World Database of Happiness

Synonyms

Collection of research findings on subjective enjoyment of life; Findings archive on happiness; Tool for research synthesis on happiness

Definition

The World Database of Happiness is a focused findings archive (Veenhoven 2012). The focus is on subjective enjoyment of life as a whole. The archive contains standardized descriptions of research findings on this matter, which can be sorted on subject, population, and several methodological features. The database is available on internet at http://worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl.

Description

The Problem

Social scientists are producing an ever-growing stream of research findings, which is becoming ever more difficult to oversee. As a result, capitalization on earlier research investment is declining, and the accumulation of knowledge is stagnating. This situation calls for more research synthesis, and today, interest in synthetic techniques is on the rise. To date, attention has been focused on techniques for meta-analysis, with...