A global survey shows women are more satisfied with their lives than men are https://t.co/OWDcPIwSBE
— Quartz (@qz) January 9, 2017
The economist Mallory Montgomery of University of Southern California found these survey results odd. Montgomery does happiness economics research, a burgeoning area of study that looks beyond wealth as the ultimate measure of whether someone is well off (economists are typically focused on money, not life satisfaction). Happiness economics surveys conducted by the public opinion research organization Gallup show that income, education, and health are all predictive of higher life satisfaction. Women generally have lower incomes, less education, and report worse health than men. Based on observable factors, women should actually be less happy, not more. And yet, when asked directly if they are happy, women are more likely to say they are then men.