94/2012 Eugenio Proto and Aldo Rustichini

Determining the relation between life satisfaction and aggregate income at country level has been problematic, because cross-country and times-series analysis generally give different conclusions. Here we analyse this relation without imposing any polynomial structure to the estimated model and eliminating potentially confounding country-specific factors. We show the existence of a bliss point in the interval between 26,000$ and 30,000$ (2005 in PPP) in relationship between individual life satisfaction and GDP. An almost identical result is found when the relationship between aggregate income of Western European regions and life satisfaction of their residents is analysed: in this case, data suggest a bliss point between 30,000$ and 33,000$. In both samples, we find first evidence of a decreasing level of life satisfaction after the bliss points. Therefore, the analysis overall shows the existence of a hump-shaped pattern between GDP and life satisfaction. We discuss possible explanations of the hump-shaped pattern linked to external effects of the aggregate income on life satisfaction due, for example, to habit formation and income comparison and present an econometric test of this potential explanation based on some recent findings of the ve-factor personality theory.

Behavioural Economics and Wellbeing

PLOS ONE

http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0079358