The Hoax of Happiness
An Analysis of Inadequate Indicators of World Happiness Report—Evidence from India
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17564409 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mohini Arora (0009-0007-5711-5107, Department of Development Studies, Amity Institute of Social Sciences, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, corresponding author), Rama Shankar Srivastava (0000-0002-2116-582X, Amity Institute of Social Sciences, Noida, Uttar Pradesh) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Developing Societies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0169-796X • E-ISSN: 1568-5225 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0169796x261438657 |
| OpenAlex | W7160092341 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 32 |
Globally, the twenty-first century has developed enough to measure the happiness of its inhabitants by using multidimensional indicators. Different people resonate with the term “happiness” and the path to achieve it differently, and the same applies when we discuss countries at the macro-level. The World Happiness Report (WHR), prepared majorly after the 2020 pandemic by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, is based on the countries’ understanding of what happiness means by considering their respective subjective approaches. India, the most populous country in the world with 1.43 billion people (UNFPA’s State of World Population Report 2023), has been ranked relatively much lower than other developing nations in happiness ratings. This research explores how well the WHR’s indicators align with Indian realities. The study facilitates the contemporary discourse around the adequacy and suitability of these reports to contribute to further assessment of the well-being of the people. It examines whether the indicators used in the WHR are suitable for ranking countries by their happiness levels
Developed country · Developing country · Happiness · Hoax · Population · Subjective well-being · World Values Survey · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Quality of Life Measurement · Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy
Culture and Subjective Well-Being
Explaining happiness
Beyond Money
The Remarkable Changes in the Science of Subjective Well-Being
Civic honesty around the globe
Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness
Pursuing Happiness
Happiness Runs in a Circular Motion
Subjective wellbeing, health, and ageing
Religiosity, health and happiness
Social capital and Covid-19
Income inequality and health
The Externalities of Strong Social Capital
Fighting Covid-19
Can happiness be taught
Overview of Hofstede-Inspired Research Over the Past 40 Years
A Measure of Subjective Happiness
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |