Abstract
This article introduces a simple survey method to distinguish between two types of variables that affect happiness—type A, which exerts an absolute effect on happiness, and type B, which affects happiness only through social context. The authors validate the method by comparing its findings with the findings of a theoretically superior but less practical experimental method, and use the method to identify the AB nature of a variety of naturally-occurring variables among both college students and people with work experience. We conclude by discussing the limitation of this method as well as its potential to inform policymakers about where to invest resources in order to improve people’s happiness over time.
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Notes
To improve a variable means to change it toward the more desired direction and does not necessarily mean to increase its value. For example, to improve the weight of a laptop computer generally means to decrease the weight.
To make the simulated-non-comparative version parallel to the comparative version, we should have asked respondents to suppose that “the average height of men were the same as your height.” rather than to suppose that “every man were of your height.” However, pilot tests found that the two questions produced similar results and the “every man” question was easier to understand than the “average height of men” question.
Because we randomly assigned respondents to the better and the worse conditions, X values were discrete, and theoretically, using regression parameters to calculate AB coefficient is equivalent to using mean differences to calculate AB coefficient. Namely, AB coefficient = βnon-comparative/βcomparative = (hnon-comparative(x1) − hnon-comparative(x2))/(hcomparative (x1) − hcomparative(x2)). Compare this equation with Eq. 1 and the reader will realize that the only difference between ABIS and the experimental method is that ABIS uses simulated-non-comparative means to calculate the non-comparative effect and the experimental method uses real non-comparative means.
In earlier research (Hsee et al. 2009), the authors also investigated whether people could distinguish between type A and type B variables intuitively. In their research they first explained the definitions of type A and type B variables to research participants and then asked the respondents to rate diamond size and bathwater temperature on a four-point scale ranging from 1 (“definitely belongs to type A”) to 4 (“definitely belongs to type B”). Again, the results were in the expected direction (mean ratings were = 1.50 and 3.22 for water and diamond, respectively) but not as close to the experimental results as ABIS.
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Yang, A.X., Hsee, C.K. & Zheng, X. The AB Identification Survey: Identifying Absolute versus Relative Determinants of Happiness. J Happiness Stud 13, 729–744 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-011-9288-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-011-9288-0