A study of 932 Japanese parent-adult child pairs found that happiness rankings were more closely linked across generations than general or mental health, while equivalent household income showed a stronger intergenerational association.
The peer-reviewed paper in Review of Economics of the Household reports rank-rank slopes of 0.25 for happiness, 0.22 for general health and 0.13 for mental health. All three estimates were statistically significant. The comparable slope for equivalent household income was about 0.36. The measure compares parents’ and children’s percentile positions: a 10-point increase in a parent’s happiness percentile rank was associated with a 2.5-point increase in the child’s rank.
Researchers matched adult children with a mother or father using Japan Household Panel Survey data, which began in 2004, and a second-generation supplement introduced in 2019. Sixty percent lived apart from the parent in the matched pair. The researchers could calculate lifetime proxies for happiness and general health for 734 pairs, and for mental health for 726. They excluded records dated after February 2020.
The paper says mental-health measures for both generations, along with data on the children’s generation overall, covered only two years. General health was self-reported; mental health was measured with the six-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, not a clinical diagnosis.
The findings describe associations and do not show that parents’ outcomes caused their children’s. The paper points to personality traits as one possible contributor while leaving most of the relationship unexplained. It also reports stronger observed well-being persistence in wealthier households, though the difference from poorer households was not statistically significant. The authors suggest that equal-opportunity discussions consider psychological support and family welfare alongside education and income.
Keio University publicized the findings Oct. 30, 2026. The paper had appeared online Aug. 5, 2025, and was included in the journal’s September 2025 issue.
