Chart showing happiness and wellbeing survey responses from UK Office of National Statistics.

HLI’s work is discussed on the 80k podcast: Some comments

On the 2nd of June 2023, Elie Hassenfeld was interviewed on the 80’000 hours podcast. Here, we present our responses. Discuss on the EA Forum Main points Minor points We’re delighted that HLI’s work and the subjective wellbeing approach featured so prominently on the latest 80k podcast with Elie Hassenfeld, the CEO of GiveWell. It […]

Diagram showing how lead exposure affects health, cognition, behavior, and socio-economic status.

Lead Exposure: a shallow cause exploration

In this shallow cause exploration, we explore the impact of lead exposure on subjective wellbeing. We review the literature, model the impact of lead exposure on wellbeing, and conduct some back-of-the-envelope calculations of the cost-effectiveness of various interventions to decrease lead exposure. Download report as PDF This shallow investigation was commissioned by Founders Pledge. Summary […]

Graph showing wellbeing gains from different interventions across neutral points.

Response to GiveWell’s assessment of StrongMinds

On the 22nd of March 2023, GiveWell posted an “Assessment of ’s Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of StrongMinds”. Here, we present our responses. First, a general response from Michael. Second, a technical response from Joel. November 2024: Update to our analysis We have made a substantial update to our psychotherapy report. This 83 page report […]

Analysis of survey reliability and neutrality in wellbeing research.

Can we trust wellbeing surveys? A pilot study of comparability, linearity, and neutrality

We present a pilot of 50 survey questions we intend to use to assess questions of comparability, linearity, and neutrality in subjective wellbeing measurements. Download report as PDF Introduction Introduction Subjective wellbeing (SWB) data, for example answers to life satisfaction questions, are important for decision-making by philanthropists and governments. Such data are currently used with […]

Color-coded map showing life satisfaction levels of refugees globally.

Immigration reform: a shallow cause exploration

In this shallow cause exploration, we explore the impact of immigration on subjective wellbeing. We review the literature, model the impact of immigration on wellbeing, and conduct some back-of-the-envelope calculations of the cost-effectiveness of various interventions to increase immigration. Download report as PDF This shallow investigation was commissioned by Founders Pledge. Summary Notes Summary This […]

A healthcare worker giving a pill to a patient.

Pain relief: a shallow cause exploration

In this shallow cause exploration, we explore the relationship between pain and subjective wellbeing; assess the severity and scale of chronic pain in terms of life satisfaction; and offer some novel back-of-the-envelope calculations for the cost-effectiveness of several interventions to treat pain. Download report as PDF This shallow investigation was commissioned by Founders Pledge. Summary […]

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