Measuring happiness in the social sciences: An overview

Abstract

Social needs are universal and their fulfilment is considered to be a prerequisite for happiness and well-being. Currently, the assertion that income or revenue alone are insufficient to explain inequality of well-being and happiness in the evaluation of social policies is becoming ever more widespread in the social sciences. Therefore, numerous quantitative metrics mostly based on univariable scales have been created over the last sixty years to measure well-being, quality of life, or happiness. Based on a systematic review, this article compiles several measurement instruments of happiness and human well-being, and reflects that all of them measure and concentrate more on hedonic than eudaimonic happiness. Finally, it contemplates the need to develop a multidimensional model based on the sociology of emotions that includes social relationships and the complexity of human happiness, focusing more on eudaimonic rather than hedonic happiness.