Which health conditions cause the most unhappiness?
This paper assesses the effects of different health conditions on happiness. Based on new data for Latin America, we examine the effects of different conditions across age, gender, and income cohorts. Anxiety and pain have stronger effects than physical problems, likely because people adapt better to one-time shocks than to constant uncertainty. The negative effects of health conditions are very large when compared with the effects of income on happiness. And, while higher peer income typically elicits envy, better peer health provides positive signals for life and health satisfaction. Health norms vary widely across countries.
Brookings Institution, Washington, DC, USA. cgraham@brookings.edu
Carol
C
Graham
Lucas
L
Higuera
Eduardo
E
Lora
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007843:Latin America; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017059:Models, Econometric; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires