Importance of Wealth and Other Factors in Life Satisfaction

Wealthier nations tend to have higher levels of self-reported life satisfaction, with GDP per capita being a core explanatory variable for this trend. However, other factors such as healthy life expectancy, social variables (like having someone to rely on and generosity), and reasonable expectations for happiness also significantly influence a country's position on the life satisfaction scale. While GDP per capita is crucial, these additional variables play a meaningful role in determining national differences in life satisfaction levels.