Levenstevredenheid meten, geluk weten? : de geschiktheid van levenstevredenheidsenquêtes voor het meten van geluk

In recent times, life satisfaction surveys have become the standard instrument for measuring happiness. But while much effort has gone into investigating the statistical validity and reliability of such surveys, much less research has been conducted into the philosophical and ethical justification for their use as a measure of happiness. In this article, I attempt to fill that gap. I argue that the use of life satisfaction surveys as a measure of happiness hasn’t been fully theoretically substantiated. However, there are still compelling pragmatic motives for this practice. From an ethical perspective, there are both advantages and disadvantages, but I believe the latter are worrying enough to call for measures to optimise happiness research. First, further investigation into the feasibility of subjective well-being accounts of happiness and the interchangeability of these two terms seems necessary. Second, some problems might be overcome by also implementing other measures of happiness in addition to life satisfaction surveys, such as measures of affects. For this reason, research is required into the potential development of an aggregate measure of happiness that combines both cognitive and affective measurements. Third, transparent and clear communication about happiness research and what it measures is crucial.