The Atlantic

Key takeaways from Are We Trading Our Happiness for Modern Comforts?

As society gets richer, people chase the wrong things. Open at source

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Empty consumerism and soulless government are the traditional two explanations for our modern alienation.

We don’t get happier as our society gets richer, because we chase the wrong things.

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At low levels, money improves well-being. Once you earn a solid living, however, a billionaire is not likely to be any happier than you are.
Just because most people generally don’t get happier as they get richer beyond a certain point doesn’t mean that they can’t. In fact, no matter where we sit on the income scale, with a little knowledge and practice any of us can use money to bring more happiness.
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a measure of subjective well-being computed for each country separately, might also correlate with historical events, such as wars, the Roaring '20s, and other economic indicators, such as gross domestic product (GDP) and longevity.
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After achieving something (no matter how big), you enter a big black hole of comfort if you don’t watch yourself. If you think that all the hard work is behind you, you’re in danger. Don’t expect that because you busted your ass for years to achieve something, that you made it.
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There’s a psychological effect where the more severe an action is, the more we assume everything will change in our life once we do it. But this is an illusion, a trick of the mind.
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