Poor and Happy? The Case of Argentina and Chile

As happiness research has begun to examine trends outside of Western countries, Latin America has been characterized as a challenging region to reconcile with global trends. However, some recent research has suggested that maybe happiness predictors in Latin America are more like those of fully industrialized nations in the West than originally thought. This thesis examines the case of two Latin American nations, Argentina and Chile, that closely resemble the economic and social realities of Western countries that have been thoroughly examined in the literature. I found that with a few exceptions, Argentine and Chilean happiness indicators resemble those of industrialized nations described in past studies . Additionally, this paper found that the most significant predictors of happiness were subjective assessments of personal health and satisfaction with one's financial status. In both countries, we also see an increase in levels of happiness over time.