Happiness in the air: How does a dirty sky affect subjective well-being?

Existing studies that evaluate the impact of pollution on human beings understate its negative effect on cognition, mental health, and happiness. This paper attempts to fill in the gap via investigating the impact of air quality on subjective well-being using China as an example. By matching a uniqu...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Zhang, Xin, Zhang, Xiaobo, Chen, Xi
Format: Artículo preliminar
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2015
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149491
_version_ 1855513620903886848
author Zhang, Xin
Zhang, Xiaobo
Chen, Xi
author_browse Chen, Xi
Zhang, Xiaobo
Zhang, Xin
author_facet Zhang, Xin
Zhang, Xiaobo
Chen, Xi
author_sort Zhang, Xin
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Existing studies that evaluate the impact of pollution on human beings understate its negative effect on cognition, mental health, and happiness. This paper attempts to fill in the gap via investigating the impact of air quality on subjective well-being using China as an example. By matching a unique longitudinal dataset at the individual level, which includes self-reported happiness and mental well-being measures, with contemporaneous local air quality and weather information according to the exact date and place of interview, we show that worse air quality reduces shorter-term hedonic happiness and increases the rate of depressive symptoms. However, life satisfaction, an evaluative measure of happiness, is largely immune from immediate bad air quality.
format Artículo preliminar
id CGSpace149491
institution CGIAR Consortium
language Inglés
publishDate 2015
publishDateRange 2015
publishDateSort 2015
publisher International Food Policy Research Institute
publisherStr International Food Policy Research Institute
record_format dspace
spelling CGSpace1494912025-11-06T05:03:52Z Happiness in the air: How does a dirty sky affect subjective well-being? Zhang, Xin Zhang, Xiaobo Chen, Xi mental health welfare psychology air pollution air quality Existing studies that evaluate the impact of pollution on human beings understate its negative effect on cognition, mental health, and happiness. This paper attempts to fill in the gap via investigating the impact of air quality on subjective well-being using China as an example. By matching a unique longitudinal dataset at the individual level, which includes self-reported happiness and mental well-being measures, with contemporaneous local air quality and weather information according to the exact date and place of interview, we show that worse air quality reduces shorter-term hedonic happiness and increases the rate of depressive symptoms. However, life satisfaction, an evaluative measure of happiness, is largely immune from immediate bad air quality. 2015-09-25 2024-08-01T02:49:26Z 2024-08-01T02:49:26Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149491 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/150410 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149847 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/154739 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/154002 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Zhang, Xin; Zhang, Xiaobo; and Chen, Xi. 2015. Happiness in the air: How does a dirty sky affect subjective well-being? IFPRI Discussion Paper 1463. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149491
spellingShingle mental health
welfare
psychology
air pollution
air quality
Zhang, Xin
Zhang, Xiaobo
Chen, Xi
Happiness in the air: How does a dirty sky affect subjective well-being?
title Happiness in the air: How does a dirty sky affect subjective well-being?
title_full Happiness in the air: How does a dirty sky affect subjective well-being?
title_fullStr Happiness in the air: How does a dirty sky affect subjective well-being?
title_full_unstemmed Happiness in the air: How does a dirty sky affect subjective well-being?
title_short Happiness in the air: How does a dirty sky affect subjective well-being?
title_sort happiness in the air how does a dirty sky affect subjective well being
topic mental health
welfare
psychology
air pollution
air quality
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/149491
work_keys_str_mv AT zhangxin happinessintheairhowdoesadirtyskyaffectsubjectivewellbeing
AT zhangxiaobo happinessintheairhowdoesadirtyskyaffectsubjectivewellbeing
AT chenxi happinessintheairhowdoesadirtyskyaffectsubjectivewellbeing