Extreme Happiness: Some Explorations Using Taking Part Survey Data

Abstract

A noted feature of single item ‘happiness’ measures is the tendency to produce figures at distances well above the mid-point of the scale. Most work, in economics, focuses on trying to ‘explain’ happiness as revealed in such scales and does not go on to look in detail at the distribution. The data used here is taken from the 2013-4 wave of the Taking Part survey which is conducted in the UK on an annual basis. The extremity and skewness of the happiness distribution on an 11-point scale is shown. Happiness is cross tabulated with a measure of anxiety to look for types of discordance in individual emotional expression that are neglected in standard statistical tests. It is suggested that discordancy measures may be used to explain other phenomena like narcissistic consumption.