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    Modern World Richer, But Not Happier

    James sent me this…

    Modern World Richer, But Not Happier

    Whether in the United States, Britain or Japan, people on average are no happier than they were 50 years, says Layard. And this comes despite the fact that average incomes have more than doubled, holidays are more numerous, workweeks are shorter, and people live longer and have better health, the author contends. He cites abundant data to back up his claims.

    I can relate to this. The thing is that it’s hard to sort out what you really need from life. I think: it all comes down to just having good friends and being able to relax and eat good food. But then what about work – you need to work. So: it’s all about having the friends and food and having a rewarding job. But then there’s your future – what happen’s when you get old and can’t work. So: it’s all about having friends, food, rewarding job and investments. I suppose that should work if you can get there.

    The real clincher for me has been the rewarding job and the investments. I know there are far worse jobs than the ones I’ve had but I found it really hard to be in jobs where I’m not respected and just not allowed to actually do my job – there’s always been a lot of interference from managment, lack of resources, oppressive conditions (in my first job I had a breakdown from the pressure I felt) or just lack of motivation. I also found myself needing meaning in my work – for it to be contributing something to humanity other than making someone else rich.

    The investments thing is where everyone is in competition – it’s all about getting ahead so you can afford to get a good house. Prices are driven by what people can afford which is why you need to be richer than the next guy in order to get the house. Or perhaps you need to be willing to sacrifice more. It’s amazing what people put themselves through to get a house. Stressing over interest rates, struggling to make repayments. Or you could invest in which case you can stress out about stock prices and struggle to put away the right amount each pay so you can save enough to live on later.

    So are there any lessons to be learned? Some might be surprised that all this stuff was written about in the Bible probably two and a bit thousand years ago. Ecclesiastes is the same story as we have now, where I talk about shares, he talks about planting crops. All the other stuff is pretty much the same. His only kind of answer is that we should just make the most of life as it comes because we can’t be sure of the future (except that we will one day die – which is not terribly encouraging).

    In other words, keep an eye out for happiness when it comes and learn to recognise it and enjoy it for what it is. I can think of a million thigns that I usually take for granted that I could be savouring every day – hot showers, sleeping in a warm bed, drinking coffee, walking to work, typing in my blog – perhaps happiness really is something that comes from the inside.

    Related Posts:  »the New Pantagruel: Hymns in the Whorehouse »Investing for Change »The Trinity

    Posted: June 30th, 2005 under Big Questions, Moralising.
    Comments: 2

    Comments

    Comment from Sheena
    Time: 1/7/2005, 10:38 am

    I agree with you about happiness. In the last year, my income has dropped significantly, and many things I used to buy casually I am now doing without. One thing I have cut right back on is eating out, and casual cups of coffe in cafes, and bought lunches. As a result, I now enjoy the one meal out I allow myself on Friday nights much more than previously. The difference in the things I have, and a plainer diet, has made no real difference to my everyday happiness, and is probably better for my health. It leads to enhanced enjoyment when I do have a treat of any kind. Overall, I am much more contented this year than I have been over the last few years, though poorer (I still have the basics, food, shelter, electricity, a working phone, etc).

    Also, just wanted to link to this article on television and happiness from the Sydney Morning Herald the other day. If the link doesn’t come through properly, Matt, could you let me know?

    http://smh.com.au/articles/2005/06/28/1119724635649.html

    Comment from stephanie
    Time: 4/7/2005, 12:45 pm

    I’m dubious about claims that we are working ‘shorter hours’ than fifty years ago. This is certainly not the case in Australia, which now holds the honour of being the most overworked society in the developed world. A recent report by the Australia Institute shows that we work the longest hours of all the developed nations (1855 hours per year, compared with Norway, 1376 hours, and the OECD average, 1643). More information on this can be found at:
    http://www.tai.org.au/WhatsNew_Files/WhatsNew/Overwork%20day%2020th%20November.pdf

    This situation is likely to worsen as John Howard’s IR ‘reforms’ kick in, now that he has full control of the Australian Senate. If you are among those that believe hard work is the key to happiness, then this is good news. However, I believe that people’s happiness is contingent on being able to balance work with ample time for family and friends, leisure interests, volunteer community involvement and spiritual pursuits. This also makes for happy societies. According to most social indicators, however, Australian participation in all spheres of life other than work has been in steady decline for some time. No prizes for guessing why.

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