National Happiness and Genetic Distance: A Cautious Exploration

Eugenio Proto and Andrew Oswald

No 269325, Economic Research Papers from University of Warwick - Department of Economics

Abstract: This paper studies a famous unsolved puzzle in quantitative social science. Why do some nations report such high levels of mental well-being? Denmark, for instance, regularly tops the league table of rich countries’ happiness; Britain and the US enter further down; some nations do unexpectedly poorly. The explanation for the longobserved ranking -- one that holds after adjustment for GDP and other socioeconomic variables -- is currently unknown. Using data on 131 countries, the paper cautiously explores a new approach. It documents three forms of evidence consistent with the hypothesis that some nations may have a genetic advantage in well-being.

Keywords: Financial Economics; International Development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 64
Date: 2016-03-03
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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Related works:
Working Paper: National Happiness and Genetic Distance: A Cautious Exploration (2016)
Working Paper: National Happiness and Genetic Distance: A Cautious Exploration (2015)
Working Paper: National Happiness and Genetic Distance: A Cautious Exploration (2014)
Working Paper: National Happiness and Genetic Distance: A Cautious Exploration (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:uwarer:269325

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.269325

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