s41598-019-40854-6.pdf (1.69 MB)
Happiness is greater in more scenic locations
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 17:49 authored by Chanuki Illushka Seresinhe, Tobias Preis, George MackerronGeorge Mackerron, Helen Susannah MoatDoes spending time in beautiful settings boost people’s happiness? The answer to this question has long remained elusive due to a paucity of large-scale data on environmental aesthetics and individual happiness. Here, we draw on two novel datasets: first, individual happiness data from the smartphone app, Mappiness, and second, crowdsourced ratings of the “scenicness” of photographs taken across England from the online game Scenic-Or-Not. We find that individuals are happier in more scenic locations, even when we account for a range of factors such as the activity the individual was engaged in at the time, weather conditions and the income of local inhabitants. Crucially, this relationship holds not only in natural environments, but in built-up areas too, even after controlling for the presence of green space. Our results provide evidence that the aesthetics of the environments that policymakers choose to build or demolish may have consequences for our everyday wellbeing.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Published version
Journal
Scientific ReportsISSN
2045-2322Publisher
Springer NatureExternal DOI
Volume
9Page range
4498Department affiliated with
- Economics Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2019-05-16First Open Access (FOA) Date
2019-05-16First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2019-05-16Usage metrics
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