In 2020, we are working on four research projects:
PROJECT 1
Theoretical work on subjective well-being (SWB) measures

This project is a mixture of original philosophical investigation and literature review on the following questions:
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  • Are SWB measures valid and reliable?
    • Do they capture what they are supposed to capture? 

  • Which measure(s) of well-being should we use?
    • Life satisfaction, happiness, or something else? 
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  • Are SWB scales cardinally comparable?
    • If two people each report a 1-point increase on the same 10-point scale, can we assume their SWB has gone up by the same amount?
PROJECT 2
Assessing the cost-effectiveness of life-improving interventions in terms of SWB

  • How can we use SWB to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of global health and development interventions? 
  • How strong is the currently available evidence? 
  • How do our priorities change when we use SWB compared to more traditional metrics? 

We are starting with a systematic review of the impact of cash transfers on SWB. Like others, we see cash transfers as a useful baseline for other interventions. They are also among the most extensively studied and implemented interventions in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
PROJECT 3
Mental health programme evaluation
 
A team of volunteers are searching for the most effective programmes tackling depression and anxiety in LMICs.
PROJECT 4
Problem area reports 

These reports will investigate three ways to improve global well-being that seem unduly neglected: pain, mental health, and positive education. Each report will consider the scale, neglectedness, bottlenecks, and solutions within it's broadly-defined problem area.

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The Happier Lives Institute (“HLI”) is operating through a fiscal sponsorship with Players Philanthropy Fund (Federal Tax ID: 27-6601178), a Maryland charitable trust with federal tax-exempt status as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to HLI are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.