Finland was recently ranked, for the fifth year in a row, as the world’s happiest country. Trust in others in society plays a large role in what makes people there – and elsewhere – happy.
Placing a high value on happiness leads us to see sadness as a failure.
philippe leroyer/Flickr
In a series of experiments, we showed the high value we place on happiness is not only associated with increased levels of depression, it may actually be the underlying factor.
In life, happiness can seem fleeting and elusive, something just out of reach.
Steve Corey/flickr
While the economics of happiness has boomed, the economics of unhappiness has been neglected. Yet there are many objective sources of unhappiness that good economic research might tackle productively.