THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INCOME AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING - RELATIVE OR ABSOLUTE
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INCOME AND SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING - RELATIVE OR ABSOLUTE
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DOI：
10.1007/bf01079018
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发表时间：
1993-03-01
影响因子：
3.1
通讯作者：
DIENER, M
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
DIENER, E;SANDVIK, E;DIENER, M
尽管在国内研究中收入和主观幸福感似乎相关（Diener，1984），但争论的焦点是这种关系是相对的（Easterlin，1974）还是绝对的（Veenhoven，1988，1991）。Veenhoven提出的绝对论点指出，收入有助于个人满足某些普遍需求，因此收入，至少在较低水平上，是主观幸福感的原因。相对论的论点是基于这样一种观点，即收入或其他资源的影响取决于可变的标准，例如来自预期、习惯水平和社会比较的标准。两项研究，实证研究这些立场：一个是基于18 032大学的研究在39个国家，一个是基于10年的纵向数据的概率样本的4 942美国成年人。在美国，收入和幸福感之间存在适度但显著的相关性，但跨国相关性更大。没有证据表明相对标准对收入的影响：（1）收入变化并没有产生超出收入水平本身的影响，（2）非洲裔美国人和受教育程度低的人并没有从特定的收入水平中获得更大的幸福感，（3）收入在美国较穷和较富裕的地区产生相同的幸福感，（4）富裕与主观幸福感相关，无论是在国家还是在美国。在美国，收入水平越高，主观幸福感的增长似乎越少，但这一模式在各国并不明显。关于普遍需要的立场的概念和经验的问题。对进一步探索相对论性位置提出了建议。
Although it appears that income and subjective well-being correlate in within-country studies (Diener, 1984), a debate has focused on whether this relationship is relative (Easterlin, 1974) or absolute (Veenhoven, 1988, 1991). The absolute argument advanced by Veenhoven states that income helps individuals meet certain universal needs and therefore that income, at least at lower levels, is a cause of subjective well-being. The relativity argument is based on the idea that the impact of income or other resources depends on changeable standards such as those derived from expectancies, habituation levels, and social comparisons. Two studies which empirically examine these positions are presented: one based on 18 032 college studies in 39 countries, and one based on 10 year longitudinal data in a probability sample of 4 942 American adults. Modest but significant correlations were found in the U.S. between income and well-being, but the cross-country correlations were larger. No evidence for the influence of relative standards on income was found: (1) Income change did not produce effects beyond the effect of income level per se, (2) African-Americans and the poorly educated did not derive greater happiness from specific levels of income, (3) Income produced the same levels of happiness in poorer and richer areas of the U.S., and (4) Affluence correlated with subjective well-being both across countries and within the U.S. Income appeared to produce lesser increases in subjective well-being at higher income levels in the U.S., but this pattern was not evident across countries. Conceptual and empirical questions about the universal needs position are noted. Suggestions for further explorations of the relativistic position are offered.