Helliwell, John F.
[Author]
;
Shiplett, Hugh
[Other];
Huang, Haifang
[Other];
Aknin, Lara B.
[Other];
Wang, Shun
[Other]National Bureau of Economic Research
Social Capital and Prosocial Behaviour as Sources of Well-Being
imprint:
Cambridge, Mass: National Bureau of Economic Research, August 2017
Published in:NBER working paper series ; no. w23761
Extent:
1 Online-Ressource
Language:
English
DOI:
10.3386/w23761
Identifier:
Reproduction note:
Hardcopy version available to institutional subscribers
Origination:
Footnote:
Mode of access: World Wide Web
System requirements: Adobe [Acrobat] Reader required for PDF files
Description:
This paper surveys evidence documenting positive linkages among social capital, prosocial behaviour, and subjective well-being. Whether in the workplace, at home, in the community, or among nations, better and deeper social connections, and especially higher levels of trust are linked to higher subjective well-being, even beyond the effects flowing through higher incomes and better health. Prosocial behaviour is also shown to be a robust predictor of well-being in both correlational and experimental contexts. These two lines of research are connected, as prosocial acts are most likely to increase well-being when they are delivered in ways that improve social capital, and reflect intentional generosity free of either compulsion or personal gain. We infer that these deep links between prosocial acts and well-being have an evolutionary benefit in maintaining the quality of social capital and thereby delivering cooperative human responses in times of crisis