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Laugh and grow fat: Happiness affects body mass index among Urban Chinese adults

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  • Li, Shuanglong
  • Chen, Yunsong
  • He, Guangye

Abstract

Previous studies have extensively examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and subjective well-being (SWB) but have mainly focused on the effects of BMI on SWB, leaving the question of whether BMI can be influenced by SWB largely neglected. In this study, we present the first empirical evidence on the effects of SWB on BMI among adults, using data combined from four waves of the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) (2010–2013). We find that, among urban Chinese adults, those who have a higher level of happiness tend to have higher BMI, after extensively controlling for a constellation of individual sociodemographic and health attributes. Further analyses using the instrumental variable method and propensity score matching provided similar results.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Shuanglong & Chen, Yunsong & He, Guangye, 2018. "Laugh and grow fat: Happiness affects body mass index among Urban Chinese adults," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 55-63.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:208:y:2018:i:c:p:55-63
    DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.05.008
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    2. Hsiao-Ting Chang & Nai-Wei Hsu & Hsi-Chung Chen & Hsuan-Ming Tsao & Su-Shun Lo & Pesus Chou, 2018. "Associations between Body Mass Index and Subjective Health Outcomes among Older Adults: Findings from the Yilan Study, Taiwan," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-15, November.
    3. Zhang, Jiaping & Cheng, Mingwang & Yu, Ning, 2020. "Internet Use and Lower Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Effect of Environmental Quality Perception," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    4. Weidong Li & Shuzhuo Li & Marcus W. Feldman, 2021. "Socioeconomic Status, Institutional Power, and Body Mass Index among Chinese Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-19, October.
    5. He, Jun & Xie, Yongxiang, 2022. "The sociocultural mechanism of obesity: The influence of gender role attitudes on obesity and the gender gap," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).
    6. Fang, Junyan & Wen, Zhonglin & Ouyang, Jinying & Huang, Guomin & Liu, Xiqin, 2022. "The reciprocal longitudinal relationship between body mass index and subjective well-being in China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).

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