Happiness and productivity: a research synthesis using an online findings archive

The ‘happy productive worker’ thesis (HPW) holds that the happiness of workers has a positive impact on their productivity. In this study, we take stock of the research findings about the relationship between happiness on the productivity of workers that have been collected in the World Database of Happiness. We considered both objective and subjective productivity measures. In total, we drew on 33 studies that yielded 197 correlational findings over 27 countries and regions. The following questions were addressed: (1) Does happiness have a positive association with productivity? (2) Does the positive association between happiness and productivity differ across sectors and occupations? (3) Which component of happiness relates most to a productive workplace: how well a worker feels most of the time (the affective component) or the degree to which a worker feels able to get what they want from life (the cognitive or evaluative component)? (4) To what extent can we speak of a causal effect of happiness on productivity at work? Overall, the findings provide evidence of a positive relationship between happiness and productivity. The association between happiness and productivity at work differ across occupations and sectors and seems to be particularly strong for the affective component of happiness (how well a worker feels most of the time). More comparison studies are necessary to examine the relative importance of the affective and cognitive component. A causal effect of happiness on productivity is likely to exist but empirical evidence is thin on the ground.