The AB Identification Survey: Identifying Absolute versus Relative Determinants of Happiness

This article introduces a simple survey method to distinguish between two types of variables that affect happiness—type A,
which exerts an absolute effect on happiness, and type B, which affects happiness only through social context. The authors
validate the method by comparing its findings with the findings of a theoretically superior but less practical experimental
method, and use the method to identify the AB nature of a variety of naturally-occurring variables among both college students
and people with work experience. We conclude by discussing the limitation of this method as well as its potential to inform
policymakers about where to invest resources in order to improve people’s happiness over time.