ArticleInternational journal of epidemiologic research2019
Race, Education Attainment, and Happiness in the United States.
Article in International journal of epidemiologic research, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Racial/Ethnic differences in male reproductive health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of semen parameters and hormonal profiles in the United States.International journal of impotence research · 2025Pooled it
- Exploring associations of three evaluative subjective wellbeing measures (Cantril's ladder, life satisfaction, happiness) with 15 childhood and demographic factors across 22 countries.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Black Americans' Diminished Health Returns of Professional Occupations: A Thirty-Year Follow-Up Study of Middle-Aged and Older Adults.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2025Article
- Race, College Graduation, and Time of Retirement in the United States: A Thirty-Year Longitudinal Cohort of Middle-Aged and Older Adults.Open journal of educational research · 2024Article
- COVID-19 Pandemic as an Equalizer of the Health Returns of Educational Attainment for Black and White Americans.Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · 2024Article
- Immigration, Educational Attainment, and Subjective Health in the United States.Journal of mental health & clinical psychology · 2024Article
- Association between School Achievement and Tobacco Susceptibility among US Adolescents: Ethnic Differences.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Race and Ethnic Differences in the Protective Effect of Parental Educational Attainment on Subsequent Perceived Tobacco Norms among US Youth.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Association of social participation, perception of neighborhood social cohesion, and social media use with happiness: Evidence of trade-off (JCOP-20-277).Journal of community psychology · 2021Article
- Comparison of Maxillofacial Trauma Patterns in the Urban Versus Suburban Environment: A Pilot Study.Craniomaxillofacial trauma & reconstruction · 2020Article
- Association of Educational Attainment and Race/Ethnicity With Exposure to Tobacco Advertisement Among US Young Adults.JAMA network open · 2020Article
- Subjective Health and Happiness in the United States: Gender Differences in the Effects of Socioeconomic Status Indicators.Journal of mental health & clinical psychology · 2020Article
- Diminished Health Returns of Educational Attainment Among Immigrant Adults in the United States.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2020Article
- Racial Difference in the Relationship Between Health and Happiness in the United States.Psychology research and behavior management · 2020Article
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Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesAs suggests by the Minorities' Diminished Returns (MDR) theory, education attainment and other socioeconomic status (SES) indicators have a smaller impact on the health and well-being of non-White than White Americans. To test whether MDR also applies to happiness, in the present study, Blacks and Whites were compared in terms of the effect of education attainment on the level of happiness among American adults.
methodsGeneral Social Survey (1972-2016) is a series of national surveys that are performed in the United States. The current analysis included 54,785 adults (46,724 Whites and 8,061 Blacks). The years of schooling (i.e., education attainment) and happiness were the main independent variable and the main dependent variable of interest, respectively. In addition, other parameters such as gender, age, employment status, marital status, and the year of the survey were the covariates and race was the focal effect modifier. Finally, the logistic regression model was used to analyze the data.
resultsBased on the results, high education attainment was associated with higher odds of happiness in the pooled sample. Further, a significant interaction was found between race and education attainment on the odds of happiness, showing a larger gain for Whites compared to Blacks. Race-specific models also confirmed this finding (i.e., a larger magnitude of the effect of education for Whites compared to Blacks).
conclusionOverall, the MDR theory also applies to the effect of education attainment on happiness. Blacks' disadvantage in comparison to the Whites in gaining happiness from their education may be due to the structural, institutional, and interpersonal racism and discrimination in the US. Therefore, there is a need for economic and public policies that can minimize the Blacks' diminished returns of education attainment and other SES resources.
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