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The determinants of happiness

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  • Robert A. Cummins

Abstract

Measures of mood happiness are increasingly used to assess the development and progress of nations. The limitations of this approach are, however, considerable. Within developed nations population happiness is quite resistant to change, despite major improvements in the objective standard of living. The reason, we propose, is that levels of subjective wellbeing are psychologically managed for each person, to be held around their genetically determined 'set-point'. This homeostatic management system acts to keep people feeling normally positive about them self, and so resists change. Thus, the search for 'happiness determinants' in the form of objective circumstances is often unrewarding in normally functioning samples. Due to homeostatic resistance, changes in objective variables will have weak effects on mood happiness. If large changes in mood happiness are found, they can be attributed to homeostatic failure and represent pathology.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert A. Cummins, 2012. "The determinants of happiness," International Journal of Happiness and Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 1(1), pages 86-101.
    • Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:1:y:2012:i:1:p:86-101
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Anýž, Jiří & Bakštein, Eduard & Dudysová, Daniela & Veldová, Karolína & Kliková, Monika & Fárková, Eva & Kopřivová, Jana & Španiel, Filip, 2019. "No wink of sleep: Population sleep characteristics in response to the brexit poll and the 2016 U.S. presidential election," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 222(C), pages 112-121.
    2. Mubashir Qasim & Arthur Grimes, 2018. "Sustainable economic policy and well-being: The relationship between adjusted net savings and subjective well-being," Working Papers 18_06, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    3. Eleftherios Giovanis, 2015. "Relationship between happiness and income: evidence from panel smoothing transition regression in Great Britain," International Journal of Happiness and Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 2(4), pages 346-370.
    4. Godfred Matthew Yaw Owusu & Gabriel Korankye & Octavia Ama Serwaa Otchere & Maryam Kriese, 2022. "Money on the mind: emotional and non-cognitive predictors and outcomes of financial behaviour of young adults," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(11), pages 1-22, November.
    5. Felix Bittmann, 2022. "How Trust Makes a Difference: The Impact of the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Life Satisfaction in Germany," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(3), pages 1389-1405, June.

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