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Why is the world getting older? The influence of happiness on mortality

Author

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  • Guven, Cahit
  • Saloumidis, Rudolph

Abstract

World life expectancy has risen by around 20 years in the last 50 years. This period has also witnessed rising happiness levels around the world suggesting that happiness might be one of the causes behind the decline in mortality. We investigate the relationship between happiness and mortality using the German Socio-Economic Panel. We consider doctor visits, self-reported health, and presence of chronic illness as health measures. After controlling for initial health conditions, we find that happiness extends life expectancy. 10 percent increase in happiness decreases probability of death by four percent, and this effect is more pronounced for men and younger people. Happiness plays a more important role for chronically ill people in decreasing mortality than for those who are not chronically ill. The positive influence of happiness on mortality can offset the negative impact of chronic illness. Marriage decreases mortality and this effect appears to work through increased happiness.
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Suggested Citation

  • Guven, Cahit & Saloumidis, Rudolph, 2009. "Why is the world getting older? The influence of happiness on mortality," Working Papers eco_2009_03, Deakin University, Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:dkn:econwp:eco_2009_03
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    File URL: http://dro.deakin.edu.au/eserv/DU:30106848/guven-whyisthe-2009.pdf
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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Be Happy, Live Longer
      by Ariel Goldring in Free Market Mojo on 2010-07-11 01:24:25

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Van Landeghem, Bert, 2012. "A test for the convexity of human well-being over the life cycle: Longitudinal evidence from a 20-year panel," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 81(2), pages 571-582.
    2. Bruce Headey & Jongsay Yong, 2019. "Happiness and Longevity: Unhappy People Die Young, Otherwise Happiness Probably Makes No Difference," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 142(2), pages 713-732, April.
    3. Stefano Bartolini, 2018. "Social capital as disease prevention," Department of Economics University of Siena 778, Department of Economics, University of Siena.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    happiness; mortality; health; chronic illness;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D3 - Microeconomics - - Distribution
    • I10 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - General
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior

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