Can Happiness Be Sustainable? Monitoring Global Consumption Footprints From 2015 to 2024
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12306756 |
|---|---|
| Authors | C W Chen (0000-0002-8688-223X, Department of Cultural and Creative Industries National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology Kaohsiung City Taiwan, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 2592-2614 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-24 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sustainable Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0968-0802 • E-ISSN: 1099-1719 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/sd.70470 |
| OpenAlex | W4416570310 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 58 |
Understanding how happiness relates to resource consumption requires considering not only domestic environmental impacts but also the broader transnational effects embedded in global trade. To address this gap, this study introduces the Consumption Footprint–Happiness Ratio ( CHR ), a visual analytic metric that captures the intensity of complete resource use required to sustain a unit of happiness. CHR draws an analogy between excessive resource consumption and “abdominal obesity,” providing an intuitive way to visualize countries' overreliance on transnational consumption. Using data from 121 countries between 2015 and 2024, the study compares the correlation between happiness and two types of environmental footprints: the domestic footprint ( DF ), which accounts only for internal resource use, and the complete consumption footprint ( CF ), which includes both domestic production and spillover effects from international trade. The results show that happiness is significantly more strongly associated with CF than with DF , particularly for raw material use, primary energy, fossil fuel depletion, and climate change—factors that undermine multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Moreover, negative spillovers from advanced economies' pursuit of happiness hinder less‐developed countries' progress on SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and weaken SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). CHR visualizations map the “abdominal shapes” of 121 countries over time, offering a novel tool for monitoring their trajectory toward sustainable happiness. The paper concludes by discussing global trends, behavioral drivers, and policy implications, offering insights into the intersection of happiness and sustainable consumption
Consumption (sociology · Ecological footprint · Footprint · Happiness · Metric (unit · Resource (disambiguation · Spillover effect · Sustainability · Sustainable development · Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Regional resilience and development
Conspicuous consumption and distinction, history of
Prosperity without Growth
Crisis or opportunity? Economic degrowth for social equity and ecological sustainability. Introduction to this special issue
The Significance of Hedonic Values for Environmentally Relevant Attitudes, Preferences, and Actions
Money, Vouchers, Public Infrastructures? A Framework for Sustainable Welfare Benefits
Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot? Some Empirical Evidence
Consumption and Happiness
In defence of degrowth
Who wins and who loses in global SDGs rankings? Clarifying the influence of the North‐South divide and foreign direct investment on spillover effects
Are the Sustainable Development Goals really sustainable? A policy perspective
Integration versus prioritization in the Sustainable Development Goals
Exporting consumption
Strategic planning for degrowth
Happiness and Consumption
Accounting for Materialism in Four Cultures
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |