Economic Wisdom to Apply in Your Twenties

Chapter 90

Chapter 11 Section 6 Happiness that Economists Can’t “Quantify”
As early as 2400 years ago, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato used a unique method to calculate that the life of a king is 729 times happier than that of a dictator. In the 18th century, Bentham, the originator of British utilitarian ethics, became No. 1 in trying to bring the measurement of happiness into the orbit of modern science.However, due to the limitation of the mechanistic tendency of modern science, Bentham did not go far on the road of happiness measurement. For a long time after his death, people's research on whether happiness can be measured fell into a state of abandonment.

Until the emergence of the Bhutan model, people revived their enthusiasm for quantitative research on happiness.The former king of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, proposed the "National Happiness Index" in 1970 to replace the "Gross National Product".This is the main content of the Bhutan model.If "gross product" embodies material-oriented and production-oriented, "happiness index" embodies people-oriented.Wangchuck believes that government administration should focus on happiness and aim at achieving happiness, pay attention to the balanced development of material and spiritual, and put environmental protection and traditional culture protection above economic development.

Under the guidance of this ruling concept, the people of Bhutan, whose per capita GDP is only over 700 US dollars, feel that their lives are very happy.According to the new constitution of Bhutan adopted in 2008, when the government formulates policies including agriculture, transportation and foreign trade, it is not based on the economic benefits they generate, but on the happiness they can bring. Point of departure. The "Bhutan model" has attracted the attention of the world.Developed countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Japan have all started research on happiness indices and created happiness indices of different models.

In September 2006, the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that in the future, my country will include the happiness index and social harmony index into new statistical content.

Ordinary people want happiness to be quantifiable more than economists do.If the passing line for happiness is 10 yuan, if the family property exceeds [-] yuan, it is considered happy, and if it is less than [-] yuan, it is considered unhappy. In this way, everyone can know whether their state is within the scope of happiness, or whether they are far from happiness. how far.However, in the long history of human development, whether it is economists, mathematicians, or psychologists, the measurement of happiness is just a good wish, and it has never been possible to establish a measurement system with high practical value.

As of today, the state of affairs is not satisfactory as far as research on the quantification of happiness is concerned worldwide.The problem is concentrated in: researchers define and measure happiness based on their own research traditions, the term "happiness" is interpreted arbitrarily, and a large number of research results are not comparable; The conclusions of cross-cultural research are puzzling. People have reason to know what standards are used to draw these conclusions, but it is often difficult for researchers to make convincing explanations.

The indicators of happiness measurement need to be integrated, the research methods of happiness measurement need to be innovated, and the cultural differences in happiness measurement cannot be avoided.In order to obtain important results of happiness quantitative research, it is necessary to answer an important prerequisite question: what factors affect people's experience of happiness?

For a long time, researchers have focused their attention on the relationship between wealth, personality, age, marriage and other factors and happiness.

Wealth: Solon, one of the seven sages of ancient Greece, regarded "having moderate wealth" as the first of the five elements that happiness should possess.The importance of income and wealth to happiness is self-evident.But studies have shown that income has an impact on people's subjective well-being when they are relatively poor.When income reaches a certain level, people's sense of happiness will decrease with the rise of income.

Character: Another philosopher in ancient Greece once said, "Character determines destiny", and pushed the study of character to the study of happiness, we found that character has a great impact on happiness.British and Australian researchers recently discovered that optimism and a cheerful personality can be inherited through genes, so happiness can be hereditary.The researchers selected nearly 1000 pairs of identical twins and fraternal twins as the study subjects. Whether these twins are happy depends half on factors such as interpersonal relationships, health and career, while the other half depends on their personality, which is social, active, and emotionally stable. Personality, hard work and conscientiousness will make people more likely to have a sense of happiness.

Age: Early happiness researchers posited that age was an important predictor of well-being.They believe that people's happiness tends to decline with age.But the reality is much more complicated.Some studies have found that with age, people's life satisfaction tends to increase, but some studies have found that age and happiness have no relationship at all.In different age periods, people have different expectations and goals. If it is assumed that happiness can be obtained as long as the expectations are fulfilled, then happiness can be obtained at any age.

Emotion: Emotional life is often seen as an important part of a happy life.Studies have shown that people in love are more likely to achieve happiness, and people with spouses feel much happier than those who are single.Therefore, we often see that the young man who is going on a date can't help showing a happy expression, and the happiness and sweetness of the girl who is entering the marriage hall are also beyond words.However, the question of how to quantify the energy that marriage provides to generate happiness has never been resolved.

In addition to studying the relationship between wealth, personality, age, marriage and happiness, psychologists have also conducted long-term explorations on the relationship between social environment, gender, religious belief, education, occupation, etc. and happiness.We can easily find the connection between these aspects and happiness, and can easily find evidence in life, but it is difficult for us to express them clearly through some mathematical formula.Quantify happiness, so as to find the "golden key" to open the door of happiness.It's an encouraging goal, but one that seems far from being achieved.

Wisdom Pieces: Top [-] Happiest Cities in China
?Top Ten Happiest Cities in China in 2009:

1. Hangzhou: a paradise on earth with beautiful mountains and rivers.Since 2004, Hangzhou has been awarded "China's Happiest City" for five consecutive years.

2. Zhuhai: Relaxed and leisurely "slow half beat" rhythm.

3. Changchun: a warm pearl of old and new.

4. Qingdao: Festival carnival on the beautiful coastline.

5. Chengdu: The leisure atmosphere of contentment and happiness.

6. Guilin: A small town with mountains and rivers indifferent to fame and wealth.

7. Dalian: the centuries-old style of a seaside city.

8. Kunming: a safe and warm night city.

9. Changsha: Entertainment culture with fanatical charm.

10. Tianjin: It has a rich history and culture.

?The happiest cities in China in 2008: Hangzhou, Ningbo, Kunming, Tianjin, Tangshan, Foshan, Shaoxing, Changchun, Wuxi, Changsha.

?The happiest cities in China in 2007: Hangzhou, Shenyang, Zhongshan, Ningbo, Qingdao, Taizhou, Zhuhai, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu.

(End of this chapter)