Are you happy? If yes, what makes you happy? Does your level of happiness change from Monday to Tuesday based on your environment?
Numerous surveys administered globally seek to measure happiness by simply asking respondents “Taking all things together, would you say you are: 1 ‘Very happy’ 2 ‘Quite happy’ 3 ‘Not very happy’ 4 ‘Not at all happy’”. The open-ended nature of this question proves to be a useful research tool as it allows for a cross-cultural comparison of happiness to be made. There is no preconceived definition that the respondent is expected to mold his/her answer to. The surveys do not impose an American perception of happiness on Chinese respondents, or a Chinese conception on French ones. It is due to this undetermined nature of the definition that social scientist have observed patterns in the basic explanatory variables worldwide.
Philosophers and psychologist have been examining the factors that contribute to human happiness/unhappiness for centuries. It is not surprising that economists have since jumped on the bandwagon and have greatly contributed to the debate with their insights and fancy, but sometimes incomprehensible, mathematical tools. Economists will argue that they have come up with a pretty comprehensive understanding of the factors that contribute to human happiness. Although they are not always in complete agreement about the full set of elements, health and housing remain constant on their lists and arise as clear determinants.
The New Economics Foundation finds that housing quality – measured in terms of structural quality, maintenance and upkeep – has been shown to positively influence a person’s happiness and well-being. Furthermore, living in a house with problems reduces people’s life satisfaction. There is also research that shows renters report lower well-being than home owners. A housing experiment that took place in Boston, moved thousands of families from public housing to less impoverished neighborhoods and found that those who moved reported significantly higher levels of happiness.2
Despite having the statistical “proof” to their claims, there are scientists who don’t buy into the happiness-housing connection. Instead, they argue that a person’s level of happiness is simply predisposed by genetic factors. However, ask yourself this: Would you rate your happiness the same if you didn’t have a roof over your head or had to walk 15 minutes to the nearest toilet in the dark? Unfortunately this is the reality all too known to slum dwellers all across the globe.
In developing nations housing and happiness are linked through their relation to health. Those who are living in poverty lack access to the health basics needed to treat or prevent illnesses. It therefore comes as no surprise that health and happiness are closely linked. In many studies, health status has the strongest effect on happiness. This also works in the reverse where higher levels of happiness are associated with better health outcomes. As a society we should look towards investing in building places that create lifestyles that promote health. Using housing as our median, we strive to not only increase happiness but to also promote health.
-Maria Nicolaou, Research Officer