Uploaded June 2015 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Economic Inequality, Income Mobility, and Well-Being symposium took place at SPSP's 16th Annual Convention in Long Beach, California. This presentation, by Dylan Wiwad of Simon Fraser University, is titled "Belief in High Social Mobility and Emotional Well-Being."
The American Dream posits that anyone can move between income levels, but recent reports document that income mobility is at an all-time low. High levels of income mobility may offer economic advantages, but does perceived mobility impact well-being? Past research provides conflicting hypotheses, suggesting both positive and negative wellbeing outcomes. In Study 1 participants who believed they had higher income mobility reported higher positive affect and life satisfaction. In Study 2 participants randomly assigned to read about high income mobility reported higher positive, and lower negative, affect. In Study 3 researchers replicated Study 2 in a nationally representative sample. Across all three studies emotional benefits persisted regardless of the participants’ income level. These findings suggest there are emotional benefits to perceiving high income mobility, regardless of current economic standing.
The Economic Inequality, Income Mobility, and Well-Being symposium took place at SPSP's 16th Annual Convention in Long Beach, California. This presentation, by Dylan Wiwad of Simon Fraser University, is titled "Belief in High Social Mobility and Emotional Well-Being."
The American Dream posits that anyone can move between income levels, but recent reports document that income mobility is at an all-time low. High levels of income mobility may offer economic advantages, but does perceived mobility impact well-being? Past research provides conflicting hypotheses, suggesting both positive and negative wellbeing outcomes. In Study 1 participants who believed they had higher income mobility reported higher positive affect and life satisfaction. In Study 2 participants randomly assigned to read about high income mobility reported higher positive, and lower negative, affect. In Study 3 researchers replicated Study 2 in a nationally representative sample. Across all three studies emotional benefits persisted regardless of the participants’ income level. These findings suggest there are emotional benefits to perceiving high income mobility, regardless of current economic standing.
