Feminine values and happy life-expectancy in nations

Cross-national studies suggest that people are happier in feminine nations that are also economically affluent. The first objective of the present study was to replicate this finding with a quality of life index which is more comprehensive than the usual measures of subjective well-being. This comprehensive indicator termed Happy Life-Expectancy (HLE) combines subjective happiness with objective longevity. As predicted, in the richer countries, HLE was higher in feminine nations (r= 0.51, n=14, P<0.05, onetailed), whereas in the poorer nations HLE did not correlate with national masculinity–femininity (r= 0.27, n=13, NS). A second objective was to examine the mechanisms behind the significant relationship in the richer countries. Contrary to expectation, the findings could not be explained by national differences in private freedom. # 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.