Happiness is probably the most important aspiratio
n of all human beings. It can also be argued
that the pursuit of happiness is the most important direct or indirect factor underlying all
human behavior. Therefore, it is not surprising that happiness has always been an important
topic for both scholars and the public. In particular, from both religious and philosophical
perspectives, there have been stimulating di
scussions not only about the determinants of
happiness but also about what should be the dete
rminants of happiness! Although there have
been numerous studies by scholars from across discip
lines to try to identify the key determinants
of happiness, the results are often weak and, more
over, inconsistent. For instance, the often weak
relationship between income and happiness is lik
ely the foremost paradox in economic literature.
According to Rojas (2007), there are different th
eories to explain this paradox. He summarizes
these theories as follows