OS DETERMINANTES EMPÍRICOS DA FELICIDADE NO BRASIL

This paper investigates the role that economic variables play in the determination of happiness, using reported happiness as a proxy to individual well-being. We use microdata extracted from the World Values Survey for five countries, emphasizing the Brazilian case. Our findings suggest that there is a positive and significant correlation between happiness and income. Unemployment seems to have an even higher impact, arising as a large source of unhappiness. Other variables, such as age, gender, education and marital status are controlled for. In most cases, happiness appears to be positively correlated to being married. Moreover, happiness is apparently U-shaped in age (minimizing at 50's).