The Societal Determinants of Happiness and Unhappiness: Evidence From 152 Countries Over 15 Years

Abstract

What makes people (un)happy? From the macro viewpoint, this study investigates the societal determinants of average life satisfaction (LS), the percentage of thriving/suffering people, and positive/negative affect collectively experienced in a society. Using the aggregate-level panel data for 152 economies over 15 years, country-fixed effects regressions reveal (1) the marginal effect of economic growth is likely to be smaller in affluent countries; (2) generosity predicts higher LS and positive affect heterogeneously across macroeconomic standards; (3) social support is substantially linked to both happiness and unhappiness worldwide; (4) freedom of choice predicts the lower risk of suffering and the higher chances of thriving and positive affect, especially in advanced economies; (5) longer healthy life expectancy is associated with the higher frequency of encountering negative affect; and (6) corruption negatively predicts happiness, particularly in the richest country group. These findings advance the socioeconomics of (un)happiness and relevant policy toward human flourishing.