Happy House: Spousal Weight and Individual Well-Being

Andrew Clark and Fabrice Etilé

No 1001, CEPREMAP Working Papers (Docweb) from CEPREMAP

Abstract: We use life satisfaction and Body Mass Index (BMI) information from three waves of the GSOEP to test for social interactions in BMI between spouses. Semi-parametric regressions show that partner’s BMI is, beyond a certain level, negatively correlated with own satisfaction. Own BMI is positively correlated with satisfaction in thin men, and negatively correlated with satisfaction after some threshold. Critically, this latter threshold increases with partner’s BMI when the individual is overweight. The negative well-being impact of own BMI is thus lower when the individual’s partner is heavier. This is consistent with social contagion effects in weight. However, instrumental variable estimates suggest that the relationship is not causal, but rather reflects selection on the marriage market.

Keywords: Obesity; Subjective Well-being; BMI; Social Interactions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C14 I12 I3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 31 pages
Date: 2010-02
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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http://www.cepremap.fr/depot/docweb/docweb1001.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Happy house: Spousal weight and individual well-being (2011)
Working Paper: Happy House: Spousal Weight and Individual Well-Being (2011)
Working Paper: Happy House: Spousal Weight and Individual Well-Being (2011)
Working Paper: Happy House: Spousal Weight and Individual Well-Being (2010)
Working Paper: Happy house: Spousal weight and individual well-being (2010)
Working Paper: Happy house: Spousal weight and individual well-being (2010)
Working Paper: Happy House: Spousal weight and individual well-being (2010)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cpm:docweb:1001

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