Happiness, Habits and High Rank: Comparisons in Economic and Social Life

Andrew Clark

No 452, SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research from DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP)

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: Comparison; habituation; income; unemployment; marriage; divorce; health; religion; policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D1 D31 H0 I31 J12 J28 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 40 p.
Date: 2012
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cwa, nep-evo, nep-hap, nep-hpe and nep-ltv
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.402881.de/diw_sp0452.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Happiness, Habits and High Rank: Comparisons in Economic and Social Life (2016)
Working Paper: Happiness, Habits and High Rank: Comparisons in Economic and Social Life (2016)
Working Paper: Happiness, Habits and High Rank: Comparisons in Economic and Social Life (2011)
Working Paper: Happiness, habits and high rank: Comparisons in economic and social life (2008)
Working Paper: Happiness, habits and high rank: Comparisons in economic and social life (2008)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp452

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