Happiness and Productivity

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Oswald, Andrew J.; Proto, Eugenio; Sgroi, Daniel
• 署名单位: University of Warwick; IZA Institute Labor Economics
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF LABOR ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0734-306X
• DOI: 10.1086/681096
• 发表日期: 2015
• 页码: 789-822
• 关键词: positive affect; life satisfaction; job satisfaction; mood; performance; INFORMATION; COMPETITION; motivation; earnings; unhappy

摘要

Some firms say they care about the well-being and happiness of their employees. But are such claims hype or scientific good sense? We provide evidence, for a classic piece rate setting, that happiness makes people more productive. In three different styles of experiment, randomly selected individuals are made happier. The treated individuals have approximately 12% greater productivity. A fourth experiment studies major real-world shocks dbereavement and family illness). Lower happiness is systematically associated with lower productivity. These different forms of evidence, with complementary strengths and weaknesses, are consistent with the existence of a causal link between human well-being and human performance.