A theory of happiness-wealth relationship with status-sensitive communication

Authors

Amnon Levy, University of WollongongFollow

RIS ID

25615

Publication Details

Levy, A. (2009). A theory of happiness-wealth relationship with status-sensitive communication. The Journal of Socio-Economics, 38 (1), 168-172.

Abstract

Personal happiness might not solely depend on the individual's level of wealth but also on the individual's level of sincere social capital. This paper argues that if sincere interpersonal communication is sensitive to economic status disparities, the accumulation of personal wealth beyond the community's average erodes the individual's sincere social capital. A measure of sincere social capital that is based on such sensitivity is constructed. Its consideration leads to the depiction of the individual's happiness-wealth relationship as an inverted U-shaped curve that peaks at personal wealth that is greater than the community mean.