These are the first set of experimental results on subjective well-being, the ONS says.

BBC: Well-being survey: Three-quarters satisfied with lives

Exactly what, beyond income, affects subjective well-being from health, marital status and age to perceptions of corruption is much pored over.

ECONOMIST: Economics focus

Research has been done on subjective well-being (and overall life satisfaction) that suggests that our income satisfies us only when we make more than others.

FORBES: Will A Raise Make You Like Your Job Better? Maybe Not

In recent years, some economists have focused on happiness and other measures of subjective well-being that aren't fully captured by traditional gauges of wealth and income.

WSJ: Neighborhoods Confer Health, but Not Wealth

Isolation, loneliness and low social status can harm a person's subjective sense of well-being, as well as his or her intellectual achievement, immune function and health.

CNN: The importance of belonging