Wellness for Happiness in Developing Asia

Abstract

The wellness sector of Asian economies can potentially contribute to national happiness, either through its contribution to economic performance or through noneconomic channels. This chapter exploits recent data on six wellness sectors from the Global Wellness Institute and self-reported happiness from the Gallup World Poll to assess the wellness–happiness nexus empirically. Simple ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions show that workplace wellness spending by employers is statistically and economically significant for national happiness, both globally and within developing Asia. Wellness real estate development and spending on recreational physical activities are also correlated with a population’s happiness, but only in the global sample.