Encyclopedia of Happiness, Quality of Life and Subjective Wellbeing

Edited by Hilke Brockmann, Professor of Sociology, Constructor University (formerly Jacobs University) Bremen gGmbH, Germany and formerly Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute, Italy and Roger Fernandez-Urbano, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Social Sciences, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg and formerly Department of Political and Social Sciences, European University Institute, Italy

Contents

Foreword xii
Preface
Professor Carol Graham
Introduction to the Encyclopedia of Happiness, Quality of Life and Subjective Wellbeing xiii
Hilke Brockmann and Roger Fernandez-Urbano
PART I FOUNDATIONAL CONCEPTS AND DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES
1 A biological approach to understanding happiness 2
Bjørn Grinde
2 The economics of happiness research 7
Roger Fernandez-Urbano
3 The epistemology of wellbeing 14
Mark Fabian
4 The ethics of wellbeing 22
Mark Fabian
5 Neuroscience and genetics of mental wellbeing and clinical applications 29
Justine M Gatt
6 Positive affect and health: past, present, and future scientific endeavors 38
Elaine Tannouz, Veronica Ramirez and Sarah D Pressman
7 Positive psychology and happiness research 46
Song Yan
8 Public policy and happiness 56
Alois Stutzer
PART II DETERMINANTS AND MECHANISMS OF WELLBEING
9 Age and happiness 66
Alan Piper
10 Balance and harmony 73
Tim Lomas
11 Consumerism and biased perceptions on happiness 81
Namho Kim and Astrid Schütz
12 Correlations, causality, and mechanisms between happiness and health 90
Maren M. Michaelsen and Tobias Esch
13 Cultural differences and happiness 99
Hidefumi Hitokoto and Yoshiaki Takahashi
14 Education and happiness: schooling does not add to your personal happiness but does add to the average happiness of all 107
Ana Costa, Ângela Leite, Paulo C. Dias, and Ruut Veenhoven
15 Environmental science and happiness 115
Aida Horaniet Ibañez and Dagny Aurich
16 Individual wellbeing and cortisol 125
Daniela Andrén, Andrew E. Clark, Conchita D’Ambrosio, Sune Karlsson and Nicklas Pettersson
17 Job insecurity and subjective wellbeing 134
Anthony Lepinteur
18 Money and happiness 139
Rémy Bellaunay, Alberto Prati and Christian Krekel
19 Physical pain and wellbeing 147
Lucía Macchia
20 Relative income – relative concerns 152
Ada Ferrer-i-Carbonell
21 Resilience and positive mental health 157
Jessica Armitage
22 Sense of touch and happiness 164
Taina Kinnunen
23 Singlehood and wellbeing 171
Daniela Bellani and Francesca Luppi
24 Social capital and subjective wellbeing 180
Francesco Sarracino and Guilia Slater
25 Social cohesion and happiness: findings from the social cohesion radar 189
Klaus Boehnke
26 Social mobility and subjective wellbeing 193
Andreas Hadjar, Fabian Kratz and Robin Samuel
27 The state of the art on children’s subjective well-being and quality of life 200
Sabirah Adams, Shazly Savahl, Ferran Casas, Mònica González-Carrasco, Ihsana Sabriani Borualogo, Tobia Fattore and Susann Fegter
28 Status anxiety and wellbeing 214
Jan Delhey and Leonie C Steckermeier
29 The study of risk and resilience 220
Ingrid Schoon
PART III WELLBEING ACROSS DIFFERENT POPULATIONS
30 Cities and happiness: past, present, and future 228
Kostas Mouratidis
31 Geography and happiness: a space and place approach 237
Thanasis Ziogas and Alvertos Konstantinis
32 Happiness and indigenous peoples 244
Luciano E Sewaybricker
33 Happiness and migration 252
Martijn Hendriks
34 Latin American happiness. Lessons for a new paradigm of progress as happiness 258
Mariano Rojas
35 Romantic relationships, partners, and happiness in under-represented groups 265
Jane EM Carter and Laura Kudrna
36 Should 7.5 billion earthlings be happy? A view from Indian sub-continent 276
Saamdu Chetri
37 Subjective wellbeing of children: concept, measurement and empirical application 283
Nevena Kulic and Markus Laaninen
38 Wellbeing in India: past, present, and future perspectives 289
Chinglen Laishram
39 World Happiness Report: origins, purpose, contents, impact and future 296
John F. Helliwell, Richard Layard, Jeffrey Sachs, Jan- Emmanuel De Neve, Lara Aknin and Shun Wang
PART IV DATA, METHODS AND MEASURES IN WELLBEING RESEARCH
40 Assessment of the reliability of subjective measures 305
Filomena Maggino
41 Big data and happiness 310
Stephanié Rossouw and Talita Greyling
42 Happiness: cardinal measurability and interpersonal comparability 316
Yew-Kwang Ng
43 Japan’s happiness index: concept, framework and a public policy tool 322
Yoshiaki Takahashi
44 Measuring societal progress 337
Kelsey J O’Connor
45 The OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being 347
Carrie Exton, Jessica Mahoney and Conal Smith
46 Wellby 353
Paul Frijters and Raúl G Sanchis
47 The World Database of Happiness: A findings archive 355
Ruut Veenhoven
48 Animal happiness 362
Laura E Webb and Margit Bak Jensen
PART V EMERGING AND TRENDING TOPICS
49 Automation and wellbeing 370
Daniela Bellani and Honorata Bogusz
50 Autonomy and wellbeing 377
Leonie C Steckermeier
51 Brain stimulation and genetic engineering 384
Yew-Kwang Ng
52 Social policy, child poverty, and children’s quality of life or children, social policy, and children’s quality of life 390
Enrique Delamonica
53 Cold comfort: wellbeing through extreme environmental exposure 401
Antti Lindfors and Taina Kinnunen
54 Eco-anxiety and happiness 408
Panu Pihkala and Thomas Doherty
55 Happiness and spatial inequality: past, present, and future 417
Maria Cotofan
56 Meritocracy and happiness 424
Hilke Brockmann and John Torpey
57 Productivity and subjective wellbeing 433
Chiara Peroni and Francesco Sarracino
58 Purpose, spirituality, and happiness: a multidimensional perspective 440
Cornelia C. Walther
59 War and happiness 444
Tom Coupe and Maksym Obrizan
60 Work from home and subjective wellbeing 449
Claudia Senik
PART VI RESUMÉS
61 The tapestry of life: a personal story 456
Alex C Michalos
62 Epilogue 467
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