Increasing longevity and life satisfaction : is there a catch to living longer?

Nemitz, Janina

doi:10.1007/s00148-021-00836-3

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-28409

Publication type:	Article in scientific journal
Type of review:	Peer review (publication)
Title:	Increasing longevity and life satisfaction : is there a catch to living longer?
Authors:	Nemitz, Janina
et. al:	No
DOI:	10.1007/s00148-021-00836-3 10.21256/zhaw-28409
Published in:	Journal of Population Economics
Volume(Issue):	35
Page(s):	557
Pages to:	589
Issue Date:	3-May-2021
Publisher / Ed. Institution:	Springer
ISSN:	0933-1433 1432-1475
Language:	English
Subjects:	Life satisfaction; Happiness; Longevity; Terminal satisfaction; Happy life expectancy; Sullivan’s method
Subject (DDC):	150: Psychology
Abstract:	Human longevity is rising rapidly all over the world, but are longer lives more satisfied lives? This study suggests that the answer might be no. Despite a substantial increase in months of satisfying life, people’s overall life satisfaction declined between 1985 and 2011 in West Germany due to substantial losses of life satisfaction in old age. When compared to 1985, in 2011, elderly West Germans were, on average, much less satisfied throughout their last five years of life. Moreover, they spent a larger proportion of their remaining lifetime in states of dissatisfaction, on average. Two important mechanisms that contributed to this satisfaction decline were health and social isolation. Using a broad variety of sensitivity tests, I show that these results are robust to a large set of alternative explanations.
URI:	https://digitalcollection.zhaw.ch/handle/11475/28409
Fulltext version:	Published version
License (according to publishing contract):	CC BY 4.0: Attribution 4.0 International
Departement:	School of Management and Law
Appears in collections:	Publikationen School of Management and Law

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Nemitz, J. (2021). Increasing longevity and life satisfaction : is there a catch to living longer? Journal of Population Economics, 35, 557–589. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-021-00836-3

Nemitz, J. (2021) ‘Increasing longevity and life satisfaction : is there a catch to living longer?’, Journal of Population Economics, 35, pp. 557–589. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-021-00836-3.

J. Nemitz, “Increasing longevity and life satisfaction : is there a catch to living longer?,” Journal of Population Economics, vol. 35, pp. 557–589, May 2021, doi: 10.1007/s00148-021-00836-3.

NEMITZ, Janina, 2021. Increasing longevity and life satisfaction : is there a catch to living longer? Journal of Population Economics. 3 Mai 2021. Bd. 35, S. 557–589. DOI 10.1007/s00148-021-00836-3

Nemitz, Janina. 2021. “Increasing Longevity and Life Satisfaction : Is There a Catch to Living Longer?” Journal of Population Economics 35 (May): 557–89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-021-00836-3.

Nemitz, Janina. “Increasing Longevity and Life Satisfaction : Is There a Catch to Living Longer?” Journal of Population Economics, vol. 35, May 2021, pp. 557–89, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-021-00836-3.