Leisure Beliefs and the Subjective Well-being of Nations

Lucia  Macchia; A.V.  Whillans

Article | Journal of Positive Psychology | Forthcoming

Leisure Beliefs and the Subjective Well-being of Nations

by Lucia Macchia and A.V. Whillans

Abstract

The policies of most governments focus on improving material prosperity. Yet, wealth only weakly predicts well-being. It is therefore important to understand whether factors other than money shape the happiness of nations. Here, we construct a data set of 79 countries (N = 220,000) and explore whether differences in the prioritization of time (leisure) vs. money (work) explain cross-country differences in happiness. Consistent with our predictions, countries whose citizens value leisure more than work report higher subjective well-being at the country and individual level. These effects hold in high and low GDP countries. Critically, we find evidence for a novel mechanism: people who value leisure over work are less negatively impacted by financial instability. Moving beyond individual welfare, the value that nations place on leisure vs. work fundamentally shapes happiness.

Keywords: leisure; work; subjective well-being; public policy; Employment; Happiness; Governance; Policy;

Format: Print

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Citation:

Macchia, Lucia, and A.V. Whillans. "Leisure Beliefs and the Subjective Well-being of Nations." Journal of Positive Psychology (forthcoming). (Pre-published online Nov. 14, 2019.)

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Leisure Beliefs and the Subjective Well-being of Nations

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