Happiness, habits and high rank: Comparisons in economic and social life

Arbeitspapier

The role of money in producing sustained subjective well-being seems to be seriously compromised by social comparisons and habituation. But does that necessarily mean that we would be better off doing something else instead? This paper suggests that the phenomena of comparison and habituation are actually found in a considerable variety of economic and social activities, rendering conclusions regarding well-being policy less straightforward.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research ; No. 452

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles ; Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions ; Public Economics: General ; General Welfare; Well-Being ; Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure; Domestic Abuse ; Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
• Subject: comparison ; habituation ; income ; unemployment ; marriage ; divorce ; health ; religion ; policy

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Clark, Andrew E.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW)
• (where): Berlin
• (when): 2012

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/59612
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET