Global mapping of happiness: mechanisms, drivers, and pathways to societal happiness

This research investigates the mechanisms and drivers of worldwide happiness. We present a new theory describing two pathways to societal happiness: the individualistic pathway (‘let citizens take care of their own happiness, which will build societal happiness’) and the communitarian pathway (‘society creates a context in which individuals enhance the happiness of those around them’). Using data from 97,220 citizens across 66 countries, this study empirically analyzes over 200 mechanisms and identifies 56 that are significantly associated with happiness. These mechanisms are organized based on their alignment with the individualistic or communitarian pathways, or both. We synthesize these findings by categorizing the 56 mechanisms into five drivers of happiness: ‘society allowing for individual emancipation’, ‘fostering Enlightenment ideas and institutions’, ‘satisfying basic human needs’, ‘providing effective governing and security institutions’, and ‘favoring close in-group ties’. These results demonstrate that the communitarian pathway to societal happiness significantly outperforms the individualistic pathway.