print

Conceptual focus of the World Database of Happiness

Concept

This database is about the subjective enjoyment of one’s life as a whole.
This concept is spelled out in more detail in chapter 2 of the Introductory text to the Bibliography of Happiness: Concept of Happiness.

Names

Though usually called ‘happiness’, this phenomenon is also called by different terms, such as ‘life satisfaction’ and ‘subjective wellbeing’.
The word ‘happiness’ is also used for other phenomena, such as a morally good life.

Selection

This database limits to research findings that are obtained using measures of happiness that fit the specific concept of happiness as ‘the subjective enjoyment of one’s life as a whole’. This selection process is reported in detail in Chapter 4 of the Introductory text to the Collection of Measures of Happiness, Accepted measures.