Abstract

APARICIO CABRERA, Abraham. Bienestar subjetivo del consumidor y concepto de felicidad. Argumentos (Méx.) [online]. 2011, vol.24, n.67, pp.67-91. ISSN 0187-5795.

This theorist paper looks at the importance of private consumption expenditure growth in the achievement of individual happiness and life satisfaction. In the first section it summarizes the main empirical results of panel studies and correlation using country level data; in the second section it reviews different conceptions about happiness; the third section deal with consumers' aspirations in order to obtain happiness, and in the fourth section it proposes a theoretical model, based on personal happiness-conceptual-referent, in order to explain why the increase in consumption may have an ambiguous or not significant influence on subjective well-being, taking into account both the resources and the aspirations of consumer. The paper ends pointing out some guidelines for a future empirical research.

Keywords : consumption; aspirations; happiness; ethics; subjective well-being.

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