Money, happiness, and aspirations: An experimental study
نویسندگان
چکیده
The past decade has witnessed an explosion of interest in the scientific study of happiness. Economists, in particular, find that happiness increases in income but decreases in income aspirations, and this work prompts examination of how aspirations form and adapt over time. This paper presents results from the first experimental study of how multiple factors—past payments, social comparisons, and expectations—influence aspiration formation and reported satisfaction. I find that expectations and social comparisons significantly affect reported satisfaction, and that subjects choose to compare themselves with similar subjects when possible. These findings support an aspirations-based theory of happiness.
منابع مشابه
The pot-holed path to happiness, possibly paved with money: A research dialogue
The path to happiness is not always clear. Research suggests that even money (when one has enough to take care of basic needs) does not enhance happiness. This Research Dialogue explores how individuals can take steps to use money in a way that does increase happiness. In addition, four commentaries provide suggestions above and beyond money as possible paths to happiness, as well as the reason...
متن کاملSpending money on others promotes happiness.
Although much research has examined the effect of income on happiness, we suggest that how people spend their money may be at least as important as how much money they earn. Specifically, we hypothesized that spending money on other people may have a more positive impact on happiness than spending money on oneself. Providing converging evidence for this hypothesis, we found that spending more o...
متن کاملThe Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Anxiety, Happiness and Mindfulness in Nurses
Introduction: Psychological health is recognized as an important source of adaptation to workplace problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on the level of anxiety, happiness and mindfulness in nurses. Methods: The research method was experimental with pre- and post-test design with control group. For this purpose, 60 nurses of Ba...
متن کاملProsocial Spending and Happiness: Using Money to Benefit Others Pays Off
While a great deal of research has shown that people with more money are somewhat happier than people with less money, our research demonstrates that how people spend their money also matters for their happiness. In particular, both correlational and experimental studies show that people who spend money on others report greater happiness. The benefits of such prosocial spending emerge among adu...
متن کاملTamás Keller the Connection between Life Satisfaction and Material Aspirations
In seeking to answer the question of whether income brings happiness, Richard Easterlin (1974, 1995) found a paradox. Within a given country, higher-income respondents usually reported greater happiness; however – in cross-country comparison – if aggregate income in a country rises, happiness does not necessarily follow. Both theoretical and empirical social research provides a number of explan...
متن کامل