The Real Significance of Changes in the Gender Happiness Gap

A qualifier: None of these comparisons are entirely satisfactory.  For instance, if you believe that there is very little variation in happiness across people, time, or states of the economy, then you would interpret the above comparisons as suggesting that the change in the female happiness gap is big, only when compared with small things.

Another qualifier: We only document changes in the measured gender happiness gap.

Any other ideas on how to describe the "oomph" (or economic significance) of changes in qualitative variables like happiness?

[Thanks to Betsey Stevenson for coauthoring this post.]

UPDATE 1: Steve Levitt chimes in.

UPDATE 2: Jezebel adds some perspective.

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