How Important are Social Relations for Happiness? Empirical Evidence from Turkey

Yıl 2020, Cilt: 7 Sayı: 1, 1 - 9, 20.03.2020

Yasin Acar

Öz

In this study, we examine how effective are social relations in determining the happiness of an individual by utilizing the life satisfaction survey micro data set (2017)provided by the Turkey Statistical Institute. According to the results of the logistic regression method, women seem to be happier than men, and married people are more satisfied than unmarried. Employees in the public sector appear to be less happy than those in the private sector. Also, health seems to have a positive effect on individual happiness. We find that people who are satisfied with their job, and those who are satisfied with their earnings are also happier. Satisfaction with social life (such as entertainment, cultural, and sporting activities) increases the happiness of individuals, and having more free time makes people happier. Satisfaction with relatives and satisfaction with relationships with people related to work-life were also included in the analysis as factors affecting the happiness of an individual positively. The survey also gives information on about the degree of individuals’ satisfaction with their relationships with neighbors and friends, but these factors do not seem to affect the happiness of individuals.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Happiness, Social Relations, Public Sector, Turkey

Kaynakça

• Ahn, N., García, J. R., & Jimeno, J. F. (2004). The Impact of Unemployment on Individual Well-being in the EU. European Network of Economic Policy Research Institutes, Working Paper, 29.
• Altunel, M. C., & Akova, O. (2017). Yaşam Memnuniyetini Etkileyen Faktörler Üzerine Kapsamlı Bir Model Önerisi. Pamukkale Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, (27), 217-235.
• Argyle, M. (2013). The Psychology of Happiness. Routledge.
• Clark, A. E., & Oswald, A. J. (1994). Unhappiness and Unemployment. The Economic Journal, 104(424), 648-659.
• Cuñado, J., & de Gracia, F. P. (2012). Does Education Affect Happiness? Evidence for Spain. Social indicators research, 108(1), 185-196.
• Demir, Y., & Kutlu, M. (2016). Üniversite Öğrencilerinde Sosyal Etkileşim Kaygısı ile Mutluluk Arasındaki İlişki: Yalnızlığın Aracı Rolü. Gazi Üniversitesi Gazi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 36(1).
• Di Tella, R., & MacCulloch, R. (2006). Some Uses of Happiness Data in Economics. Journal of economic perspectives, 20(1), 25-46.
• Dockery, A. M. (2003). Happiness, Life Satisfaction and the Role of Work: Evidence from two Australian Surveys. School of Economics and Finance, Curtin University of Technology.
• Durkheim, E. (2005). Suicide: A Study in Sociology. Routledge.
• Easterlin, R. A. (1974). Does Economic Growth Improve the Human lot? Some Empirical Evidence. In Nations and households in economic growth (pp. 89-125). Academic Press.
• Eckersley, R. (2000). The State and Fate of Nations: Implications of Subjective Measures of Personal and Social Quality of Life. Social Indicators Research, 52(1), 3-27.
• Fisher, C. D. (2010). Happiness at Work. International journal of management reviews, 12(4), 384-412.
• Frey, B. S., & Stutzer, A. (2002). What Can Economists Learn from Happiness Research?. Journal of Economic Literature, 40(2), 402-435.
• Graham, C. (2005). Insights on Development from the Economics of Happiness. The World Bank Research Observer, 20(2), 201-231.
• Kırık, A. M., & Sönmez, M. (2017). İletişim ve Mutluluk İlişkisinin İncelenmesi. İnif e-dergi, 2(1), 15-26.
• Köse, N. (2015). Ergenlerde Akran İlişkilerinin Mutluluk Düzeyine Etkisi. İnönü Üniversitesi Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü Dergisi, 2(4), 1-6.
• Land, K. C., Lamb, V. L., & Mustillo, S. K. (2001). Child and Youth Well-being in the United States, 1975–1998: Some findings from a new index. Social indicators research, 56(3), 241-318.
• Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing Happiness: The Architecture of Sustainable Change. Review of general psychology, 9(2), 111-131.
• Myers, D. G. (2000). The Funds, Friends, and Faith of Happy People. American psychologist, 55(1), 56.
• Oswald, A. J. (1997). Happiness and Economic Performance. The economic journal, 107(445), 1815-1831.
• Peiro, A. (2006). Happiness, Satisfaction and Socio-economic Conditions: Some International Evidence. The Journal of Socio-Economics, 35(2), 348-365.
• Pinquart, M., & Sörensen, S. (2000). Influences of Socioeconomic Status, Social Network, and Competence on Subjective Well-being in Later Life: a Meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging, 15(2), 187.
• Powdthavee, N. (2008). Putting a Price Tag on Friends, Relatives, and Neighbours: Using surveys of Life Satisfaction to Value Social Relationships. The Journal of Socio-Economics, 37(4), 1459-1480.
• Requena, F. (1995). Friendship and Subjective Well-being in Spain: A cross-national Comparison with the United States. Social Indicators Research, 35(3), 271-288.
• Schulz, W. (1995). Multiple-discrepancies Theory Versus Resource Theory. Social Indicators Research, 34(1), 153-169.
• Sharpe, A., Harrison, P., & Arsenault, J. F. (2008). The relationship between labor productivity and real wage growth in Canada and OECD countries. Center for the Study of Living Standards.
• Taylor, R. J., Chatters, L. M., Hardison, C. B., & Riley, A. (2001). Informal Social Support Networks and Subjective Well-being Among African Americans. Journal of Black Psychology, 27(4), 439-463.
• Van Praag, B. M., Frijters, P., & Ferrer-i-Carbonell, A. (2003). The Anatomy of Subjective Well-being. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 51(1), 29-49.
• Veenhoven, R. (1999). Quality-of-life in Individualistic Society. Social indicators research, 48(2), 159-188.