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What are the opportunities for future happiness research?

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Abstract

Happiness research has been a great success and has offered us great insights into the determinants and consequences of subjective well-being. As many contributions have accumulated, there are necessarily diminishing marginal insights. Most likely future happiness research will pursue the trodden paths. However, most fruitful results can be gained by comparing happiness to other human goals; by critically analyzing how the insights gained can be used for policy; by finding out what institutional prerequisites support happiness; as well as by turning to big issues so far neglected. The impact of tourism on life satisfaction is provided as an example.

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Notes

  1. Recently, Becchetti and Cermelli (2018), see, e.g., Bruni (2006, 2012), Bruni and Porta (2005, 2007), Bruni and Stanca (2008), Bruni and Zamagni (2004, 2015), Bartolini et al. (2008) and Gui and Sugden (2005).

  2. Survey articles of the literature are, e.g., Easterlin (2003), Dolan et al. (2008), Frey and Stutzer (2002a, 2010); books are, e.g., Diener et al. (2018), Sgroi et al. (2017), Clark et al. (2017), Frey (2008, 2018) and Layard (2005); Frey and Stutzer (2002b).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland

    Bruno S. Frey

  2. CREMA – Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts, Suedstrasse 11, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland

    Bruno S. Frey

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  1. Bruno S. Frey
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Frey, B.S. What are the opportunities for future happiness research?. Int Rev Econ 67, 5–12 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12232-019-00318-9

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