Abstract:

Happiness is a goal that individuals want to throughout their lives. Questions about what happiness means, how it is achieved, continue to exist as a topic that has been constantly discussed in the world of science from the past to the present. There are many factors that affect happiness, but there is no general formula to bring happiness. Thus, the subjective structure of the concept causes the perception of happiness to make different meanings in each individual and brings with it the difficulties in defining happiness. Happiness measurements are also within the field of business of the economics that uses objective measurement methods. Numerous research in economics shows that the country’s increase in income levels increased the level of well-being. However, it is also known that in some high-income countries economic development is behind some relatively low-income countries. This situation highlights the importance of economic development and shows that the concept of happiness is not a simple concept that can be explained by the income levels of countries alone. This study, which is based on quality research, deals with happiness, beyond economic factors, as part of a wide field of research such as genetic factors, living conditions, socio-demographic and corporate factors, based on the data obtained from world happiness reports. For this purpose, reports that present the happier countries in the world are published today with some other indicators beyond income. The study, based on the World Happiness Report, the Better Life Index and the Happiness Planet Index data, concludes that the current situation in the social, economic, demographic, cultural and political fields of the countries has a significant impact on the levels of happiness of the countries, and that the levels of happiness in some countries with relatively low income are supposed to be higher than in some countries with high income levels.