2026-04-18T00:23:51Zhttps://recercat.cat/oai/request

oai:recercat.cat:10230/8512025-12-25T01:07:31Zcom_2072_6col_2072_452953

00925njm 22002777a 4500 dc Charness, Gary author Grosskopf, Brit author 2017-07-26T10:50:07Z 2017-07-26T10:50:07Z 1999-08-01 2017-07-23T02:05:02Z Some current utility models presume that people are concerned with their relative standing in a reference group. If this is true, do certain types care more about this than others? Using simple binary decisions and self-reported happiness, we investigate both the prevalence of ``difference aversion'' and whether happiness levels influence the taste for social comparisons. Our decision tasks distinguish between a person s desire to achieving the social optimum, equality or advantageous relative standing. Most people appear to disregard relative payoffs, instead typically making choices resulting in higher social payoffs. While we do not find a strong general correlation between happiness and concern for relative payoffs, we do observe that a willingness to lower another person s payoff below one s own (competitive preferences) seems correlated with unhappiness. happiness relative payoffs social preferences subjective well-being leex Behavioral and Experimental Economics Relative payoffs and happiness: An experimental study