Happiness Research: State and Prospects

Arbeitspapier

This paper intends to provide an evaluation of where the economic research on happiness stands and in which interesting directions it might develop. First, the current state of the research on happiness in economics is briefly discussed. We emphasize the potential of happiness research in testing competing theories of individual behavior. Second, the crucial issue of causality is taken up illustrating it for a particular case, namely whether marriage makes people happy or whether happy people get married. Third, happiness research is taken up as a new approach to measuring utility in the context of cost-benefit analysis.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: CREMA Working Paper ; No. 2004-10

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Public Goods ; General Welfare; Well-Being ; Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse
• Subject: causality ; cost-benefit analysis ; happiness research ; life satisfaction approach ; marriage ; selection ; subjective well-being ; terrorism

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Frey, Bruno S. ; Stutzer, Alois
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA)
• (where): Basel
• (when): 2004

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/214296
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET