Stress and the Japanese urban lifestyle related to economic inequality and criminology. Economic inequality contributes significantly to anomie and is intensified in an urban setting. Where people get to see, up close and personal, how dire their circumstances are relative to peers.  Lonely and unhappy amidst the maddening and bustling crowd that is the city and its inhabitants.

http://www.lib.kobe-u.ac.jp/repository/00166935.pdf

Dear Sunita,

Interrresting references : 

APPLETON, S., and SONG, L. (2008). “Life Satisfaction in Urban China: Components and Determinants”. World Development, 36, 2325-2340.

BLANCHFLOWER D.G. and OSWALD A. (2004). “Well-being over time in Britain and the USA”. Journal of Public Economics, 88, 1359-1386.

CLARK, A.E., KRISTENSEN, N., and WESTERGÅRD-NIELSEN, N. (2009). “Economic Satisfaction and Income Rank in Small Neighbourhoods”. Journal of the European Economic Association, 7, 519-527.

EASTERLIN R. and SAWANGFA O. (2010). “Happiness and Growth: Does the Cross Section Predict Time Trends? Evidence from Developing Countries”, in E. Diener, J. Helliwell, and D. Kahneman, eds. International Differences in Well-Being. Princeton, NJ., Princeton University Press, chapter 7, pp. 162-212.

I think that you could also usefully read the following work : Will GDP Growth Increase Happiness in Developing Countries? by Andrew E. Clark & tClaudia Senik [Paris School of Economics)

 Summary : 

This paper asks what low-income countries can expect from growth in terms of happiness. It interprets the set of available international evidence pertaining to the relationship between income over time growth and subjective well-being. Consistent with the Easterlin paradox, higher income is always associated with higher happiness scores, except in one case: whether growth in national income over time yields higher well-being is still hotly debated. The key question is whether the correlation coefficient is “too small to matter”.

The explanations for the small correlation between national income growth and subjective well-being over time appeal to the nature of growth itself (from negative side-effects, such as pollution), and to the psychological importance of relative concerns and adaptation. The available evidence contains two important lessons: income comparisons do seem to affect subjective well-being, even in very poor countries; however, adaptation may be more of a rich-country phenomenon.

Our stand is that the idea that growth will increase happiness in low-income countries cannot be rejected on the basis of the available evidence. First, cross-country time-series analyses are based on aggregate measures, which are less reliable than those at the individual level. Second, development is a qualitative process involving take-off points and thresholds. Such regime changes are visible through the lens of subjective satisfaction measures. The case of transition countries is particularly impressive in this respect: average life satisfaction scores closely mirrored changes in GDP for the first ten years of the transition process, until the regime became more stable. The greater availability of subjective measures of well-being in low-income countries would greatly help in the measurement and monitoring of the different stages and dimensions of the development process.

Hope it could help you,

Christophe

 Than you Mr. Shian-Loong Bernard Lew.  I was looking more into the urban conditions prevailing the state of purposelessness and alienation, the difference between ideological theories and what is achieved day to day happenings. The factors which also could be physical in nature which leads to such psychological conditions. However the article was valuable -e.g. 'heritage of endurance' and the proximity of kin through their home base in the growing age. Thank you for sharing it.

Thank you Mr. Christophe Gibout. I shall look into the references.The scenarios cities are being projected into by urban alienation and purposelessness are also the catch 22 situation the phenomena of migration leads one towards. As effectively stressed upon in the summary, from the lesser world to the larger world for pursuit of happiness. However I am also understanding if there is reverse role being played by same factors as farms from which the farmer migrates and the farms the cities cultivate within. The individuals do encounter the internal factors in pursuit of their happiness, but the combinations with external situations [physical, social, cultural]  lures the goal from achieving.

Thank you Mr. Harshvardhan Singh, I shall go through the links.

I'm not at my office, but Sunny Wong of the University of San Franciso has done some quantitative work on studying happiness. Here's a link to his CV with his work: 

http://www.uh.edu/class/hcpp/_docs/research-associates/cv-MC-Sunny-Wong.pdf

Thank you Mr. John Ostermiller. I appreciate that.