Are Happiness and Productivity Lower among University Students with Newly-Divorced Parents? An Experimental Approach

Daniel Sgroi, Eugenio Proto and Andrew Oswald
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Daniel Sgroi: Department of Economics, University of Warwick

The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) from University of Warwick, Department of Economics

Abstract: We live in a high-divorce age. Parents worry about the possibility of negative effects upon their children. This paper tests whether recent parental-divorce has deleterious consequences for grown children. Under controlled conditions, it measures students’ happiness with life, and their productivity in a standardized laboratory task. No negative effects from divorce can be detected. If anything, happiness and productivity are greater, particularly among males, if they have experienced parental divorce. Using longitudinal BHPS data -- to control for fixed effects -- we cross-check this result on happiness. Again, the evidence suggests that young people’s mental well-being improves after parental divorce.

Keywords: Labor productivity; divorce; well-being; happiness; experimental economics JEL Codes: D03; J24; C91 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu, nep-exp, nep-hap, nep-lab and nep-ltv
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/research/w ... s/2010/twerp_937.pdf

Related works:
Working Paper: Are Happiness and Productivity Lower among University Students with Newly-Divorced Parents? An Experimental Approach (2010)
Working Paper: Are Happiness and Productivity Lower among University Students with Newly-Divorced Parents? An Experimental Approach (2010)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wrk:warwec:937

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