An Unbiased Critique of the Fluid Relationship Between Happiness and Advertising

Everybody will be in consensus that, barring a few outliers, the pursuit of happiness forms an integral component of every individual’s existence. However, most of the factors which determine happiness, materialistic tendencies included, have a fuzzy, bi-directional relationship with an individual’s subjective well-being. Advertising, considered by many as one of the most explicit institutions symbolizing materialism, particularly professes an interesting area of research given the multi-layered intricacies which its relationship with consumer happiness entails. Thus, this research article posits an approximate quantitative model, based upon adequate qualitative precursors, in order to analyze and decode the finer nuances pertaining to the impact of advertising on happiness. The insights thus derived do indicate that the evolving strategy of the advertising industry, wherein an advertisement’s impact on customer happiness is gradually being accorded prime importance, is in sync with what may be derived as the quantitative pareto-optimal solution from the model.