High life satisfaction reported among small-scale societies with low incomes
Galbraith, Eric (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Barrington-Leigh, Christopher (McGill University)
Miñarro Villanueva, Sara (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Alvarez-Fernandez, Santiago (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Attoh, Emmanuel M.N.A.N. N. A. N. (Wageningen University & Research)
Benyei, Petra (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Calvet Mir, Laura (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Carmona, Rosario (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)
Chakauya, Rumbidzayi (University of South Africa)
Chen, Zhuo (University of Helsinki)
Chengula, Fasco (University of Dar Es Salaam)
Fernández-Llamazares, Álvaro (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
García-del-Amo, David (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Glauser, Marcos
Huanca, Tomás (Centro Boliviano de Desarrollo Socio Integral)
Izquierdo, Andrea E. (Multidisciplinary Institute of Plant Biology)
Junqueira, André B. (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Lanker, Marisa (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Li, Xiaoyue (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Mariel, Juliette (Unité Mixte de Recherche "Savoirs Environnement Sociétés")
Miara, Mohamed D. (Ibn Khaldoun University)
Porcher, Vincent (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Porcuna Ferrer, Anna (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Schlingmann, Anna (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Seidler, Reinmar (University of Massachusetts)
Shrestha, Uttam Babu (Global Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies)
Singh, Priyatma (University of Fiji)
Torrents-Ticó, Miquel (University of Helsinki)
Ulambayar, Tungalag (Zoological Society of London)
Wu, Rihan (Peking University. Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research)
Reyes-García, Victoria (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)

Date:	2024
Abstract:	Global polls have shown that people in high-income countries generally report being more satisfied with their lives than people in low-income countries. The persistence of this correlation, and its similarity to correlations between income and life satisfaction within countries, could lead to the impression that high levels of life satisfaction can only be achieved in wealthy societies. However, global polls have typically overlooked small-scale, nonindustrialized societies, which can provide an alternative test of the consistency of this relationship. Here, we present results from a survey of 2,966 members of Indigenous Peoples and local communities among 19 globally distributed sites. We find that high average levels of life satisfaction, comparable to those of wealthy countries, are reported for numerous populations that have very low monetary incomes. Our results are consistent with the notion that human societies can support very satisfying lives for their members without necessarily requiring high degrees of monetary wealth.
Grants:	European Commission 771056 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CEX2019-000940-M
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-M
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Happiness ; Indigenous Peoples ; Monetary income ; Subjective well-being ; Wealth
Published in:	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol. 121, Issue 7 (February 2024) , art. e2311703121, ISSN 1091-6490

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2311703121
PMID: 38315863

8 p, 757.8 KB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles