Why Are Women Both Sadder and Happier Than Men?

Around the world, women report being more distressed day-to-day but more satisfied with their lives in general.

Apparently, I have lots of company. A forthcoming paper in the journal Social Indicators Research analyzes 11 surveys of 167 countries and finds that always and everywhere, regardless of how the question is asked or what measure is used, women say they are more anxious, more depressed, more tired and more pessimistic than men. They are less likely than men to recall smiling or enjoying themselves the day before and are more likely to say they are stressed, lonely, restless and worried about their finances. Women typically report more chronic pain and poorer health and are more likely to take antidepressants.

And yet: Women everywhere are still more likely than men to say they are happy and satisfied with their lives. In Gallup World Poll surveys of 167 countries between 2005 and 2021, women from Australia to Saudi Arabia typically rated their lives as high if not higher than men.

The fact that women can be both sadder and happier than men has baffled economists such as David Blanchflower at Dartmouth, a leading scholar of happiness, who co-wrote the new study with Alex Bryson of University College London. “I mean, what the hell is going on?” he asked. “Every single year, women say they are happier than men, but when they are asked, ‘Did you have enjoyment yesterday?’ in every single case it’s negative. Same data sets, same control, same everything. It’s very strange.”

More From The Wall Street Journal (subscription required):