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Money and Happiness: Income, Wealth and Subjective Well-Being

Author

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  • Conchita D’Ambrosio

    (University of Luxembourg)

  • Markus Jäntti

    (Stockholm University)

  • Anthony Lepinteur

    (University of Luxembourg)

Abstract

We examine the complex relationship between money and happiness. We find that both permanent income and wealth are better predictors of life satisfaction than current income and wealth. They matter not only in absolute terms but also in comparative terms. However, their relative impacts differ. The first exerts a comparison effect—the higher the permanent income of the reference group, the lower life satisfaction—the second exerts an information effect—the higher the permanent wealth of the reference group, the higher life satisfaction. We also show that negative transitory shocks to income reduce life satisfaction while transitory shocks to wealth have no effect. Lastly, we analyse the effects of their components and find that not all of them predict life satisfaction: permanent taxes do not matter, while only the value of permanent real estate, financial and business assets do. Finally, we use quantile regression and analyse to what extent our results vary along the well-being distribution, finding the impacts to be larger at lower levels of life satisfaction.

Suggested Citation

  • Conchita D’Ambrosio & Markus Jäntti & Anthony Lepinteur, 2020. "Money and Happiness: Income, Wealth and Subjective Well-Being," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 148(1), pages 47-66, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:148:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1007_s11205-019-02186-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-019-02186-w
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    Cited by:

    1. Martijn Burger & Martijn Hendriks & Elena Ianchovichina, 2022. "Happy but Unequal: Differences in Subjective Well-Being across Individuals and Space in Colombia," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(3), pages 1343-1387, June.
    2. Rémi Yin & Anthony Lepinteur & Andrew E Clark & Conchita d'Ambrosio, 2021. "Life Satisfaction and the Human Development Index Across the World," Working Papers halshs-03174513, HAL.
    3. Andrew E. Clark & Conchita D'Ambrosio & Rong Zhu, 2021. "Living in the Shadow of the Past: Financial Profiles and Well‐Being," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 123(3), pages 910-939, July.
    4. Huynh, Vy Dang Bich & Nguyen, Quyen Le Hoang Thuy To & Nguyen, Phong Thanh, 2022. "Modeling Quality of Urban Life Using Grey Analytical Hierarchy Process," MPRA Paper 116681, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Jan 2023.
    5. Sarah Kuypers & Ive Marx & Brian Nolan & Juan C. Palomino, 2022. "Lockdown, Earnings Losses and Household Asset Buffers in Europe," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 68(2), pages 428-470, June.
    6. Zhijian Zhang & Xueyuan Wang, 2021. "Ambition or Jealousy? It Depends on Whom you are Compared with," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1189-1215, March.
    7. Klein Teeselink, Bouke & Zauberman, Gal, 2023. "The Anna Karenina income effect: Well-being inequality decreases with income," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 501-513.
    8. Guoxin Fu, 2021. "Toward achieving sustainable development goal 3: Determinants, innovations, and reactions from 110 countries with different income levels," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(4), pages 607-623, July.
    9. Satoshi Araki, 2022. "Does Education Make People Happy? Spotlighting the Overlooked Societal Condition," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 587-629, February.
    10. Tao, Dongjie & He, Lingyun & Hamilton, Jonathan & Xu, Ding, 2021. "Children's marriage and parental subjective well-being: Evidence from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    11. David Brady & Michaela Curran & Richard Carpiano, 2023. "A test of the predictive validity of relative versus absolute income for self-reported health and well-being in the United States," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 48(26), pages 775-808.
    12. Elvisa Drishti & Zamira Shkreli & Edvin Zhllima & Blendi Gerdoçi, 2023. "Deprivation, Social Mobility Considerations, and Life Satisfaction: A Comparative Study of 33 European Countries," Comparative Economic Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Association for Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 65(3), pages 511-550, September.
    13. Cristina Bernini & Silvia Emili & Federica Galli, 2021. "Does urbanization matter in the expenditure‐happiness nexus?," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 100(6), pages 1403-1428, December.
    14. Burger,Martijn & Hendriks,Martijn & Ianchovichina,Elena, 2022. "Anatomy of Brazil’s Subjective Well-Being : A Tale of Growing Discontent and Polarization in the 2010s," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9924, The World Bank.
    15. Hiilamo, Aapo, 2020. "Debt matters? Mental wellbeing of older adults with household debt in England," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 106507, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    16. Nicole Kapelle & Theresa Nutz & Daria Tisch & Manuel Schechtl & Philipp M. Lersch & Emanuela Struffolino, 2022. "My Wealth, (Y)Our Life Satisfaction? Sole and Joint Wealth Ownership and Life Satisfaction in Marriage," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(4), pages 811-834, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Permanent income; Permanent wealth; Life satisfaction; SOEP;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General
    • D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General

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