Lower in Rank, but Happier: The Complex Relationship between Status and Happiness

Bert Van Landeghem and Anneleen Vandeplas

Working Papers from eSocialSciences

Abstract: Case studies across the social sciences have established a positive relationship between social status and happiness. In observational data, however, identification challenges remain severe. This study exploits the fact that in India people are assigned a caste from birth. In data on 1000 individuals living in the Punjab, a state with a large income gap between middle and high castes in spite of similar education levels, we find that those in the middle are the least happy. [LICOS Discussion Paper No. 385].

Keywords: subjective well-being; happiness; social status; social comparison; middle; high castes; education levels; Punjab; birth; India; status; happiness; Andhra Pradesh (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016-10
Note: Institutional Papers
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Working Paper: Lower in rank, but happier: the complex relationship between status and happiness (2016)
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