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World Database of happiness: Example of a focused ‘Findings Archive’

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  • Veenhoven, Ruut
Abstract
Social scientists are producing an ever growing stream of research findings, which is ever more difficult to oversee. As a result, capitalization on earlier investment declines and accumulation of knowledge stagnates. This situation calls for more research synthesis and interest in synthetic techniques is on the rise. To date attention has been focused on techniques for meta-analysis, with little attention paid to the preliminary step of bringing the available research findings together. What we need is 1) techniques for describing research findings in a comparable way, 2) a system for storing such descriptions in an easily accessible archive, 3) to which research findings can be added on a continuous basis. The World Database of Happiness is an example of such a tool. The archive is tailored to meet the requirements of assembling research findings on happiness; both distributional findings (how happy people are) and correlational findings (what things go together with happiness). With its focus on 'findings' the system differs from data-archives that store 'investigations' and from bibliographies that store 'publications'. As yet there is no established term to describe this tool for research synthesis. I call it a 'focused findings archive'. In this paper I describe how that works and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of this approach.

Suggested Citation

  • Veenhoven, Ruut, 2011. "World Database of happiness: Example of a focused ‘Findings Archive’," MPRA Paper 41926, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:41926
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. R. Veenhoven, 2008. "Healthy happiness: effects of happiness on physical health and the consequences for preventive health care," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 9(3), pages 449-469, September.
    2. Stutzer, Alois & Frey, Bruno S., 2006. "Does marriage make people happy, or do happy people get married?," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 326-347, April.
    3. Ruut Veenhoven, 1991. "Is happiness relative?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 1-34, February.
    4. Ruut Veenhoven, 1988. "The utility of happiness," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 333-354, August.
    5. Bruce Headey, 2006. "Happiness: Revising Set Point Theory and Dynamic Equilibrium Theory to Account for Long Term Change," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 607, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    6. Bruno S. Frey, 2018. "Economics of Happiness," SpringerBriefs in Economics, Springer, number 978-3-319-75807-7, October.
    7. Ruut Veenhoven & Yowon Choi, 2012. "Does intelligence boost happiness? Smartness of all pays more than being smarter than others," International Journal of Happiness and Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 1(1), pages 5-27.
    8. Veenhoven, Ruut, 2010. "Capability and happiness: Conceptual difference and reality links," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 39(3), pages 344-350, June.
    9. Martin Pinquart & Silvia Sörensen, 2001. "Gender Differences in Self-Concept and Psychological Well-Being in Old Age," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 56(4), pages 195-213.
    10. J.J. Ehrhardt & W.E. Saris & R. Veenhoven, 2000. "Stability of Life-satisfaction over Time," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 1(2), pages 177-205, June.
    11. Ruut Veenhoven, 2010. "Life is Getting Better: Societal Evolution and Fit with Human Nature," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 97(1), pages 105-122, May.
    12. Ruut Veenhoven, 2000. "The Four Qualities of Life," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 1-39, March.
    13. Ruut Veenhoven, 1999. "Quality-of-Life in Individualistic Society," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 48(2), pages 159-188, October.
    14. Ruut Veenhoven, 1994. "Is happiness a trait?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 101-160, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    literature review; research synthesis; methodology; research archive; comparative analysis; happiness; life satisfaction; subjective wellbeing; quality of life;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C00 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - General - - - General
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • B50 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - General
    • A10 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - General
    • C80 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - General

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