For an interesting attempt to measure cause and effect try Mappiness, a project run by the London School of Economics, which offers a phone app that prompts you to record your mood and situation.
The Mappiness website says: “We’re particularly interested in how people’s happiness is affected by their local environment — air pollution, noise, green spaces, and so on — which the data from Mappiness will be absolutely great for investigating.”
Will it work? With enough people, it might. But there are other problems. We’ve been using happiness and well-being interchangeably. Is that ok? The difference comes out in a sentiment like: “We were happier during the war.” But was our well-being also greater then?
Disponível em: http://www.bbc.co.uk. Acesso em: 27 jun. 2011 (adaptado).
Os responsáveis pelo projeto Mappiness (junção de “map” e “happiness”) se dizem interessados em investigar como a felicidade das pessoas seria afetada pelo seu ambiente, levando em conta diversos fatores como poluição do ar, espaços verdes, entre outros.