Income Aspirations, Television and Happiness: Evidence from the World Values Survey
利用世界价值观调查数据，发现重度电视观众的收入对生活满意度和财务满意度的影响显著小于偶尔观众，表明电视通过提高物质期望抵消了收入增长对幸福感的正面作用。
SUMMARY This paper investigates the role of television in producing higher material aspirations, by enhancing both adaptation and positional effects. Using a large sample of individuals from the World Values Survey, we find that the effect of income on both life and financial satisfaction is significantly smaller for heavy television viewers than for occasional viewers. This finding is robust to a number of specification checks and alternative interpretations. The results suggest an additional explanation for the income‐happiness paradox: the pervasive and increasing role of television viewing in contemporary society, by raising material aspirations, contributes to offset the effect of higher income on individual happiness.