Weather variables, in particular sunshine, are found to be strongly correlated with financial variables. I consider self-reported happiness as a channel through which sunshine affects financial variables. I examine the influence of happiness on risk-taking behavior by instrumenting individual happiness with regional sunshine. I find that happy people appear to be more risk-averse in financial decisions and (accordingly) choose safer investments. Happy people take more time for making decisions and have more self-control. Happy people also expect a longer life and (accordingly) seem more concerned about the future than the present and expect less inflation.
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Paper provided by Deakin University, Faculty of Business and Law, School of Accounting, Economics and Finance in its series Economics Series with number
2009_06.