Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Recurso digital |
| Language: | |
| Published: |
Zenodo
2023
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17636875 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
Table of Contents:
- <h3><span>ABSTRACT</span></h3> <p><strong>Question</strong>:<span> </span>Is<span> </span>life<span> </span>getting<span> </span>worse<span> </span>as<span> </span>all<span> </span>the<span> </span>bad<span> </span>news<span> </span>in<span> </span>public<span> </span>media<span> </span><span>suggest?</span></p> <p><strong>Approach: </strong>We assessed changes in average happiness in nations over the last decade.<span> </span>Happiness<span> </span>was<span> </span>conceptualized<span> </span>as<span> </span>the<span> </span>subjective<span> </span>enjoyment<span> </span>of<span> </span>one’s<span> </span>life-as-a- whole, which can be measured using self-reports.</p> <p><strong>Method:<span> </span></strong>We took stock of responses to questions on happiness in representative surveys of the general population in nations, drawing on findings gathered in the World<span> </span>Database<span> </span>of<span> </span>Happiness.<span> </span>We<span> </span>limited<span> </span>to time<span> </span>series<span> </span>that<span> </span>cover<span> </span>at<span> </span>least<span> </span>20<span> </span>years and 10 data-points, which yields 200 time series in 50 nations over the years</p> <p>1946-2021. For only 1 nation (the USA) we have data on this entire period, most of the time series start in the 1990s or 2000. We focused on change up to and including<span> </span>2019,<span> </span>that<span> </span>is<span> </span>before<span> </span>the<span> </span>onset of<span> </span>the<span> </span>COVID<span> </span>19<span> </span>pandemic<span> </span>in<span> </span>the<span> </span>year<span> </span>2000.</p> <p><strong>Results: </strong>Average happiness rose significantly in 26 nations and declined in 11 nations:<span> </span>so<span> </span>twice more<span> </span>rise<span> </span>than<span> </span>decline.<span> </span>The<span> </span>average<span> </span>size<span> </span>of<span> </span>rise<span> </span>and<span> </span>decline<span> </span>was similar. No significant change in average happiness took place in 35 nations.</p> <p><strong>Discussion: </strong>These findings go against the widely held belief that life is getting<span> </span>worse contemporary societies. Firsthand knowledge about one’s own happiness differs from hearsay about decline of quality of life in the country.</p> <p><em><span>Keywords:<span> </span>Happiness,<span> </span>Social<span> </span>progress,<span> </span>Trend<span> </span>analysis,<span> </span>World<span> </span>Database<span> </span>of <span>Happiness</span></span></em></p>