In many industrial nations, economic prosperity is often equated with happiness. However, it is well known while buying power has risen by 16% over the past 30 years in the United States the percentage of people calling themselves “very happy” has fallen from 36% to 29%. We are therefore heading for trouble if we peg our happiness to the Dow Jones index. Seeking happiness only by improving material conditions is like grinding sand in the hopes of extracting oil.
