HAPPIER LIVES INSTITUTE
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    • Theoretical research >
      • Philosophy of well-being
      • Measuring happiness
      • Life satisfaction theories
      • Subjective scales: comparability
    • Intervention reports >
      • Cash transfers
    • Mental health programme evaluation
    • Problem area reports >
      • Pain
      • Mental health
      • Positive education
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Research agenda

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:
​
  • 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? 
      ​
  • 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.

Read our broader research agenda

About

Our strategy
Our story
​Our team

Research

​Research agenda
Philosophy of well-being
Measuring happiness
Life satisfaction theories
Subjective scales: comparability
Cash transfers: systematic review
Mental health: programme evaluation
Mental health: problem area report
Pain: problem area report
Positive education: research plan

Take action

Reading list
Donation advice
​Career advice
​
Vacancies
Contact us at:
hello@happierlivesinstitute.org

​
Support our work
© COPYRIGHT 2019-2020.
​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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.
  • About
    • Our strategy
    • Our story
    • Our team
  • Research
    • Research agenda
    • Theoretical research >
      • Philosophy of well-being
      • Measuring happiness
      • Life satisfaction theories
      • Subjective scales: comparability
    • Intervention reports >
      • Cash transfers
    • Mental health programme evaluation
    • Problem area reports >
      • Pain
      • Mental health
      • Positive education
  • Blog
  • Take action
    • Reading list
    • Donation advice
    • Career advice
    • Vacancies
  • Donate