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It’s an interesting idea, but how would you measure happiness? For example coal pollutes, so at first glance maybe coal plants should get a negative happiness i
by randmeerkat 5y ago
It’s an interesting idea, but how would you measure happiness? For example coal pollutes, so at first glance maybe coal plants should get a negative happiness index. Then some plants close, and heating costs go up and people get cold because they can’t afford the electric heat in their homes. Are they happier without the coal? Would they be happier with the coal and the pollution? Does this solve the problem in a way that GDP measures can’t?
- Jedd 5y ago> It’s an interesting idea, but how would you measure happiness? This (the measuring, at least) is mostly a solved problem. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Happiness_Report https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Happiness_Report
- randmeerkat 5y ago> This (the measuring, at least) is mostly a solved problem. I disagree. I’m familiar with the world happiness report. I don’t think that would be an adequate measurement to replace GDP with.
- ClumsyPilot 5y ago"adequate measurement to replace GDP with" There seems to be annunderlying assimption that GDP is a good meaurement? In UK we had reduction of life expectancy, wages, trade and production of physical goods while GDP grew. The only sources of GDP growth seem to be never-ending rise of house prices and inequality.
- randmeerkat 5y agoI’m not arguing that there aren’t problems with benchmarking society against GDP, there are. What I’m asking is, what is a better measurement? If it is something like happiness, then how do we quantify that in a meaningful way?
- ClumsyPilot 5y agoTrying to reduce society to one number is pure folly, but if you had to pick one, it would have to be quality of life-based metrics, surely? We already use them in medicine.
- randmeerkat 5y agoSure, but the original comment that spawned this thread was comparing happiness and GDP.
- ganeshkrishnan 5y agoHappiness is a direct co-relation to GDP. The growth of a civilization is directly as a result of GDP. For example being in nature brings you happiness. BUT this is only in well developed countries and among people with enough wealth to live comfortably. Money does not make you happy but it gives you much more opportunity to be happy.
- randmeerkat 5y ago> Happiness is a direct co-relation to GDP. The growth of a civilization is directly as a result of GDP. That’s actually not correct. By that argument the happiest country should be the United States as it has the largest GDP. However the United States ranks #19 on the World Happiness Report: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/happiest-countries-in-the-world https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/happiest-...
- ganeshkrishnan 5y agoI should have been more specific: GDP per capita is one of the most important part of a person's happiness. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gdp-vs-happiness https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gdp-vs-happiness Chart above clearly shows that mostly increase in GDP results in higher life satisfaction.
- randmeerkat 5y ago> Chart above clearly shows that mostly increase in GDP results in higher life satisfaction. That chart clearly shows a handful of countries happier than the US with less GDP per capita…
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- xwdv 5y agoIf people can look and feel young for a very long time they will be very happy…
- randmeerkat 5y agoI don’t disagree, but I’m not sure how this relates to measuring GDP vs measuring happiness.
- throwaway984393 5y agoOlder people are happier than younger people, pretty much every such survey confirms it. Young people don't appreciate their looks and health when they have it.
- randmeerkat 5y agoI’m not sure about that, there’s been all sorts of studies about old people and loneliness. The loneliness is so bad it impacts their health: http://www.nia.nih.gov/news/social-isolation-loneliness-older-people-pose-health-risks http://www.nia.nih.gov/news/social-isolation-loneliness-olde... I would be genuinely surprised if older people are happier than younger people.
- ClumsyPilot 5y agoLonelyness seems to be a problem of social institutions rather than physical defficiency?
- randmeerkat 5y agoI would argue that it’s neither, rather I believe that the issue is how society disproportionately worships youth.
- ClumsyPilot 5y ago"society disproportionately worships youth." Does it really? The derision of millenials seems never ending, along with 'kids these days' and 'back in my days'.