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Sliding down the U-shape? A dynamic panel investigation of the age-well-being relationship, focusing on young adults

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  • Piper, Alan T.

Abstract

Much of the work within economics attempting to understand the relationship between age and well-being has focused on the U-shape, whether it exists and, more recently, potential reasons for its existence. This paper focuses on one part of the lifecycle rather than the whole: young people. This focus offers a better understanding of the age-well-being relationship for young people, and helps with increasing general understanding regarding the U-shape itself.

Suggested Citation

  • Piper, Alan T., 2015. "Sliding down the U-shape? A dynamic panel investigation of the age-well-being relationship, focusing on young adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 54-61.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:143:y:2015:i:c:p:54-61
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.08.042
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    Cited by:

    1. Hermien Dijk & Jochen Mierau, 2023. "Mental health over the life course: Evidence for a U‐shape?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(1), pages 155-174, January.
    2. John F. Helliwell & Haifang Huang & Max B. Norton & Shun Wang, 2019. "Happiness at Different Ages: The Social Context Matters," Springer Books, in: Mariano Rojas (ed.), The Economics of Happiness, chapter 0, pages 455-481, Springer.
    3. Piper, Alan T. & Pugh, Geoffrey T., 2016. "Issues in the estimation of dynamic happiness models: A comment on "Does childhood predict adult life satisfaction?"," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 10, pages 1-6.
    4. Shawn Grover & John F. Helliwell, 2019. "How’s Life at Home? New Evidence on Marriage and the Set Point for Happiness," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(2), pages 373-390, February.
    5. Piper, Alan, 2023. "Age and Happiness," MPRA Paper 117556, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Alan Piper & Ian Jackson, 2017. "She’s leaving home: a large sample investigation of the empty nest syndrome," Danish-German Working Papers 006, Europa-Universität Flensburg, International Institute of Management (IIM);University of Southern Denmark, Department of Border Region Studies (IFG).
    7. Piper, Alan T., 2014. "The Benefits, Challenges and Insights of a Dynamic Panel assessment of Life Satisfaction," MPRA Paper 59556, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Slesman, Ly, 2022. "The elusive curse of natural resources on happiness," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    9. Ottar Hellevik, 2017. "The U-shaped age–happiness relationship: real or methodological artifact?," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 51(1), pages 177-197, January.
    10. David G. Blanchflower & Carol L. Graham, 2022. "The Mid-Life Dip in Well-Being: a Critique," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 161(1), pages 287-344, May.
    11. Piper, Alan T., 2018. "Adult life satisfaction: largely (though not wholly) contemporaneous? A System General Method of Moments dynamic panel analysis," MPRA Paper 85601, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Downward, Paul & Rasciute, Simona, 2016. "‘No man is an island entire of itself.’ The hidden effect of peers on physical activity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 169(C), pages 149-156.
    13. Weerakkody, Vishanth & Sivarajah, Uthayasankar & Mahroof, Kamran & Maruyama, Takao & Lu, Shan, 2021. "Influencing subjective well-being for business and sustainable development using big data and predictive regression analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 520-538.
    14. Biermann, Philipp & Bitzer, Jürgen & Gören, Erkan, 2022. "The relationship between age and subjective well-being: Estimating within and between effects simultaneously," The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, Elsevier, vol. 21(C).
    15. David G. Blanchflower, 2021. "Is happiness U-shaped everywhere? Age and subjective well-being in 145 countries," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(2), pages 575-624, April.
    16. Alan Piper, 2018. "Adult life satisfaction largely (though not wholly) contemporaneous," Discussion Papers 028, Europa-Universität Flensburg, International Institute of Management.
    17. Dusanee Kesavayuth & Prompong Shangkhum & Vasileios Zikos, 2022. "Building physical health: What is the role of mental health?," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 74(2), pages 457-483, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    UK; Life satisfaction; Ageing; Young adults; Dynamic panel analysis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth

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