A study covering 76 countries has found that people who are more trusting, patient, altruistic and cooperative tend to report higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction, suggesting that wellbeing depends on more than material prosperity alone. The work was published in the International Journal of Happiness and Development.
The research looked at behavioural preferences, stable patterns in how people make decisions and interact with others, and how these relate to subjective wellbeing. Subjective wellbeing is a metric that embodies both life satisfaction and emotional experiences such as happiness, enjoyment, and worry.
The researchers used data from the Global Preferences Survey and the Gallup World Poll They looked at five personality traits in the data: patience, risk-taking, reciprocity, altruism, and trust. The study combined survey responses with experimentally validated behavioural measures designed to reflect real-world behaviour, something that earlier studies had not generally done.
Across most countries and measures, stronger behavioural preferences were associated with higher wellbeing, the team found. People who were more trusting, altruistic, reciprocal and willing to take risks generally reported greater happiness and lower levels of worry.
What was particularly interesting about the findings is that there was consistency across different regions. Previous research on wellbeing has often focused on income, employment and health, mainly in wealthier countries. The new study suggests behavioural and social dispositions play an important role across cultures and economic systems in different parts of the world.
The team found that trust and reciprocity were especially important. They suggest that this is because cooperative societies foster stronger social bonds, and that reduces personal stress. Altruism may also improve wellbeing by increasing social connectedness and meaning. Patience may support healthier and more stable long-term choices, the team suggests.
It is worth adding that the findings are correlational rather than causal. The team cannot say whether the behavioural traits studied improve wellbeing or whether it is that happier people tend to become more trusting and altruistic.
Overdick, K. and De Neve, J-E. (2026) ‘Subjective wellbeing and behavioural preferences: evidence from global survey data’, Int. J. Happiness and Development, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp.140–171.
