CROSS-NATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN HAPPINESS
Cultural measurement bias or effect of culture?
Ruut Veenhoven
International Journal of Wellbeing, 2012, 2: 333-353, DOI:10.5502/ijw.v2.i4.4, ISSN 11 79-8602
ABSTRACT
The number of cross-national research studies on happiness is soaring, but doubts about the
comparability of happiness between countries remain. One source of doubt is the possibility
of cultural measurement bias. Another source of doubt is in the theory that happiness is
culturally relative. These qualms were checked using the available data on differences in
average happiness across nations. It appears that happiness can be compared across nations
and used as an indicator of how well people thrive in a society.
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