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That’s lovely. It sounds like the kind of thing that would work well in a fortune cookie. Meanwhile, in the real world, we find that that’s not how happiness w
by nindalf 4y ago
That’s lovely. It sounds like the kind of thing that would work well in a fortune cookie.
Meanwhile, in the real world, we find that that’s not how happiness works at all. People want more than they used to have or they want more than the people around them. If they don’t, they aren’t happy.
You can blame capitalism all you like, but this is a fundamental tenet of brain chemistry. No matter how well off we are, our dopamine level adjusts to that.
- cycomanic 4y agoThat's not true though if you look at at global "happiness" studies, it's not the countries with the highest individual material wealth which typically come out on top, but the countries with the least wealth inequality, usually the Scandinavian countries.
- nindalf 4y agoThat’s pretty much what I said. People are comparing themselves with those around them. If they’re about equal, they’re happy. If the society has high inequality, they’re unhappy. The absolute level of what they have is irrelevant, which is weird. You’d think that a person who doesn’t have to worry about food, clothing, shelter, entertainment and social connections would just be objectively happy. But no, the existence of many rich people makes them feel worse. This isn’t good or bad. It’s just the way humans are.