TY - JOUR T1 - Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Happiness and Socioeconomic Conditions: Differences Across Countries and Individuals' Personality Traits* TT - COVID-19 Pandemisinin Mutluluk ve Sosyoekonomik Koşullar Üzerindeki Etkileri: Ülkeler ve Bireylerin Kişilik Özellikleri Arasındaki Farklılıklar AU - Kamilçelebi, Hatime PY - 2022 DA - July DO - 10.26650/JEPR1063845 JF - İktisat Politikası Araştırmaları Dergisi JO - JEPR PB - Istanbul University WT - DergiPark SN - 2148-3876 SP - 353 EP - 372 VL - 9 IS - 2 LA - en AB - Individuals’ reactions to the impacts of Covid-19 on their lives and their happiness may be different. The differences in personality traits of those individuals can be affected by uncertainty, restrictions, quarantine, measures, etc. within the pandemic environment. We investigate the extent to which they tend to behave in situations and to what extent their happiness differs. We estimate that the pandemic affects people’s happiness and that such situations may differ on the personality traits of people. To this end, we explain both how happiness changes during the pandemic and how individuals with certain personality traits are affected by the pandemic both socioeconomically and in terms of happiness, along with certain studies conducted so far and some of the data obtained from the World Database of Happiness. Unhappiness has increased in many countries due to the conditions brought by the pandemic, and this is often related to economic policies. Changes in the way individuals do business during the pandemic process, closing their workplaces due to restrictions, being unemployed, or increasing their workload are the most important factors that affect happiness. In general, those who were most negatively affected by the pandemic are women, the unemployed, and the poor, whom we can specify as the disadvantaged group even before the pandemic. With this study, we advise policymakers to consider happiness and personality traits when determining pandemic policy. KW - Covid-19 KW - Happiness KW - Socioeconomic condition KW - Personality traits KW - Economic behavior N2 - Bireylerin Covid-19’un yaşamlarına etkisine verdikleri tepki ve mutluluklarına etkisi farklı olabilir. Bu bireylerin kişilik özelliklerindeki farklılıklar, pandemi ortamındaki belirsizlikten, kısıtlamalardan, karantinadan, önlemlerden vb. etkilenebilir. Bu çalışma bireylerin bu durumlarda nasıl davrandıklarını ve mutluluklarının ne derece farklı olduğunu araştırmaktadır. Pandeminin insanların mutluluğunu etkilediği ve bu durumun insanların kişilik özelliklerine göre de farklılaşabileceğini tahmin etmektedir. Bunun için hem yaşam memnuniyetinin pandemide nasıl değiştiği hem de belli kişilik özelliklerine sahip bireylerin pandemiden hem sosyoekonomik hem de mutluluk bakımından nasıl etkilendikleri bu zamana kadar yapılmış bazı çalışmalar ve bir kısmını Dünya Mutluluk Veritabanı’ndan (World Database of Happiness) alınan verilerle açıklanmaktadır. Pandeminin getirdiği koşullar nedeniyle çoğu ülkede mutsuzluk artmıştır ve bu genellikle ekonomi politikalarıyla ilgilidir. Pandemi sürecinde bireylerin iş yapış şekillerinde meydana gelen değişiklikler, kısıtlamalar nedeniyle işyerlerini kapatmaları, işsiz kalmaları veya iş yüklerinin artması mutluluğu etkileyen en önemli faktörlerdir. Genel olarak pandemiden en olumsuz etkilenenler, pandemi öncesinde de dezavantajlı grup olarak tanımlayabileceğimiz kadınlar, işsizler ve yoksullardır. Bu çalışma ile politika yapıcılara pandemi politikasını belirlerken mutluluk ve kişilik özelliklerini dikkate almaları önerilmektedir. CR - ABS, Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2021). General social survey: Summary results Australia, https://www.abs.gov. au/statistics/people/people-and-communities/general-social-survey-summary-results-australia/latest-release CR - Afshar, H., Roohafza, H. R., Keshteli, A. H., Mazaheri, M., Feizi, A., & Adibi, P. (2015). The association of personality traits and coping styles according to stress level. Journal of research in medical sciences, 20(4), 353–358. CR - Ahmed, M. Z., Ahmed, O., Aibao, Z., Hanbin, S., Siyu, L., & Ahmad, A. (2020). Epidemic of Covid-19 in China and associated psychological problems. Asian journal of psychiatry, 51, 102092. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. ajp.2020.102092 CR - Anglim, J., Horwood, S., Smillie, L. D., Marrero, R. J., & Wood, J. K. (2020). Predicting psychological and subjective well-being from personality: A meta-analysis. Psychological bulletin, 146(4), 279–323. https://doi. org/10.1037/bul0000226 CR - Anglim, J., & Horwood, S. (2021). Effect of the Covid-19 pandemic and big five personality on subjective and psychological well-being. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(8), 1527–1537. https://doi. org/10.1177/1948550620983047 CR - Aschwanden, D., Strickhouser, J. E., Sesker, A. A., Lee, J. H., Luchetti, M., Stephan, Y., Sutin, A. R., & Terracciano, A. (2021). Psychological and behavioural responses to coronavirus disease 2019: The role of personality. European Journal of Personality, 35(1), 51–66. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2281 CR - Bachmann, R., Gonschor, M., Korfhage, T. & Wübker, A. (2021). Covid-19 and life satisfaction across Europe. Applied Economics Letters, https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2021.2005766 CR - Bernabe-Valero, G., Melero-Fuentes, D., De Lima Argimon, I. I., & Gerbino, M. (2021). Individual differences facing the Covid-19 pandemic: The role of age, gender, personality, and positive psychology. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 644286. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.644286 CR - Bidzan-Bluma, I., Bidzan, M., Jurek, P., Bidzan, L., Knietzsch, J., Stueck, M., & Bidzan, M. (2020). A Polish and German population study of quality of life, well-being, and life satisfaction in older adults during the Covid-19 pandemic. Frontiers in psychiatry, 11, 585813. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.585813 CR - Blagov, P. S. (2021). Adaptive and dark personality in the Covid-19 pandemic: Predicting health-behavior endorsement and the appeal of public-health messages. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(5), 697–707. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550620936439 CR - Bogg, T., & Milad, E. (2020). Demographic, personality, and social cognition correlates of coronavirus guideline adherence in a U.S. sample. Health Psychology, 39(12), 1026–1036. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000891 CR - Brenan, M. (2020). U.S. adults report less worry, more happiness. Americans’ emotions during Covid-19 crisis, https://news.gallup.com/poll/311135/adults-report-less-worry-happiness.aspx CR - Carpi, T., Hino, A., Iacus S. M., & Porro, G. (2021). Twitter subjective well-being indicator during Covid-19 pandemic: A cross-country comparative study. arXiv:2101.07695v1, econGN, Cornell University. https://arxiv. org/abs/2101.07695 CR - Cheng, T. C., Kim, S., & Koh, K. (2020). The impact of Covid-19 on subjective well-being: Evidence from Singapore. IZA DP No. 13702. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3695403 CR - Christie, R. (1970). Why Machiavelli? In R. Christie & F. Geis (Eds.), Studies in Machiavellianism (pp. 1—9). New York: Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2013-0-10497-7 CR - Clark, A.E. & Lepinteur, A. (2021). Pandemic policy and life satisfaction in Europe. Review of Income and Wealth, https://doi.org/10.1111/roiw.12554 CR - Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1990). Personality disorders and the five-factor model of personality. Journal of Personality Disorders, 4(4), 362–371. https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi.1990.4.4.362 CR - de Pedraza, P., Guzi, M., & Tijdens, K. (2020). Life dissatisfaction and anxiety in Covid-19 pandemic. GLO Discussion Paper, No. 544, Global Labor Organization (GLO), Essen. CR - DeNeve, K. M., & Cooper, H. (1998). The happy personality: A meta-analysis of 137 personality traits and subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 124(2), 197–229. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.124.2.197 CR - Di Crosta, A., Palumbo, R., Marchetti, D., Ceccato, I., La Malva, P., Maiella, R., Cipi, M., Roma, P., Mammarella, N., Verrocchio, M. C., & Di Domenico, A. (2020). Individual differences, economic stability, and fear of contagion as risk factors for PTSD symptoms in the Covid-19 Emergency. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 567367. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.567367 CR - Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95(3), 542–575. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033- 2909.95.3.542 CR - Dowgwillo, E. A., Dawood, S., & Pincus, A. L. (2016). The dark side of narcissism. In V. Zeigler-Hill & D. K. Marcus (Eds.), The dark side of personality: Science and practice in social, personality, and clinical psychology (pp. 25–44). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14854-002 CR - Duong, C. D. (2021). The impact of fear and anxiety of Covid-19 on life satisfaction: Psychological distress and sleep disturbance as mediators. Personality and Individual Differences, 178, 110869-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. paid.2021.110869. CR - Dymecka, J., Gerymski, R. & Machnik-Czerwik, A. (2021). How does stress affect life satisfaction during the Covid-19 pandemic? Moderated mediation analysis of sense of coherence and fear of coronavirus. Psychology, Health & Medicine, https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2021.1906436 CR - Folk, D., Okabe-Miyamoto, K., Dunn, E., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2020). Did social connection decline during the first wave of Covid-19?: The role of extraversion. Collabra: Psychology, 6(1): 37. https://doi.org/10.1525/ collabra.365 CR - Fletcher, D., & Sarkar, M. (2013). Psychological resilience: a review and critique of definitions, concepts, and theory. European Psychologist, 18(1), 12–23. https://doi.org/10.1027/1016-9040/a000124 CR - Gawrych, M., Cichoń, E., & Kiejna, A. (2021). Covid-19 pandemic fear, life satisfaction and mental health at the initial stage of the pandemic in the largest cities in Poland. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 26(1), 107-113. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548506.2020.1861314 CR - Gori, A., Topino, E., Palazzeschi, L., & Di Fabio, A. (2021). Which personality traits can mitigate the impact of the pandemic? Assessment of the relationship between personality traits and traumatic events in the Covid-19 pandemic as mediated by defense mechanisms. PloS one, 16(5), e0251984. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0251984 CR - Grant, S., Langan-Fox, J., & Anglim, J. (2009). The big five traits as predictors of subjective and psychological well-being. Psychological Reports, 105(1), 205-231. https://doi.org/10.2466/PR0.105.1.205-231 CR - Greyling, T., Rossouw, S., & Adhikari, T. (2020a). Happiness-lost: Did governments make the right decisions to combat Covid-19?. GLO Discussion Paper, No. 556, Global Labor Organization (GLO), Essen. CR - Greyling, T., Rossouw, S., & Adhikari, T. (2020b). A tale of three countries: How did Covid-19 lockdown impact happiness?. GLO Discussion Paper, No. 584, Global Labor Organization (GLO), Essen. CR - Halama, P., Kohút, M., Soto, C. J., & John, O. P. (2020). Slovak adaptation of the big five inventory (BFI-2): Psychometric properties and initial validation. Studia Psychologica, 62(1), 74–87. https://doi.org/10.31577/ sp.2020.01.792 CR - Hamermesh, D.S. (2020). Life satisfaction, loneliness and togetherness, with an application to Covid-19 lock-downs. The Review of Economics of the Household, 18, 983–1000. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-020-09495-x CR - Hare, R. D., & Neumann, C. S. (2008). Psychopathy as a clinical and empirical construct. Annual review of clinical psychology, 4, 217–246. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091452 CR - Hisler, G. C., Krizan, Z., DeHart, T., & Wright, A. G. C. (2020). Neuroticism as the intensity, reactivity, and variability in day-to-day affect. Journal of Research in Personality, 87, 103964, https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jrp.2020.103964 CR - Huebener, M., Waights, S., Spiess, C. K. Siegel, N. A. & Wagner G. G. (2021). Parental well-being in times of Covid-19 in Germany. Review of Economics of the Household, 19, 91–122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150- 020-09529-4 CR - Jones, J. M. (2020). Amid school closures, children feeling happiness, boredom. Gallup News, Wellbeing, https:// news.gallup.com/poll/306140/amid-school-closures-children-feeling-happiness-boredom.aspx CR - Kamilçelebi, H. (2020). Economic anxiety triggered by Covid-19: A research study on the hoarding behavior and rising religiosity. In Selim Demez (Ed.), Administrative, Economics and Social Sciences: Theory, Current Research and New Trends (pp. 289-301). Montenegro: IVPE Publishing. CR - Kamilçelebi, H. (2020). Will we be happier in the future? Research on the effect of Covid-19 on income and life satisfaction of the US citizens, Gaziantep Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 19, Covid-19 Special Issue, 541-553. https://doi.org/10.21547/jss.787948 CR - Kamilçelebi, H. (2018). The difference between expected and experienced utility: A case study on a salary increase, Mauritius: Lambert Academic Publishing. CR - Karataş, Z., Uzun, K., & Tagay, Ö. (2021). Relationships between the life satisfaction, meaning in life, hope and Covid-19 fear for Turkish adults during the Covid-19 outbreak. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 633384. https:// doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.633384 CR - Kohút, M., Šrol, J., & Čavojová, V. (2022). How are you holding up? Personality, cognitive and social predictors of a perceived shift in subjective well-being during Covid-19 pandemic. Personality and individual differences, 186, 111349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111349 CR - Kuhn, U., Klaas, H. S., Antal, E., Dasoki, Lebert, N. F., Lipps, O., Monsch, G. Refle, J., Ryser, V., Tillmann, R., & Voorpostel, M. (2021) Who is most affected by the corona crisis? An analysis of changes in stress and well-being in Switzerland, European societies, 23:sup1, S942-S956, https://doi.org/10.1080/14616696.2020.1839671 CR - Lee, S. A., Jobe, M. C., Mathis, A. A., & Gibbons, J. A. (2020). Incremental validity of coronaphobia: Coronavirus anxiety explains depression, generalized anxiety, and death anxiety. Journal of anxiety disorders, 74, 102268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102268 CR - Lu, H., Nie, P., & Qian, L. (2020). Do quarantine experiences and attitudes towards Covid-19 affect the distribution of psychological outcomes in China? A Quantile Regression Analysis, GLO Discussion Paper, No. 512, Global Labor Organization (GLO), Essen. CR - McCrae, R. R., Costa, P. T. (2006). Personality in adulthood: A five-factor theory perspective (2nd ed.). New York, USA: Guilford Press. CR - McHoskey, J. W., Worzel, W., & Szyarto, C. (1998). Machiavellianism and psychopathy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74(1), 192–210. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.1.192 CR - Meléndez, J. C., Satorres, E., Cujiño, M. A., & Reyes, M. F. (2019). Big five and psychological and subjective well- being in Colombian older adults. Archives of gerontology and geriatrics, 82, 88–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. archger.2019.01.016 CR - Modersitzki, N., Phan, L. V., Kuper, N., & Rauthmann, J. F. (2021). Who is impacted? Personality predicts individual differences in psychological consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 12(6), 1110–1130. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550620952576 CR - Morf, C. C., & Rhodewalt, F. (2001). Expanding the dynamic self-regulatory processing model of narcissism: Research directions for the future. Psychological Inquiry, 12, 243–251. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/ S15327965PLI1204_3 CR - Nikčević, A. V., Marino, C., Kolubinski, D. C., Leach, D., & Spada, M. M. (2021). Modelling the contribution of the big five personality traits, health anxiety, and Covid-19 psychological distress to generalised anxiety and depressive symptoms during the Covid-19 pandemic. Journal of affective disorders, 279, 578–584. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.10.053 CR - Nikčević, A. V., & Spada, M. M. (2020). The Covid-19 anxiety syndrome scale: Development and psychometric properties. Psychiatry research, 292, 113322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113322 CR - Nowak, B., Brzóska, P., Piotrowski, J., Sedikides, C., Zemojtel-Piotrowska, M., & Jonason, P. K. (2020). Adaptive and maladaptive behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic: The roles of dark triad traits, collective narcissism, and health beliefs. Personality and Individual Differences, 167, 110232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. paid.2020.110232 CR - Nguyen, C. V. (2021). Does the Covid-19 pandemic cause people to be unhappy? Evidence from a six-country survey. GLO Discussion Paper, No. 768, Global Labor Organization (GLO), Essen. CR - Patrick, C. J., Fowles, D. C., & Krueger, R. F. (2009). Triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy: Developmental origins of disinhibition, boldness, and meanness. Development and psychopathology, 21(3), 913–938. https:// doi.org/10.1017/S0954579409000492 CR - Paulhus, D. L., & Williams, K. M. (2002). The dark triad of personality: Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. Journal of Research in Personality, 36, 556–563. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(02)00505-6 CR - Pelly, D., Daly, M. & Delaney, L. (2021). Worker well-being before and during the Covid-19 restrictions: A longitudinal study in the UK. Working Paper, UCD Centre for Economic Research, Dublin. CR - Sibley, C. G., Greaves, L. M., Satherley, N., Wilson, M. S., Overall, N. C., Lee, C. H. J., Milojev, P., Bulbulia, J., Osborne, D., Milfont, T. L., Houkamau, C. A., Duck, I. M., Vickers-Jones, R., & Barlow, F. K. (2020). Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown on trust, attitudes toward government, and well-being. American Psychologist, 75(5), 618–630. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000662 CR - Soto, C. J. (2015). Is happiness good for your personality? Concurrent and prospective relations of the big five with subjective well-being. Journal of personality, 83(1), 45–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12081 CR - Strickhouser, J. E., Zell, E., & Krizan, Z. (2017). Does personality predict health and well-being? A metasynthesis. Health psychology, 36(8), 797–810. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000475 CR - Veenhoven, R. (2000). The four qualities of life. Journal of Happiness Studies 1, 1–39 https://doi. org/10.1023/A:1010072010360 CR - Veenhoven, R. (2014). Affective component of happiness. In Michalos A.C. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Dordrecht: Springer, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_43 CR - Veenhoven, R. (1984). Conditions of happiness. Dordrecht: Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-6432-7 CR - Veenhoven, R., Burger, M., & Pleeging, E. (2021). Effect van de Covid-19 pandemie op geluk in Nederland, Mens & Maatschappij, 96(3), 307–330. https://doi.org/10.5117/MEM2021.3.002.VEEN CR - Veenhoven, R. (2022). Finding reports on happiness in nations. World Database of Happiness, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands. https://worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl/nations/ Accessed 20/1/2022 CR - World Database of Happiness. (2022a). Bibliography. https://worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl/search-the-database/ bibliography/#id=bmGuhX0Bit3KxrtbZ9Tl Accessed 20/1/2022 CR - World Database of Happiness. (2022b). Bibliography. https://worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl/search-the-database/ bibliography/#id=b2GvhX0Bit3KxrtbX9RD Accessed 20/1/2022 CR - Wijngaards, I., Sisouw de Zilwa, S. C. M., & Burger M. J. (2020). Extraversion moderates the relationship between the stringency of Covid-19 protective measures and depressive symptoms. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 2607, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.568907 CR - Witters, D., & Harter, J. (2020a). In U.S., life ratings plummet to 12-year low. https://news.gallup.com/poll/308276/ life-ratings-plummet-year-low.aspx CR - Witters, D., & Harter, J. (2020b). Worry and stress fuel record drop in U.S. life satisfaction. https://news.gallup. com/poll/310250/worry-stress-fuel-record-drop-life-satisfaction.aspx CR - Yamamura, E., & Tsutsui, Y. (2021). How Covid-19 Influences healthcare workers’ happiness: Panel data analysis in Japan. ArXiv:2101.10408, Cornell University, https://arxiv.org/abs/2101.10408 CR - Yoshino, S., Shimotsukasa, T., Hashimoto, Y., & Oshio, A. (2021). The association between personality traits and hoarding behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic in Japan. Personality and individual differences, 179, 110927. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110927 CR - Zajenkowski, M., Jonason, P. K., Leniarska, M., & Kozakiewicz, Z. (2020). Who complies with the restrictions to reduce the spread of Covid-19? Personality and perceptions of the Covid-19 situation. Personality and Individual Differences, 166, 110199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110199 CR - Zettler, I., Schild, C., Lilleholt, L., Kroencke, L., Utesch, T., Moshagen, M., Böhm, R., Back, M. D., & Geukes, K. (2021). The role of personality in Covid-19-related perceptions, evaluations, and behaviors: Findings across five samples, nine traits, and 17 criteria. Social Psychological and Personality Science. https://doi. org/10.1177/19485506211001680 CR - Zoch, G., Bächmann, A. C., Vicari, B. (2021). Gender differences in reduced well-being during the Covid-19 pandemic-the role of working conditions. IAB Discussion Paper, No. 4, Institute for Employment Research, Germany. UR - https://doi.org/10.26650/JEPR1063845 L1 - https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/2216149 ER -