Happiness around the World: the paradox of happy peasants and miserable millionaires on Huffduffer

Happiness around the World: the paradox of happy peasants and miserable millionaires

Huffduffed by Clampants on December 16th, 2009

The determinants of happiness are remarkably similar around the world, in countries as different as Afghanistan, the U.S, and Chile. Income matters to happiness but only so much; friends, freedom, and employment are good for happiness, while crime, poor health, and divorce are bad. Paradoxically, however, people in places like Afghanistan can be as happy as those in much wealthier and safer ones like Chile. One explanation is the remarkable human capacity to adapt to adversity and hardship. While adaptation may be a good thing for individual wellbeing, it can also result in collective tolerance for bad equilibrium which are difficult for societies to escape from.

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Jennifer Michael Hecht - The Happiness Myth

May 25 2007 - Jennifer talks with D.J. Grothe about the history of the idea of happiness.

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Tagged with happiness psychology history philosophy drugs shopping culture

—Huffduffed by Indyplanets one year ago

Nudge: improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness

Standard economic analyses rely on an unrealistic model of human behavior in which economic agents are hyperrational robots. Modern behavioral economics takes a more realistic approach and assumes that economics agents are humans, who sometimes forget where they put their keys, panic in the face of economic volatility, and are growing more obese by the day. The theme of Nudge is that it is possible to help such humans make better choices without taking away their freedoms, just by giving them a gentle nudge. The financial crisis of 2008 makes the message of Nudge more relevant than ever, both in determining how we got into this mess, how we can get out, and how we can prevent another crisis.