Table 1.
Life satisfaction and happiness quadratics in age in the US
| Age | Age2 | Minimum | N | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | ||||
| GUSDT (Cantril’s ladder)* | ||||
| Without controls | − 0.0266 (70.28) | + 0.00032 (91.79) | 41 | 2,534,429 |
| With controls | − 0.0637 (136.91) | + 0.00067 (10.82) | 48 | 1,906,993 |
| BRFSS (life satisfaction) | ||||
| Without controls | − 0.0029 (2.75) | + 0.000013 (14.18) | 11 | 4,283,582 |
| With controls | − 0.0056 (49.93) | + 0.00006 (61.77) | 42 | 4,282,986 |
| GSS (happiness) | ||||
| Without controls | + 0.0044 (5.28) | − 0.00004 (4.07) | 74 (max) | 59,860 |
| With controls | − 0.0082 (8.71) | + 0.00010 (10.82) | 41 | 59,707 |
| Age < 70 | ||||
| GUSDT (Cantril’s ladder)* | ||||
| Without controls | − 0.0458 (71.86) | + 0.00054 (76.93) | 42 | 1,998,193 |
| With controls | − 0.1048 (136.04) | + 0.00114 (134.57) | 46 | 1,498,817 |
| BRFSS (life satisfaction) | ||||
| Without controls | − 0.0096 (52.48) | + 0.00012 (13.63) | 40 | 3,386,767 |
| With controls | − 0.0206 (104.44) | + 0.00024 (109.64) | 43 | 4,283,544 |
| GSS (happiness) | ||||
| Without controls | + 0.0031 (2.32) | − 0.00002 (1.24) | n/a | 52,545 |
| With controls | − 0.0142 (9.58) | + 0.00017 (10.19) | 42 | 52,433 |
Source: Gallup USDT, 2008–2018; BRFSS, 2005–2010; and GSS, 1974–2018. T-statistics in parentheses. Sample size changes when controls are added because of missing values to the control variables
*Labor force status not available in 2008, hence the smaller sample size