Do Happier People Make More Money? An Empirical Study of the Effect of a Person’s Happiness on Their Income

Authors

Michael Como '11, Illinois Wesleyan University

Abstract

Does happiness affect workers’ incomes? More specifically, do workers who are happier make more money because their happiness levels are higher? Employees who are happy are an asset to their company. Happy employees who become ill recover faster and stay home from work an average of 15 fewer days a year than unhappy employees (Achor, 2010). Happier employees can live up to 10 years longer than their unhappy counterparts. However, statistics indicate that there are a lot of unhappy employees in the work force today (The Economist, 2009). America’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that work-related suicides increased by 28% between 2007 and 2008. Between June 2007 and December 2008, the proportion of employees who professed loyalty to their employers slumped from 95% to 39%; the number voicing trust in them fell from 79% to 22%.

Recommended Citation

Como, Michael '11 (2011) "Do Happier People Make More Money? An Empirical Study of the Effect of a Person’s Happiness on Their Income," The Park Place Economist: Vol. 19
Available at: https://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/parkplace/vol19/iss1/8