Fericirea la nivel de natiuni

Nici cand privim si comparam fericirea natiunilor, nu putem conclude ca veniturile ridicate ar spori-o. Ne convingem de acest lucru citind articolul "The Psychology of Happiness", publicat de Dr. David Myers in enciclopedia cu peer-reviex scholarpedia. Textul a fost aprobat pentru publicare de Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky.

Sunt oamenii din tarile bogate mai fericiti?
"There is some tendency for prosperous nations to have happier and more satisfied people (though these also tend to be countries with high literacy, civil rights, and stable democracies). But the correlation between national wealth and well-being tapers off above a certain level."

Deci exista o oarecare tendinda ca populatiile din tarile bogate sa fie mai fericite, dar asta doar pana la un anumit nivel, dupa care stagneaza. In plus, Myers sugereaza ca educatia, respectarea drepturilor omului si stabilitatea democratica pot fi adevaratele surse ale acesti oarecare cresteri comparative in satisfactie a celor ce traiesc in tarile bogate fata de cei din tarile sarace.

In cadrul tarilor, sunt bogatii mai fericiti ?
"Although many researchers have found the correlation between personal income and happiness "surprisingly weak" (as Ronald Inglehart report in 1990), recent surveys indicate that across individuals as across nations, the relationship is curvilinear: the association between income and happiness tapers off once people have sufficient income to afford life's necessities and a measure of control over their lives."

Pe scurt, banii aduc fericirea doar pana cand reusesc sa scoata omul din saracie lucie si ii permit sa-si satisfaca nevoile de baza si sa aiba un anumit control asupra propriilor vieti.

Creste fericirea unui popor odata cu cresterea bogatiei nationale?
"The answer is plainly no. Americans love what their grandparents of a half century ago seldom knew: air conditioning, the Internet, MP3 players, and bigger houses. Yet they are no happier. The same is true in other countries, economist Richard Easterlin has reported. Economic growth in affluent countries has not demonstrably improved human morale. Ditto China, where Gallup surveys since 1994 reveal huge increases in households with color TV and telephones, but somewhat diminished life satisfaction. Such results have led Ed Diener and Martin Seligman to collaborate with the Census Bureau in devising new "national indicators of subjective well-being."

Concluzia lui Myers este fara echivoc: nu, bogatia si abundenta nu sporesc catusi de putin fericirea unui popor.

Care sunt explicatiile acestei neputinte constatate a veniturilor de a spori fericirea? David Myers raspunde: capacitatea noastra de adaptare la bogatie si comparatiile sociale.

"Psychologists have sought to explain why objective life circumstances -- especially positive experiences -- have such modest long-term influence on happiness. One explanation is our human capacity for adaptation. Sooner than we might expect, people will adapt to improvements in circumstances and recalibrate their emotions around a new "adaptation level." Thus, finds Daniel Gilbert in his studies, summarized in Stumbling on Happiness, emotions have a shorter half-life than most people suppose. Nevertheless, some psychologists, such as Sonja Lyubomirsky and her colleagues, draw from happiness research in designing interventions that aim to increase happiness.

Happiness reflects not only our adaptations to recent experiences but also our social comparisons. As people climb the ladder of success, they tend to compare upward. And with increasing income inequality, as in contemporary China, there will likely be more available examples of better off people with whom to compare. In experiments, people engaged in comparing downward─by comparing themselves with those impoverished or disfigured─express greater satisfaction with their own lives."
http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Psychology_of_happiness#How_Happy_are_People.3F

Iata asadar inca o dovada ca goana dupa bogatie este irationala nu doar la nivel individual, dar si national, si ca accentul pus pe continua dezvoltare economica nu merita efortul. Tarile ar face bine sa urmareasca, din punct de vedere economic, ca intreaga populatie sa iasa din saracie si sa aiba un minim peste aceasta. Inegalitatile, care duc la comparatii intre oameni si la invidie, si imbogatirea trebuiesc reduse prin instaurarea egalitarismului. In acest fel va fi asigurata si o democratie stabila si veridica, deoarece nu va mai exista o minoritate de ultra-bogati care sa-si impune vointa in politica, medie etc. Cand acumularea continua va fi descurajata, oamenii se vor intoarce la adevaratele surse de fericire: timpul liber, relatiile inter-umane, sportul, educatia etc.