Chinese Journal of Sociology ›› 2010, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (2): 144-155.

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A MetaAnalysis of UrbanRural Differences in Happiness

Zhang Junhua, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University   

  1. Zhang Junhua, School of Psychology, Beijing Normal University
  • Online:2010-03-20 Published:2010-03-20

Abstract:

The metaanalysis of 18 studies about the urbanrural differences in happiness found a higher level of happiness among people living in cities and towns than those living in rural areas. The finding was reliable and the differences could be explained by social comparison and social adaptation. Publication biases were excluded as an explanation and the disputes on this issue in China were due to the differences in the instrumentswhen a study employed research instruments of higher quality, it was more likely to conclude that urban dwellers were happier than rural residents.

Key words: two-mode networks, social network measurement, glasso, penalized Gaussian graphic models, the difference between urban and rural ,  wellbeing ,  metaanalysis ,  research tool ,  subject