Happiness (and how to measure it)
Dec 19th 2006
From The Economist print edition
Capitalism can make a society rich and keep it free. Don't ask it to make you happy as well
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HAVING grown at an annual rate of 3.2% per head since 2000, the world economy is over half way towards notching up its best decade ever. If it keeps going at this clip, it will beat both the supposedly idyllic 1950s and the 1960s. Market capitalism, the engine that runs most of the world economy, seems to be doing its job well.
But is it? Once upon a time, that job was generally agreed to be to make people better off. Nowadays that's not so clear. A number of economists, in search of big problems to solve, and politicians, looking for bold promises to make, think that it ought to be doing something else: making people happy.
The view that economics should be about more than money is widely held in continental Europe. In debates with Anglo-American capitalists, wily bons vivants have tended to cite the idea of “quality of life” to excuse slower economic growth. But now David Cameron, the latest leader of Britain's once rather materialistic Conservative Party, has espoused the notion of “general well-being” (GWB) as an alternative to the more traditional GDP. In America, meanwhile, inequality,
over-work and other hidden costs of prosperity were much discussed in the mid-term elections; and “wellness” (as opposed to health) has become a huge industry, catering especially to the prosperous discontent of the baby-boomers.
The things you never knew you wanted
Much of this draws on the upstart science of happiness, which mixes psychology with economics (see article). Its adherents start with copious survey data, such as those derived from the simple, folksy question put to thousands of Americans every year or two since 1972: “Taken all together, how would you say things are these days—would
you say that you are very happy, pretty happy or not too happy?” Some of the results are unsurprising: the rich report being happier than do the poor. But a paradox emerges that requires explanation: affluent countries have not got much happier as they have grown richer. From America to Japan, figures for well-being have barely budged.
The science of happiness offers two explanations for the paradox. Capitalism, it notes, is adept at turning luxuries into necessities—bringing to the masses what the elites have always enjoyed. But the flip side of this genius is that people come to take for granted things they once coveted from afar. Frills they never thought they could have become essentials that they cannot do without. People are stuck on a treadmill: as they achieve a better standard of living, they become inured to its pleasures.
Capitalism's ability to take things downmarket also has its limits. Many of the things people most prize—such as the top jobs, the best education, or an exclusive home address—are luxuries by necessity. An elite schooling, for example, ceases to be so if it is provided to everyone. These “positional goods”, as they are called, are in fixed supply: you can enjoy them only if others do not. The amount of money and effort required to grab them depends on how much your rivals are putting in.
Some economists think the results cast doubt on the long-held verities of their discipline. The dismal science traditionally assumes that people know their own interests, and are best left to mind their own business. How much they work, and what they buy, is their own affair. A properly brought-up economist seeks to explain their decisions, not to quarrel with them. But the new happiness gurus are much less willing to defer to people's choices.
Take work, for instance. In 1930 John Maynard Keynes imagined that richer societies would become more leisured ones, liberated from toil to enjoy the finer things in life. Yet most people still put in a decent shift. They work hard to afford things they think will make them happy, only to discover the fruits of their labour sour quickly. They also aspire to a higher place in society's pecking order, but in so doing force others in the rat race to run faster to keep up. So everyone loses. Yet it is not self-evident that less work would mean more happiness. In America, when the working week has shortened, the gap has been filled by assiduous TV-watching. As for well-being, other studies show that elderly people who stop working tend to die sooner than their
peers who labour on. Indeed, another side of happiness economics busies itself studying the non-monetary rewards from work: most people enjoy parts of their work, and some people love it.
As for capitalism's wasteful materialism, even Adam Smith had a problem with it. “How many people ruin themselves by laying out money on trin kets of frivolous utility?” he complained. It is hard to claim that pyramid-shaped tea-bags (developed at great expense over four years) have added much to the sum of human happiness. Yet if capitalism sometimes persuades people to buy stuff they only imagine they want, it also appeals to tastes and aptitudes they never knew they had. In the arts, this is called “originality” and is venerated. In commerce it is called “novelty” and too often dismissed. But without the urge for material improvement, people would still be wearing woollen underwear and holidaying in Bognor rather than Bhutan. Would that be so great?
The joys of niche capitalism
If growth of this kind does not make people happy, stagnation will hardly do the trick. Ossified societies guard positional goods more, not less, jealously. A flourishing economy, on the other hand, creates what biologists call “a tangled bank” of niches, with no clear hierarchy between them. Tyler Cowen, of George Mason University, points out that America has more than 3,000 halls of fame, honouring everyone from rock stars and sportsmen to dog mushers, pickle-packers and accountants. In such a society, everyone can hope to come top of his particular monkey troop, even as the people he looks down on count themselves top of a subtly different troop.
To find the market system wanting because it does not bring joy as well as growth is to place too heavy a burden on it. Capitalism can make you well off. And it also leaves you free to be as unhappy as you choose. To ask any more of it would be asking too much.
happiness的英语演讲稿 篇一：HAPPINESS的英语演讲稿 the road to happiness good morning/afternoon distinguished judges and my fellow students. i am ..from..##. i am going to start my speech with a question. how can we harvest happiness? as for this question, most of you have thought about it incidentally or purposefully. while have you figured out the way? next, i will share my understanding of this question. for me, the road to happiness is the way to fight for my goals and desires. as a matter of fact, i have been on the road to happiness from the moment i was born. when i was 5, i racked my brains（绞尽脑汁） to get a barbie doll or a teddy bear. in order to get them, i was willing to attend the
piano class which actually was the last thing i wanted to do. however, on thinking of my little dolls, i forgot all the pains in the piano class. i deeply believed that i was realizing my happiness, and i was on the road to my happiness. when i was 10,i was fascinated by the title of no.1 which could bring me a huge sense of success. to be the no.1, i sacrificed my rest time to attend all kinds of training classes, and i saved my pocket money to afford reference books. these might sound painful for most 10 years old children. but as long as i achieved my goal, i thought i was on the road to happiness. when i was 15, i became an enthusiast of painting. i enjoyed the way to express myself by means of different colors.. with a strong desire to improve my painting
Unit 9 What Is Happiness? John Ciardi (abridged) The right to pursue happiness is issued to Americans with their birth certificates, but no one seems quite sure which way it runs. It may be we are issued a hunting license but offered no game. Jonathan Swift seemed to think so when he attacked the idea of happiness as “the possession of being well-deceived,” the felicity of being “a fool among knaves.” For Swift saw society as Vanity Fair, the land of false goals. It is, of course, un-American to think in terms of fools and knaves. We do, however, seem to be dedicated to the idea of buying our way to happiness. We shall all have made it to Heaven when we possess enough. And at the same time the forces of American commercialism are hugely dedicated to making us deliberately unhappy. Advertising is one of our major industries, and advertising exists not to satisfy desires but to create them —and to create them faster than any man’s budget can satisfy them. For that matter, our whole economy is base d on a dedicated insatiability. We are taught that to possess is to be happy, and then we are made to want. We are even told it is our duty to want. It was only a few years ago, to cite a single example, that car dealers across the country were flying banners that read "You Auto Buy Now." They were calling upon Americans, as an act approaching patriotism, to buy at once, with money they did not have, automobiles they did not really need, and which they would be required to grow tired of by the time the next year’s models were released. Or look at any of the women’s magazines. There, as Bernard DeVoto once pointed out, advertising begins as poetry in the front pages and ends as pharmacopoeia and therapy in the back pages. The poetry of the front matter is the dream of perfect beauty. This is the baby skin that must be hers. These, the flawless teeth. This, the perfumed breath she must exhale. This, the sixteen-year-old figure she must display at forty, at fifty, at sixty, and forever. Once past the vaguely uplifting fiction and feature articles, the reader finds the other face of the dream in the back matter. This is the harness into which Mother must strap herself in order to display that perfect figure. These, the chin straps she must sleep in. This is the salve that restores all, this is her laxative, these are the tablets that melt away fat, these are the hormones of perpetual youth, these are the stockings that hide varicose veins.
3分钟演讲稿英语3篇 在各学高校英语演讲中，甚至是各级别的英语演讲比赛中，常常感觉学生的演讲稿缺乏实质性的劝说力和感染力。下面整理了3分钟演讲稿英语3篇，供你参考。 3分钟演讲稿英语篇1 Can Money Buy Happiness? Can money buy happiness? Different people have different opinions. Some think yes, while others hold the opposite. It is true that with enough money one can buy all the things one wants, and live a life of comfort and security. However, it is equally true that lack of money causes great distress. It is a common view that "money is the root of all evil." The pursuit of money drives many people to cheat and steal. In some places there is nothing that cannot be bought with money, resulting in corrupt societies where everybody is miserable. So, money does not necessarily mean happiness. It all depends on how it is used. If we make honest and sensible use of money, it can be a stepping-stone to happiness l Although money cannot buy happiness, it can make happiness possible if it is employed sensibly. 金钱能买来幸福吗? 金钱能买来幸福吗?不同的人有不同的回答。有的人认为能，有的人则持相反的意见。 诚然一个人如果有足够的钱可以买到他想要的所有物品，过上舒
教师英语演讲稿：Happiness 教师英语演讲稿：Happiness As we all know, happiness is something that everyone is chasing. But, what is happiness? Does happiness have a universal definition? I say no. But there must be something in life that makes you realize what it means. When you are hungry, you have something to eat. Don’t you feel happy? When you’re in sick, there is a short message full of care and love from your friend. Don’t you feel happy? When you have each tiny wish come true, don’t you feel happy？I always try my best to find out what is the true meaning of happiness. And I think I have got lots of it from my career. Today, standing here, I’d like to share with you a little piece of my happiness from my school life. “Dear queen, how do you feel? Do we massage well?” Lee said softly around me. Of course, the “queen” was me. One day, our P.E teacher was out for business trip. So it was my duty to be the leader in this P.E class. After guiding students to play games for a long time. Everyone was tired. Then, one student lay down. Then, another…in a minute, all of the students lay down on the playground. It was so enjoyable for me to see such a great situation, as in the classroom our lovely guys always sit properly to show their poritive attitudes. The sun was shining. The wind was blowing. Smelling the faint smell of flowers, I couldn’t help closing my eyes and lying on my back. Suddently, a tiny hand touched my arm. “Queen, you must be tired after a day’s work. Right? I’m your faithful maid. Let me serve for y ou.” Then, the other students came over to sit and serve around me. Head, neck, leg. Wow, that was really a great happiness to have such an experience. Dear friends, everyday we have a lot of work to do. Everyday we have a lot of things to complain. But, just like Xiao Shenyang saying, “The eyes close and open - a day is over. The eyes close but never open , all life has gone.” Time is limited. Why can’t we focus on our lovely students and keep a happy mind in the school life? Just like me. Lie down and enjoy the happiness from my kids.
关于幸福的英语演讲稿 篇一：什么是幸福的英文演讲稿 幸福是什么？ Hello everybody, today I am very glad to be here to share with you my ideas of is happiness It is what everyone is longing for. Sometimes happiness would be rather simple. Winning a game is happiness; getting a high grade in the exam is happiness; even now I am standing here giving my speech is somehow also happiness. 大家好，今天我很高兴在这里与你分享我的想法的幸福。幸福是什么？这是每个人都渴望。幸福有时很简单。赢得一场比赛是幸福；考试得高分是幸福；甚至我现在站在这里演讲，也是幸福的。 However, as far as a person’s whole life is concerned, happiness becomes very complicated(复杂的). Is fortune（财富） success Is fame（名誉） happiness Is high social status happiness No, I don’t think so. Happiness in my mind is the attitude（态度） towards things. Nowadays, in the modern society there are many people who have much money, but the fact is they are not happy. My dictionary defines happy as "lucky" or
《happiness作文》 happiness作文（一）： Happiness What is happiness? Different people have different ideas。 Some people are rich; they think they are happy。 Other people have many friends， so they feel happy。 Still others are happy because their lives are meaningful。Happiness attracts(吸引) everyone。For children，happiness often suggests eating something good or playing with toys。 For a stamp collector，stamps bring more delight than meals。 And for a scientist， a discovery or an invention rather than anything else gives him greatest satisfaction。 There was once a beggar who was always happy。 The king saw him and wondered why he was so happy because he was so poor。 However， the king could have whatever he wanted; yet he himself was not happy at all。 Thus we can see ones happiness doesnt depend on whether he is rich or poor。Happiness is a state of mind。 As long as one thinks hes content and satisfied， he is happy。 As everything exist only because its opposite(对立的)， happiness exists only when pain exists。 Just as a person who does not know failure never knows success， a person， who has not experienced suffering or sadness never knows what happiness means。 Happiness always promises (允诺) a hope by which people go on living。When they e to the point of losing hope because they have suffered a great deal， it is often the time when happiness es that will give them the courage and desire(渴望) to live。 Cheer up and be happy。 Happiness is not far from you。 Its just around you。 Try to grasp(抓牢) it and enjoy it。 happiness作文（二）： Happiness is the most precious thing in the world， which can be obtained in different ways。 From my point of view， being in a good mood anytime and anywhere is the first thing for those who want to be happy。 There is an old saying going like this， happy is he who is content。 I can't agree with it any more。 I still remember a story my mother told me when I was a child。 A millionaire tried every means to seek after pleasure but to feel unhappy。
三分钟英语演讲：My happiness in NKU 张家玮 三分钟演讲，很短。 Good evening, everyone! It’s a great honor for me to stand here on this special occasion to deliver a speech. Today I’d like to talk about my happiness in Nankai University. I have a senior high school classmate now majoring in economy and finance in Hong Kong University. The other day she asked me the reason why all her friends in Nankai feel extremely proud of this university while those in other schools don’t have such strong passion. I couldn’t tell the concrete reasons, but I did think a lot. To be honest, I felt more than lucky to be admitted by School of Finance in Nankai, for I didn’t do well in the national entrance examination. I lost more than 40 points in physics, which got me the lowest grades and ranks throughout my senior high school life. To my relief, I don’t have to study physics in the following four years, which is definitely an extra bonus. The first day I got here I was warmly welcomed by the whole school. As time went by, I became increasingly busy. But
Happiness First, Money Later We live in a success and money driven culture. If you doubt the truthfulness of that cliché, I’ll refer you to competitive reality TV, your office, the lottery, and just about any marketing or money-based blog on the web. F rom the first day that we understand its power, we’re made to believe that money is the end-all of human happiness and achievement. Unfortunately for young professionals with big career ambitions, the mantra of “more money means the good life” leads to more sorrow than it does to happiness. No Regrets The sad truth is that young professionals who aspire to monetary success (and who doesn’t?) often make comprises in all other aspects of their life in order to make the big bucks. Our society almost encourages the sacrifice of personal happiness for the sake of material success. But what is success if it can’t be shared or appreciated among loved ones? What is a life’s worth of work if you don’t take a moment to stop and enjoy it? The Guardian recently published a compelling piece about the five biggest regrets of people about to meet their maker. The author explains that most people regret that they didn’t lead the life they wanted to lead, or they regret that they worked too hard in life at the expense of those they loved. It’s a revealing story that drives home the need for many
Happiness is the most precious thing in the world, which can be obtained in different ways. From my point of view, being in a good mood anytime and anywhere is the first thing for those who want to be happy. There is an old saying going like this, "happy is he who is content." I can't agree with it any more. I still remember a story my mother told me when I was a child. A millionaire tried every means to seek after pleasure but to feel unhappy. It's not unique, but has its counterpart that poor men to whose name not having a thing always feel happy. Why are they so different? The answer is that the rich is being thinking how he can gain more while the poor is satisfied with what he owns at hand-health, freedom, love and so on. Furthermore, love makes great difference to happiness. If you have love in your heart, you will have happiness in your life. Love consists of two parts, one is to love others, and the other is to be loved by others. Lei Feng set a good example for all of us. He served the people wholeheartedly until the last minute of his life. He regarded serving the people as the happiest thing. There are numbers of similar inspirational stories to be found. In addition, being loved by others can also lead you t o happiness. Courage from your parents when frustrated, care from your lover when ill, help from your friends when in trouble… all of these will make you the happiest person in the world. The last but not least is to act happily. Putting on a happy face and thinking interesting things are helpful to trigger happy feelings. Wile happiness is precious, it is easy to get. Happiness What is happiness? Different people have different ideas. Some people are rich; they think they are happy. Other people have many friends, so they feel happy. Still others are happy because their lives are meaningful. Happiness attracts(吸引) everyone. For children, happiness often suggests eating something good or playing with toys. For a stamp collector, stamps bring more delight than meals. And for a scientist, a discovery or an invention rather than anything else gives him greatest satisfaction. There was once a beggar who was always happy. The king saw him and wondered why he was so happy because he was so poor. However, the king could have whatever he wanted; yet h e himself was not happy at all. Thus we can see one’s happiness doesn’t depend on whether he is rich or poor. Happiness is a state of mind. As long as one thinks he’s content and satisfied, he is happy. As everything exist only because its opposite(对立的), happiness exists only when pain exists. Just as a person who does not know failure never knows success, a person, who has not experienced suffering or sadness never knows what happiness means. Happiness always promises (允诺) a hope by which people go on living. When they come to the point of losing hope because they have suffered a great deal, it is often the time when happiness comes that will give them the courage and desire(渴望) to live. Cheer up and be happy. Happiness is not far from you. It’s just around you. Try to grasp(抓牢) it and enjoy it. Happiness Happiness means different things to different people. For example, some students believe that if they have much money or a large number of possessions, they will be happy. They believe that they will be able to do anything they want to if they have money. Some students think that they should be in good health, and enjoy whatever they like. Many students wish to have much wealth from their parents. In this way they don’t have to work hard, and they can have everything. I don’t agree with the above points. We can’t buy many important things with money, such as health, happiness and knowledge. I value knowledge, which makes me happy, for I can do much for mankind with knowledge. Although different people value happiness differently, my “wealth” of happiness is in my study Freedom in my Dream As the whole world has its boundaries, limits and freedom coexist in our life. I don’t expect complete freedom, which is impossible. I simply have a dream that supports my life. I dream that one day, I could escape from the deep sea of thick schoolbooks and lead my own life. With my favorite fictions, I lie freely on the green grass, smelling the spring, listening to the wind singing, breathing the fresh and cool air and
Happiness 但那是幸福也没有具体的定义。无论如何，特意强调的追求也许是心领神会的决定，与唐吉柯德的行为一样，也就是说，过程会比终点完美许多。“幸福”我的精神监督曾经一遍又一遍的告诉我，当我告诉他我的患者的信息说，“幸福是人们所渴望的东西。”他停下来，过了一会接了一句我知道句子：“当人们拥有它的时候，就会忽略，所以一直在不断的寻找。” 什么是幸福？这个词最开始出现在16世纪的英语中，在英语词源学与精神上都与happen 毫无疑问，对什么促成了幸福和幸福的组成有许多解释。对于很多虔诚的教徒来说，工作上的突然成功，美满的婚姻，还有随着时间的推移培养出来强壮聪明举止得体的孩子，而这些孩子们看起来非常有能力并且对他们的命运满足，这一切都是幸福的标志，是受到上帝青睐的表现。对于那些不信的人来讲，他不知道自己的生命，也不知道人类在地球上的位置以及目标，幸福看上去就是偶然的东西，充其量就是一个人努力工作后的感觉。但是现在我们说的太早了，大约四百年前，历史上人们对幸福有敬畏感，仿佛是听从于深不可测的宇宙中某些无法理解的用作规律下，来拜访某些人的。只有到了近代，随着男人和女人越来越多地成为世界的中心，或者在他们的脑海里他们的成为了世界的缔造者执行者，成为了能够促成或者某些时间能够发生的人的时候，幸福才能成为一种目标和目的。或者想那些起早国宪法的辛勤工作者有抱负的人所说的那样，幸福是一种需要发起追求的东西。这样幸福不是发生的，而是需要被获取。 这里还得再提这个问题，1600年甚至在往前，幸福这个词被越来越多英国人和美国人的提及。英国诗人，亚历蒲柏的名言，他曾经说道“哇！幸福！”接下来他试图努力把这件事情解释清楚，他说：“幸福是我们人类的目标和目的，美好，享乐，从容，满足，该用什么样的词来定义你呢？”蒲泊在谈及这种思想和心灵上这种微妙的感觉的时候，采用了一
1.What is happiness? What are the personality factors in happy people and unhappy people? A: Good morning teacher, we are very happy for today’s oral test. Today, our team`s topic is “happiness” .As is well-known, in the rapid development of economic happiness is becoming more and more concerned about people. What do you think what is happiness? B:Yeah, the topic of happiness is very hot in the daily life. Some people think having a lot of wealth is believed to be happy. I don’t agree with this point . In fact, for happiness, there is no absolute answer, the key is your attitude towards life. To seize the happy, people must know what is happiness. C: Always thought that feel happiness is a very difficult thing to do. After years of time, just understand, happiness is actually very simple, as long as the heart is satisfied, some comfort is happiness. I think healthy living is a kind of great happiness. A glass of fresh water, a cup of green tea can product out the taste of happiness; A flower, a green leaf, often can bring happiness breath. D: However, happiness lies not only in material abundance, happiness lies more in the spirit of the pursuit and the enrichment of the mind, happiness is a feeling, a kind of consciousness. Happiness is actually very simple. Learn to struggle, comprehend contentment, and happiness will come to you. A:The discussion all above is very wonderful , just like what they have said, happiness is a state of mind, the key is to see how you think about it. For a new day, trying to make today better than yesterday, I believe you will be a happy man. Now ,let`s talking about what are the personality factors in happy people and unhappy people? What do you think about what factors were influencing people's happiness. B: To first of all, in order to find out about these personality factors, psychologists talked to hundreds of people. They asked the people how happy they felt--- according to the psychologists survey, happy and unhappy people treat the attitude of life is not the same. C: I think the personality factors is that happy people are satisfied with themselves, they are happy with what they have. On the contrary, unhappy people are often dissatisfied with themselves. They fell that something must change so they can be happy.the personality factors is that happy people have good relationship with other people. They try to have close, loving, relationship with friend and family. On the other hand ,unhappy people don’t have many friends or they may spend all their time working and find that they are very lonely and unhappy. D: Yeah, Besides, the personality factors is that happy people are optimistic---they look at the positive side of life, not the negative. However, unhappy people are the opposite. They are not optimisti c and don’t have a positive attitude. A: So, if you want to be happy, don’t assume that winning the lottery will help. we should be positive to face the life.