An Analysis of Factors Influencing Individually and Socially Oriented Happiness : The Case of Seoul

Abstract

This paper compares factors that influence individually oriented and socially oriented happiness. Going beyond simply identifying and analyzing factors that affect happiness, we explore how two sets of determinants, demographic factors and environmental factors, influence these two different types of happiness. We hypothesize that demographic factors and environmental factors will impact individually oriented and socially oriented happiness differently, and we empirically test it employing the 2012 Seoul Survey data. The analytical results supported the hypothesis: demographic factors such as education, employment status, and marital status are more strongly associated with individually oriented happiness; and environmental factors such as environment, group participation, individual participation, leisure activities are more strongly associated with socially oriented happiness. Our research findings reveal that the approach that most studies of determinants of happiness have taken is limited in that it presupposes happiness as a unidimensional concept.