Empirical analysis of life satisfaction in German Benedictine monasteries

This paper empirically examines life satisfaction in Benedictine monasteries in Germany from the perspective of happiness research in economics. A dataset of 154 Benedictine nuns is analyzed. The main objective is to identify the most important determinants of happiness of Benedictines and to empirically evaluate the hypothesis that they have very high subjective satisfaction with life. The impact of various aspects (such as age, health, religiosity, motivation and fulfillment of basic psychological needs) on life satisfaction is discussed. The fact that Benedictines are satisfied with their life might explain why this organization was remarkably successful in the past and that many monasteries managed to survive on the market for many centuries.