Objective and subjective indicators of happiness in Brazil: The mediating role of social class

Abstract

The following research note tests the proposition that monetary household income affects Subjective Well Being (Deiner et al, 1999) through the mediating mechanisms of objective and subjective social class. A representative sample is drawn from a Brazilian urban center, in a door-to-door survey format. A back-translated version of Diener et al’s (1985) Satisfaction with Life Scale showed a significant relationship with income. However, this effect was mediated by both objectively measured and subjectively measured social class. These effects reinforce, extend, and internationally generalize the person x situation perspective elaborated by Diener et al.