Extensive analysis of 152 countries uncovers societal determinants of happiness

New research provides evidence that crucial societal factors influencing happiness include generosity, especially in wealthy countries, consistent social support across all income groups, and personal freedom. The findings, published in Social Psychological and Personality Science, provide insights into the multifaceted relationship between societal conditions and individual happiness, emphasizing the importance of non-economic factors

Satoshi Araki, an assistant professor at The University of Hong Kong, embarked on this study to address some critical questions about happiness. Specifically, he wanted to explore how different societal conditions impact our happiness and whether these effects vary across income groups. The goal was to provide a nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics that contribute to our overall life satisfaction and emotional well-being.

“As a sociologist, I’ve been wondering how our happiness and unhappiness are affected by societal-level conditions,” he told PsyPost. “Isn’t it lovely if we can answer this question and develop a society where more people thrive whilst mitigating the risk of unhappiness?”

Araki’s study involved an extensive analysis of data from 152 countries over a 15-year period, creating a comprehensive panel dataset. This dataset included information on GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom of choice, generosity, perceptions of corruption, and several measures of happiness and unhappiness.

Araki employed a robust statistical method known as country-fixed effects regression to examine within-country changes over time. This approach allowed him to control for unobserved country-specific traits and provide a more accurate assessment of the relationships between societal conditions and happiness.

Contrary to what we might expect, the study found that the link between economic growth, as measured by GDP per capita, and life satisfaction weakened as countries became more affluent. In other words, once a certain economic threshold is reached, additional wealth does not significantly boost happiness.

Generosity emerged as a crucial factor associated with higher life satisfaction, especially in economically advanced countries. This suggests that generosity becomes a significant contributor to happiness once basic economic needs are met.

Social support was consistently linked to higher levels of happiness and lower levels of unhappiness across all income groups. Having strong social ties and mutual support networks positively influenced people’s overall well-being.

“It’s really interesting to confirm the substantially positive associations between noneconomic conditions (e.g., social support and generosity) and happiness, although their structure varies across macroeconomic standards,” Araki told PsyPost.

Freedom of choice was another significant factor in predicting happiness. People in societies with greater personal freedom reported higher life satisfaction, a lower likelihood of suffering, and more positive emotions.

While longer life expectancy is generally seen as a positive development, the study revealed a nuanced picture. Longer life expectancy was associated with a higher frequency of negative emotions, such as worry, sadness, and anger. This suggests the need for support systems to address the psychological well-being of aging populations.

“Our (un)happiness is significantly linked to societal-level factors, ranging from economic development and freedom to mutual support and generosity,” Araki said. “In pursuing happiness, it’s therefore important to pay close attention not just to individual-level behavior but to macro-level conditions and their interactions.”

As with any study, it’s important to acknowledge certain limitations. Araki’s research focused on macro-level societal conditions and their impact on happiness, which provides valuable insights but doesn’t capture individual experiences. Future research could delve into individual-level data to better understand how different people are affected by these societal factors.

Moreover, Araki’s study emphasizes the importance of generosity in advanced economies but does not establish causality. Further investigations are needed to determine whether generosity directly leads to increased life satisfaction or if there are other underlying mechanisms at play.

“This study shows the average effects of societal conditions, but there should be cases that cannot be explained by the models I showed,” the researcher explained. “It’s important to shed light on such cases and to elucidate their mechanisms rather than simply judging them as outliers. In addition, this research solely uses macro-level indicators. As argued in the manuscript, future research must incorporate both individual-level and societal-level data to examine whose happiness improves, remains, and deteriorates in the process of societal transformations.”

Araki’s research challenges some commonly held beliefs about happiness and offers a more nuanced understanding of the factors that contribute to our well-being. It highlights the significance of social support, personal freedom, and generosity in fostering happiness, regardless of a country’s income level. Additionally, it calls attention to the need for support systems as populations age and life expectancy increases.

“I hope this piece would serve as a foundation to promote the socioeconomics of (un)happiness towards human flourishing,” Araki said.