The Complex Relationship Between Morality and Happiness Around the World

While studies indicate that countries placing a higher emphasis on morality tend to be less happy in comparison to others, other studies suggest that individuals within a country who place more emphasis on morality tend to be happier. In this chapter I set out to understand the factors giving rise to these seemingly conflicting data. Looking over the relevant research, it appears that this discrepancy can be largely attributed to two distinct phenomena. The first has to do with how a lower emphasis on morality aligns with a liberal political ideology which, in turn, favors policies that are generally conducive to promoting general welfare. The second is that individuals within a given country who are characterized by two defining characteristics of morality tend to be happier than others. At the end of this chapter, I explore some possible implications of these findings.