Happiness is a) Warm Puppy, b) Money, c) None

[groovedaddy]

Sometimes, I wish the founding fathers had included an instruction manual with the Declaration of Independence, like when it came to the pursuit of happiness.

Money is one way to go about it, of course. And it has generally been true that the rich are happier than the poor. But something else must be happening to Americans that is affecting their sense of well-being.

Despite the fact that income inequality — the chasm between rich and poor — has grown to levels rarely seen outside the third world, happiness inequality in the United States seems to have declined sharply over the past 35 years. And that is not because everyone is just that much more cheerful.

According to new research by Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the happiness gap between blacks and whites has fallen by two-thirds since the early 1970s. The gender gap (women used to be happier than men) has disappeared. Most significant, the disparity in happiness within demographic groups has also shrunk: the unhappiest 25 percent of the population has gotten a lot happier. The happiest quarter is less cheerful.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/27/opinion/27sun3.html?th&emc=th

[crikkett]

1. I saw a Ted Talk by Martn Seligman on happiness last week

Happiness is broken down by modern psychology into these categories.

a) pleasure

b) giving of oneself

c) getting absorbed in something to the point of forgetting about time.


http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/martin_seligman_on_the_state_of_psychology.html

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. So *real* happiness would be...

Giving pleasure to oneself to the point of forgetting about time?

:evilgrin:

[unpossibles]

3. which is why I often am seen smiling. NT

[groovedaddy]

4. Man, you could almost get that on a bumper sticker TechBear! n.t

[freethought]

5. Want to meet some happy people?

Go to Denmark. 60 Minutes had an interesting on what countries have the happiest populace, Denmark was the winner.

When interviewed a number of Dane student made an interesting comment "Don't put too much stock in the American Dream." Well, we did once but it's being pulled out from under us.