Does being Happy make you Productive?

Maybe not. Of course I suspect that the best type of an environment is a results-driven workplace where workers are happy not because of the perks but because employers don't get in their way (yes, far easier said than done). Not sure how this ultimately applies in China but where perks don't cost too much and can result in a modicum of dignity and comfort, I'm game. While keeping good employees is common sense, I do think I also fall into the trap that it ultimately just comes down to money. Perhaps the greater lesson from the authors of Freakonomics is that performance is more about who you hire than how they feel. Quoted from psychologist Nathan Bowling:

My study shows that a cause and effect relationship does not exist between job satisfaction and performance. Instead, the two are related because both satisfaction and performance are the result of employee personality characteristics, such as self-esteem, emotional stability, extroversion and conscientiousness.