"I came to realize that the more informed we are, the less happy we become because of our tendency to get caught up in constant comparisons." This should have

"I came to realize that the more informed we are, the less happy we become because of our tendency to get caught up in constant comparisons." This should have been his conclusion, not some made up theory about why the state of the world seems worse than it really is. This isn't news. Rousseau called it amour propre.[1][2] It is the unhappiness and dissatisfaction peculiar to modern society, wherein constant comparisons with others give us new values, breed competition and the urge for power, and prevent happiness. It also leads to a sort of schadenfreude written about by others: you only enjoy what you have insofar as nobody else has similar enjoyments. And Rousseau is mostly known as a political theorist; who knows how many others have noticed precisely this phenomenon. Yet nobody seems to know how to overcome this, despite this also being written about. (Sorry, I don't have any more sources off hand, ask me and I'll come up with them when I have time.) The surest way: ego-death. The longer yet easier way: realize that others are not their belongings, accomplishments, or even their past or their future; these are effects, the person is the cause. Internalize this fact by acting in accordance with it: deliberately try to see others only as themselves, not as a collection of effects. Then realize the same is true of you and start acting like it. [1] The wikipedia article is useful, but doesn't give a good understanding of amour propre: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discourse_on_Inequality http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discourse_on_Inequality [2] The SparkNotes glossary puts it plainly: http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/inequality/terms.html http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/inequality/terms.html