I'm not sure I buy it, but Scott Adams has an interesting theory that could explain this at: http://www.dilbert.com/blog/entry/job_satisfaction/ http://www.dil

I'm not sure I buy it, but Scott Adams has an interesting theory that could explain this at: http://www.dilbert.com/blog/entry/job_satisfaction/ http://www.dilbert.com/blog/entry/job_satisfaction/ Essentially, he argues that when jobs are plentiful cognitive dissonance forces you to believe your job is a good one, otherwise you'd get off your butt and seek a better one. When times are tough, you are more free to believe that you are unhappy at your job since the economy gets you off the hook for doing anything about it. (Of course, I'm pretty sure that in bust times jobs are objectively worse than in boom times--more work, less pay or hope for advancement, greater uncertainty and stress, etc. so I'm not sure a cognitive dissonance theory is needed.) (Edit: fixing typo)