Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Happiness and Socioeconomic Conditions: Differences Across Countries and Individuals' Personality Traits*

Year 2022, , 353 - 372, 29.07.2022

Hatime Kamilçelebi

https://doi.org/10.26650/JEPR1063845

Abstract

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.

Keywords

Covid-19, Happiness, Socioeconomic condition, Personality traits, Economic behavior

Supporting Institution

Bulunmamaktadır.

Project Number

-

Thanks

I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Ruut Veenhoven for comments and his contribution through the World Database of Happiness.

COVID-19 Pandemisinin Mutluluk ve Sosyoekonomik Koşullar Üzerindeki Etkileri: Ülkeler ve Bireylerin Kişilik Özellikleri Arasındaki Farklılıklar

Abstract

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.

Keywords

Covid-19, Mutluluk, Sosyoekonomik durum, Kişilik özellikleri, İktisadi davranış

Project Number

-

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