International Journal of Happiness and Development (4 papers in press)

Regular Issues

• Empowering Dalit women for sustainable development: mediating effects of socio-psychological determinants on discrimination and empowerment  
  by Monika , Piar Chand Ryhal, Sunder Kala Negi 
  Abstract: This study examines how caste-based discrimination influences the empowerment of Dalit women in Himachal Pradesh through psychosocial mediating mechanisms using structural equation modelling (SEM). Empowerment is conceptualised as a psychosocially mediated process structured through two higher-order constructs: Psychosocial Barriers (social exclusion, stigma, stereotype internalisation) and Psychosocial Resources (education, health, social support, self-efficacy). Findings reveal that discrimination does not exert a significant direct effect on empowerment but operates indirectly through these pathways. Discrimination is positively associated with psychosocial barriers, which are negatively related to empowerment, and negatively associated with psychosocial resources, which positively influence empowerment. This dual pathway indicates that structural discrimination corresponds with heightened barriers and diminished enabling capacities. The study advances empowerment theory by proposing and empirically validating a parsimonious dual higher-order psychosocial framework explaining how structural inequality shapes psychological empowerment outcomes among Dalit women.
  Keywords: Dalit women; caste-based discrimination; psychological empowerment; self-efficacy; social exclusion; stigma; education.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJHD.2026.10080063
   
  
• The symmetric causal relationship between happiness and stock market performance in MINT countries  
  by Cihan Yilmaz, Ali Kemal Çelik 
  Abstract: This study investigates the causal relationship between public happiness level and stock market performance in MINT economies (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, and T
  Keywords: Twitter (X); happiness; stock exchange; MINT; Hacker-Hatemi-J causality test.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJHD.2026.10080575
   
  
• Altruism and faculty life satisfaction: relational and organisational pathways  
  by Shivani Mani, Abhijit Mishra 
  Abstract: Faculty well-being has become a growing concern in higher education due to rising performance pressures and expanding academic responsibilities. Adopting a psychosocial perspective, this study explores how altruism, social intelligence, and organisational commitment relate to faculty life satisfaction. Survey data were collected from 500 university faculty members and analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with validated measurement scales. Results show that altruism strongly enhances social intelligence and organisational commitment, while also having a moderate direct effect on life satisfaction. Both social intelligence and organisational commitment independently predict life satisfaction and mediate the relationship between altruism and well-being. The model explains a meaningful portion of variance in faculty life satisfaction. Overall, the study offers an integrated framework linking prosocial traits, relational competence, and organisational commitment, and highlights the need for institutional reward systems and faculty development policies that foster altruism, strengthen relationships, and support long-term faculty well-being.
  Keywords: altruism; social intelligence; organisational commitment; life satisfaction; faculty well-being; PLS-SEM; partial least squares structural equation modelling.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJHD.2026.10080901
   
  
• From material wealth to subjective wellbeing: a systematic literature review on experiential investment and the pursuit of happiness  
  by Syamala Anumolu, Ramesh Kumar Miryala, Swetha Suram, Ravi Aluvala 
  Abstract: The relationship between investment behaviour and subjective wellbeing (SWB) has been attracting increasing scientific attention in the disciplines of behavioural finance, consumer psychology and happiness economics. This systematic literature review, guided by the SPAR-4-SLR protocol and organised using the theory, context, characteristics, and methodology framework, identifies 299 records in Scopus database through a search covering the period from 1965 to 2026; after removal of one duplicate, 298 records were screened. Following the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines, the review examines 257 records to identify the theoretical architectures, context boundaries, variable characteristics, and methodological approaches that shaped the literature on investment and happiness. The corpus shows that investment whether financial, experiential, human capital, or public affects SWB in distinct and context in dependent ways. On this basis, the review proposes an integrative conceptual model with testable propositions and a seven-point agenda for future research.
  Keywords: investment; happiness; SWB; subjective wellbeing; experiential consumption; material wealth; TCCM; theory; context; characteristics; and methodology; behavioural finance; positive psychology; PRISMA 2020.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJHD.2026.10081947