Are happy people healthier? An instrumental variable approach using data from Greece

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
Ilias KyriopoulosJohn Kyriopoulos

Abstract

From a theoretical perspective, several studies indicate that happiness and health are-in some extent-interrelated. Despite the mechanisms explaining the relationship between happiness and health, there is still no consensus regarding this link. Using recently collected primary data, this study aims to examine the relationship between happiness and health, and identify potential heterogeneity in the association depending on socioeconomic status (SES). This study draws on data from a nationally representative cross-sectional survey, conducted by the Greek National School of Public Health in 2015. We applied an instrumental variable (IV) approach to address the endogeneity, arising from the simultaneous determination of happiness and health. Controlling for several confounders (ie, socioeconomic, demographic, lifestyle, social capital variables) we employed several IV models, including two-stage least squares, IV probit and bivariate probit models. We report strong evidence of a relationship between happiness and health. This association remains strong after correcting for endogeneity, and is robust across different specifications. Further, we find a positive relationship between happiness and self-rated health (SRH) for low educ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jul 25, 2021·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Cher-Yi TanChee-Seng Tan

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