
year = {2008}
}
