Happiness measures

Abstract

The word “happiness” is used for different meanings, and these meanings all require different measures. This lemma is about happiness in the sense of subjective enjoyment of one’s life as a whole that is also called “life satisfaction.” Two “components” of happiness are distinguished within this concept: hedonic level of affect (the degree to which pleasant affect dominates) and contentment (perceived realization of wants). These components represent respectively Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organization, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Opentia Research Group, North-West University, South Africa “affective” and “cognitive” appraisals of life and are seen to figure as subtotals in the encompassing evaluation of life, called “overall” happiness.