Directly in the mission statement of the United States Declaration of Independence is the proclamation that all men are endowed with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” However, there is no clear cut definition of happiness nor how one can go about achieving it. Happiness is quite a subjective term that has been explored in numerous different lights. In his commencement speech to the University of South Carolina, Ben S. Bernanke describes what economics and social science have to say about personal happiness, and what those ideas imply both for economic policymaking and the choices of individuals. Charlie Chaplin’s major concern in “Modern Times” is the oppression of technology
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Happiness research has undergone resurgence in recent years, with a growing body of research aimed at uncovering its foundations and contradictions. To start, Bernanke addresses how money does matter. Richer countries have more resources to devote to medical care, to good nutrition and sanitation, and to workplace safety. For these reasons, rich countries have higher life expectancies, lower infant mortality rates, and generally better health indicators than poor countries. Another thing that most people value is a clean environment. Again, rich countries have more resources to devote to maintaining a clean environment and tend to have better air and water quality than poor and middle-income countries. Further, rich countries also provide people more leisure time, less physically exhausting and more interesting work, higher education levels, greater ability to travel, and more funding for arts and culture. However, people in rich countries don’t report being all that much happier than people in lower-income countries. Additionally, people’s happiness depends less on their absolute wealth than on their wealth compared with others around them. Bernanke states, “If I live in a country in which most people have only one cow, and I have three cows, then I will have lots of social status and self-esteem and will thus feel happy. But if everyone around me has a luxury car, and I am hung up on status, I won’t feel very special unless I have both a luxury car and an
Happiness research has undergone resurgence in recent years, with a growing body of research aimed at uncovering its foundations and contradictions. To start, Bernanke addresses how money does matter. Richer countries have more resources to devote to medical care, to good nutrition and sanitation, and to workplace safety. For these reasons, rich countries have higher life expectancies, lower infant mortality rates, and generally better health indicators than poor countries. Another thing that most people value is a clean environment. Again, rich countries have more resources to devote to maintaining a clean environment and tend to have better air and water quality than poor and middle-income countries. Further, rich countries also provide people more leisure time, less physically exhausting and more interesting work, higher education levels, greater ability to travel, and more funding for arts and culture. However, people in rich countries don’t report being all that much happier than people in lower-income countries. Additionally, people’s happiness depends less on their absolute wealth than on their wealth compared with others around them. Bernanke states, “If I live in a country in which most people have only one cow, and I have three cows, then I will have lots of social status and self-esteem and will thus feel happy. But if everyone around me has a luxury car, and I am hung up on status, I won’t feel very special unless I have both a luxury car and an