Comments on: Happiness in the Sun Papers http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/ The Sweet Release of Reason Tue, 22 May 2012 20:28:45 +0000 hourly 1 By: phillip http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12492 phillip Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:19:28 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12492 woop woop im gay and happy woop woop im gay and happy

]]> By: phillip http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12491 phillip Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:19:28 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12491 woop woop im gay and happy woop woop im gay and happy

]]> By: John http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12490 John Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:16:43 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12490 My inner Robert Frank demands I ask if that study took conspicuous consumption into account. My inner Robert Frank demands I ask if that study took conspicuous consumption into account.

]]> By: John http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12495 John Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:16:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12495 My inner Robert Frank demands I ask if that study took conspicuous consumption into account. My inner Robert Frank demands I ask if that study took conspicuous consumption into account.

]]> By: Joe http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12489 Joe Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:31:15 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12489 Doesn't this correlation just as likely reflect the fact that happy people are more likely to earn more money? People like working with and promoting happy people. Happiness strikes me as very genetically determined, with genetically happy people better able to navigate all areas of life, including a successful career. Doesn’t this correlation just as likely reflect the fact that happy people are more likely to earn more money? People like working with and promoting happy people.

Happiness strikes me as very genetically determined, with genetically happy people better able to navigate all areas of life, including a successful career.

]]> By: Joe http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12497 Joe Mon, 25 Feb 2008 19:31:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12497 Doesn't this correlation just as likely reflect the fact that happy people are more likely to earn more money? People like working with and promoting happy people. Happiness strikes me as very genetically determined, with genetically happy people better able to navigate all areas of life, including a successful career. Doesn’t this correlation just as likely reflect the fact that happy people are more likely to earn more money? People like working with and promoting happy people.

Happiness strikes me as very genetically determined, with genetically happy people better able to navigate all areas of life, including a successful career.

]]> By: Dr X http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12488 Dr X Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:21:17 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12488 You you could be right, but correlation is not causation. It could be that more emotionally resilient people tend to be happier people who also tend to earn more money because of their ability to maintain a consistent effort in their endeavors. Looking at comparisons across nations, it could be that living in a politically and economically more free nation leads to both higher average levels of reported happiness and higher average incomes without the latter necessarily driving the former. You you could be right, but correlation is not causation. It could be that more emotionally resilient people tend to be happier people who also tend to earn more money because of their ability to maintain a consistent effort in their endeavors.

Looking at comparisons across nations, it could be that living in a politically and economically more free nation leads to both higher average levels of reported happiness and higher average incomes without the latter necessarily driving the former.

]]> By: Dr X http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12496 Dr X Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:21:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12496 You you could be right, but correlation is not causation. It could be that more emotionally resilient people tend to be happier people who also tend to earn more money because of their ability to maintain a consistent effort in their endeavors. Looking at comparisons across nations, it could be that living in a politically and economically more free nation leads to both higher average levels of reported happiness and higher average incomes without the latter necessarily driving the former. You you could be right, but correlation is not causation. It could be that more emotionally resilient people tend to be happier people who also tend to earn more money because of their ability to maintain a consistent effort in their endeavors.

Looking at comparisons across nations, it could be that living in a politically and economically more free nation leads to both higher average levels of reported happiness and higher average incomes without the latter necessarily driving the former.

]]> By: Will Wilkinson http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12487 Will Wilkinson Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:50:39 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12487 Virgule, That's one of those pieces of conventional wisdom that fails to reflect the data. <a href="http://www.princeton.edu/~rpds/downloads/Deaton_Aging_and_wellbeing_around_the_world_All_July_07.pdf" rel="nofollow"> Angus Deaton</a>: <blockquote>Average happiness is strongly related to per capita national income, with each doubling of income associated with a near one point increase in life satisfaction on a scale from 0 to 10. Unlike previous findings, the effect holds across the range of international incomes; if anything, it is slightly stronger among rich countries.</blockquote> The data are now quite clear. Other things equal, it's better to be richer. Virgule, That’s one of those pieces of conventional wisdom that fails to reflect the data. Angus Deaton:

Average happiness is strongly related to per capita national income, with each doubling of income associated with a near one point increase in life satisfaction on a scale from 0 to 10. Unlike previous findings, the effect holds across the range of international incomes; if anything, it is slightly stronger among rich countries.

The data are now quite clear. Other things equal, it’s better to be richer.

]]> By: Will Wilkinson http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12494 Will Wilkinson Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:50:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12494 Virgule, That's one of those pieces of conventional wisdom that fails to reflect the data. <a href="http://www.princeton.edu/~rpds/downloads/Deaton_Aging_and_wellbeing_around_the_world_All_July_07.pdf" rel="nofollow"> Angus Deaton</a>: <blockquote>Average happiness is strongly related to per capita national income, with each doubling of income associated with a near one point increase in life satisfaction on a scale from 0 to 10. Unlike previous findings, the effect holds across the range of international incomes; if anything, it is slightly stronger among rich countries.</blockquote> The data are now quite clear. Other things equal, it's better to be richer. Virgule, That’s one of those pieces of conventional wisdom that fails to reflect the data. Angus Deaton:

Average happiness is strongly related to per capita national income, with each doubling of income associated with a near one point increase in life satisfaction on a scale from 0 to 10. Unlike previous findings, the effect holds across the range of international incomes; if anything, it is slightly stronger among rich countries.

The data are now quite clear. Other things equal, it’s better to be richer.

]]> By: Virgule82 http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12486 Virgule82 Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:30:40 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12486 The problem here is that richer may not be happy because they have a lot of stuff. They're happy because they're doing better than the rest. Similarly, the poor are unhappy in part not because they lack stuff but because other people are doing better. Inequality, not money, is the issue here. If you look at cross-country data, the correlation between GDP and happiness exists only up to a point. The problem here is that richer may not be happy because they have a lot of stuff. They’re happy because they’re doing better than the rest. Similarly, the poor are unhappy in part not because they lack stuff but because other people are doing better. Inequality, not money, is the issue here. If you look at cross-country data, the correlation between GDP and happiness exists only up to a point.

]]> By: Virgule82 http://willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12493 Virgule82 Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:30:00 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/02/24/happiness-in-the-sun-papers/#comment-12493 The problem here is that richer may not be happy because they have a lot of stuff. They're happy because they're doing better than the rest. Similarly, the poor are unhappy in part not because they lack stuff but because other people are doing better. Inequality, not money, is the issue here. If you look at cross-country data, the correlation between GDP and happiness exists only up to a point. The problem here is that richer may not be happy because they have a lot of stuff. They’re happy because they’re doing better than the rest. Similarly, the poor are unhappy in part not because they lack stuff but because other people are doing better. Inequality, not money, is the issue here. If you look at cross-country data, the correlation between GDP and happiness exists only up to a point.

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