Are unemployed people unhappier than employed people? To answer this question, this paper presents an extensive review of previous overseas studies and conducts an empirical analysis of the determinants of happiness in Japan. The main result in this study is consistent with that of previous studies; even when the income level and other individual characteristics are held constant, unemployment ...

Anthropology should have a prudential or pragmatic orientation, according to Kant, a thought emphasized in the title of his 1798 “textbook,” Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View. According to the Parow notes (1772-73) of an early lecture course on anthropology, Kant described prudence as “the capacity to choose the best means to our happiness,”[25:413] a description that fits well with h...

Is it adaptive to seek pleasant emotions and avoid unpleasant emotions all the time or seek pleasant and unpleasant emotions at the right time? Participants reported on their preferences for anger and happiness in general and in contexts in which they might be useful or not (i.e., confrontations and collaborations, respectively). People who generally wanted to feel more happiness and less anger...

Th e so-called ‘happiness hypothesis’, associated with the work of the economist Richard Layard, has attracted much public debate over recent years. Its main contention is that despite rising levels of material prosperity in the west, incidence of recorded happiness and greater quality of life has not increased accordingly. In considering the major contributory factors to happiness and well-bei...

Using data from the General Social Survey, we study the role of income in self-reported happiness. Unexpected income gains increase happiness but individual happiness is not very persistent over time. Relative income is more important than absolute income, in particular, income relative to individuals’ own cohort working in the same occupation group, and living in the same region. Perceptions a...

The study of individual happiness has enriched economics with many new and sometimes challenging (preliminary) insights.1 More and more often, it is asked about the policy consequences that are to be derived from these insights. We observe that economic research on happiness has an explicit or implicit tendency to follow a “benevolent dictator” approach where the government, and individual poli...

Using data from the U.S. General Social Survey, we study the role of income and status in self-reported happiness. Unexpected income gains increase happiness and relative income is more important than absolute income, in particular, income relative to individuals’ own cohort working in the same occupation in the same region. Perceptions about relative income are more important than actual relat...

Reading the special issue of the American Psychologist (January 2000) on the contemporary, data-based movement of positive psychology was an uplifting experience in itself. Positive psychology seems to emerge as a renewed humanistic approach to the individual and collective potential for happiness, but this time it is strengthened by empirical data and adequate research methodologies. Seligman ...

From ancient history to recent times, philosophers, writers, self-help gurus, and now scientists have taken up the challenge of how to foster greater happiness. This chapter discusses why some people are happier than others, focusing on the distinctive ways that happy and unhappy individuals construe themselves and others, respond to social comparisons, make decisions, and self-reflect. We sugg...

Reference: Boehm, J. K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (in press). The promise of sustainable happiness. In S. J. Lopez (Ed.), Handbook of positive psychology (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. The Promise of Sustainable Happiness Julia K. Boehm and Sonja Lyubomirsky Department of Psychology University of California, Riverside Abstract From ancient history to recent times, philosophers, writers, sel...