Social Interactions and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from Latin America

Victoria María Ateca Amestoy, Alexandra Cortés Aguilar and Ana Moro-Egido
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Victoria M. Ateca-Amestoy

No 1988-088X, DFAEII Working Papers from University of the Basque Country - Department of Foundations of Economic Analysis II

Abstract: In this paper, we seek to examine the effect of comparisons and social capital on subjective well-being. Furthermore, we test if, through social influence and exposure, social capital is either an enhancer or appeaser of the comparison effect. Using the Latinobarómetro Survey (2007) we find that in contrast to most previous studies, the comparison effect on well-being is positive; that is, the better others perform, the happier the individual is. We also find that social capital is among the strongest correlates of individuals’ subjective well-being in Latin American countries. Furthermore, our findings suggest that social contacts may enhance the comparison effect on individual’s happiness, which is more intense for those who perform worse in their reference group.

Keywords: comparison effect; social capital; subjective well-being; social interactions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011-11
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Working Paper: Social Interactions and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from Latin America (2012)
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Dpto. de Fundamentos del Análisis Económico II, = Facultad de CC. Económicas y Empresariales, Universidad del País Vasco, Avda. Lehendakari Aguirre 83, 48015 Bilbao, Spain

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