Research
Publications
2019
Macchia, L., Plagnol, A.C., & Powdthavee, N. (In press, 2019). Buying happiness in an unequal world: Rank of income more strongly predicts wellbeing in unequal countries. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. [Paper]
Whillans, A.V, Macchia, L., & Dunn, E. (2019). Valuing time over money predicts happiness after a major life transition: A pre-registered longitudinal study of graduating students. Science Advances, 5, 9. [Paper]
Macchia, L.* & Whillans, A.V*. (In press, 2019). Leisure beliefs and the subjective well-being of nations. Journal of Positive Psychology. [Paper]
Macchia, L., & Plagnol, A.C. (2019). Life satisfaction and confidence in national institutions: Evidence from South America. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 14(3), 721-736. [Paper]
Macchia, L., & Plagnol, A.C. (2019). The subjective well-being political paradox: Evidence from Latin America. Chapter in: Mariano Rojas (ed.). The Economics of Happiness: How the Easterlin Paradox Transformed our Understanding of Wellbeing and Progress. Oxford University Press. [Website]
2018
Macchia, L., Plagnol, A.C. & Reimers, S. (2018). Does experience with high inflation affect intertemporal decision making? Sensitivity to inflation rates in Argentine and British delay discounting choices. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 75, pp. 76–83. [Paper]
Plagnol, A.C., & Macchia, L. (2018). Economics of subjective well-being: Evaluating the evidence for the Easterlin Paradox. Chapter in: Ayse K. Uskul and Shige Oishi (eds.). Socioeconomic Environment and Human Psychology: Social, Ecological, and Cultural Perspectives. Oxford University Press. [Website]
Manuscripts under review or revision
Macchia, L., & Plagnol, A.C. Perceptions of economic circumstances and subjective well-being in Latin America: Associations with political orientation and changes across the electoral cycle. Revise and resubmit: Social Forces.
Macchia, L., & Whillans, A.V. Understanding whether and when income inequality is associated with happiness: The case of Latin America. Target: World Development.
Proulx, J.*, Macchia, L.*, Aknin, L. B., Whillans, A. V. Do school-based philanthropy programs increase charitable giving among youth? A registered report. Target: Nature Human Behavior.
Macchia, L., Plagnol, A.C., Reimers, S., Corr, P.J., Murray, I., & Kappes, A. The role of voters’ cognitive reflection and personality in the 2016 Brexit Referendum. Target: British Journal of Psychology.
Macchia, L., Easterlin, R.A., & Plagnol, A.C. Trends and fluctuations in subjective well-being in Latin America since the 1990s. Target: World Development.
Macchia, L., & Ariely, D. Beliefs about a just world: Preferences for distribution across domains. Target: Psychological Science.
Selected research in progress
“Why do high-income people engage less in pro-social behaviour in more unequal contexts?”, with Ashley V. Whillans.
“The Easterlin Paradox in modern data”, with Andrew Oswald.
"When income inequality shapes generosity among high-income individuals around the world”, with Ashley V. Whillans.
"The gendered division of the mental load among couples: Development and validation of a quantitative measure", with Anke C. Plagnol, Shireen Kanji and Heejung Chung.
*Shared first authorship.