Does Living in California Make People Happy? A Focusing Illusion in Judgments of Life Satisfaction

@article{Schkade1998DoesLI,
  title={Does Living in California Make People Happy? A Focusing Illusion in Judgments of Life Satisfaction},
  author={David A. Schkade and Daniel Kahneman},
  journal={Psychological Science},
  year={1998},
  volume={9},
  pages={340 - 346}
}
Large samples of students in the Midwest and in Southern California rated satisfaction with life overall as well as with various aspects of life, for either themselves or someone similar to themselves in one of the two regions. Self-reported overall life satisfaction was the same in both regions, but participants who rated a similar other expected Californians to be more satisfied than Midwesterners. Climate-related aspects were rated as more important for someone living in another region than… Expand
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