Happiness, Habits and High Rank: Comparisons in Economic and Social Life

No 5966, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: The role of money in producing sustained subjective well-being seems to be seriously compromised by social comparisons and habituation. But does that necessarily mean that we would be better off doing something else instead? This paper suggests that the phenomena of comparison and habituation are actually found in a considerable variety of economic and social activities, rendering conclusions regarding well-being policy less straightforward.

Keywords: policy; religion; divorce; marriage; income; unemployment; habituation; comparison; health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D01 D31 H00 I31 J12 J28 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 42 pages
Date: 2011-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cwa, nep-evo, nep-hap, nep-hpe, nep-ltv and nep-soc
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

Forthcoming - published in: Stefano Bartolini, Ennio Bilancini, Luigino Bruni, and Pier-Luigi Porta (Eds.), Policies for Happiness, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016, 62-94

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Related works:
Working Paper: Happiness, Habits and High Rank: Comparisons in Economic and Social Life (2016)
Working Paper: Happiness, Habits and High Rank: Comparisons in Economic and Social Life (2016)
Working Paper: Happiness, Habits and High Rank: Comparisons in Economic and Social Life (2012)
Working Paper: Happiness, habits and high rank: Comparisons in economic and social life (2008)
Working Paper: Happiness, habits and high rank: Comparisons in economic and social life (2008)
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