Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • 2021
  • Article
  • Journal of Positive Psychology

Leisure Beliefs and the Subjective Well-being of Nations

By: Lucia Macchia and A.V. Whillans
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:9
ShareBar

Abstract

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

Citation

Macchia, Lucia, and A.V. Whillans. "Leisure Beliefs and the Subjective Well-being of Nations." Journal of Positive Psychology 16, no. 2 (2021): 198–206. (Shared Authorship.)
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Purchase

About The Author

Ashley V. Whillans

Negotiation, Organizations & Markets
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • April 2025
    • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology

    Buying (Quality) Time Predicts Relationship Satisfaction

    By: A.V. Whillans, Jessie Pow and Joe J. Gladstone
    • March 2025 (Revised May 2025)
    • Faculty Research

    ING Türkiye: Flexible Work in a Competitive Banking Environment

    By: Ashley Whillans and Nico Schaefer
    • January 2025
    • Compensation & Benefits Review

    Overcoming Barriers to Employee Ownership: Insights from Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

    By: John Guzek and Ashley Whillans
More from the Authors
  • Buying (Quality) Time Predicts Relationship Satisfaction By: A.V. Whillans, Jessie Pow and Joe J. Gladstone
  • ING Türkiye: Flexible Work in a Competitive Banking Environment By: Ashley Whillans and Nico Schaefer
  • Overcoming Barriers to Employee Ownership: Insights from Small and Medium-Sized Businesses By: John Guzek and Ashley Whillans
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College.