This paper empirically assesses the theory of interpersonal income comparison using individual level data on suicide … deaths in the United States. We model suicide as a choice variable, conditional on exogenous risk factors, reflecting an … individual's assessment of current and expected future utility. Our empirical analysis considers whether suicide risk is …

We assess the importance of interpersonal income comparisons using data on suicide deaths. We examine whether suicide … models of the suicide hazard using two independent data sets: (1) the National Longitudinal Mortality Study and (2) the …, individual suicide risk rises with others’ income. …

Suicide is an important scientific phenomenon. Yet its causes remain poorly understood. This study documents a paradox …: the happiest places have the highest suicide rates. The study combines findings from two large and rich individual …-level data sets—one on life satisfaction and another on suicide deaths—to establish the paradox in a consistent way across U …

measures true utility or preferences. In a recent paper, Daly, Wilson, and Johnson (2007) propose using data on suicide as a … affects suicide risk. In this paper, we compare and contrast the empirical patterns of SWB and suicide data. We find that the …-validates suicide and SWB micro data as useful and complementary indicators of latent utility. …

choose a lower inflation rate. We then check this prediction empirically using a panel of data, examining inflation before …