The Happiness–Income Paradox For Christmas: Wealthier Nations Not Getting Happier?
Tuesday, December 14, 2010 - 23:30
in Psychology & Sociology
Humans are essentially unsatisfied creatures - if you take a starving dog out of the rain and feed him, he will love you forever. After a few weeks of nice treatment, many humans will decide they deserved to be taken out of the rain and maybe even that they are doing you a favor. So it goes with wealth. Money does buy happiness, contrary to folk wisdom - it just doesn't last. In the case of entire nations that get a better standard of living, after about a decade happiness is no longer rising with wealth. Let's not kid ourselves, people in wealthier nations are happier, on average, than people in poor ones, but it does not rise forever. read more