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I got interested in the science and finance of happiness a few years back when I found myself pondering why so many people seemed so miserable in the richest country in the world. And yes, there's research about how you're happier buying experiences than stuff but stuff and experiences are often pretty merged together so the first step is thinking about what actually makes you happy.
So you think you want to buy a Mercedes. Why? Do you actually really enjoy driving a performance car fast? Or are you trying to impress friends? If you're in the love to drive group, then the luxury car is a good happiness because it also serves to generate positive experiences. If you're not a car person, that's probably not the best way to target happiness.
Same goes for the $100K kitchen remodel which is either an environment creating more happiness to the person who genuinely loves to spend hours trying new recipes and using all the latest kitchen tech while the kitchen remodel for someone who orders take out is just an increased housing cost you may or may not fully recoup when it comes time to sell.
And when you have less to begin with, you have to be more careful and put more thought into maximizing happiness with purchase decisions. Increased money does buy increased happiness up to a point (around $80K USD in 2017, IIRC) and then marginal happiness gains track less with marginal income gains after that point.
I thought I would wince reading this, but they have a point. The US economy has been so prosperous for so long Americans have come to expect excessive goods, oversized, underpriced, and serviced immediately.
It has created a country of malcontents, materialistic parents and self-centered children throw tantrums when they don't get what they want. We live in bigger and bigger homes with AC on all the time, and it has made us more demanding and entitled.
Now that this perfect system of supply chains has crashed and store shelves have emptied Bloomberg suggest Americans live like Europeans.
Minus the UK, western Europeans spend half as much per-capita on consumer goods. They take up there recreational time with outdoor walks, cafes, biking, family visits, or window shopping.
It has created slower growing economies, but Europeans have found a way to make it by. Americans are taught its their patriotic duty to spend, but our economy doesn't have to structured in a way that is reliant on consumerism. 70% of our GDP is based on consumer spending, so if people stop the economy will tumble. But with the supply chain crisis America may be forced to reorient their economy are production.
That means insuring supposed low growth businesses like local businesses, mid-sized firms, and protected industry (that is less competitive globally).
Furthermore, with a slower less dynamic economy, we would attract less migrants and force loyal citizens to procreate.
Yay or Nay?
I don’t think we’re taught it’s our patriotic duty to spend. I’m also really unsure how you think this would force loyal citizens to procreate. If anything people will want to have fewer children.
Go google terms like davos agenda, world economic forum and stake holder capitalism.
There's a plan to reduce the middle class. They use a lot of fancy flowery language but the end goal is that by2030 you'll own nothing and be happy about.
This is not right wing BS, it's listed right on those websites. The global elites want a one world government, to get there America has to go.
Hence turn us into wimps the way most of Europe is, if you can't see that then I don't know what more I can say.
Americans won't settle for that and would riot and protest than comply. Why do you think the covid mandates are mostly gone now? The global elites can go suck eggs.
Americans won't settle for that and would riot and protest than comply. Why do you think the covid mandates are mostly gone now? The global elites can go suck eggs.
I agree, but unfortunately the last 30 yrs the educational system has been softening people up to the idea of socialism. It might happen in a few more years, but I hope not.
The global elite can do a whole lot more than suck eggs, TOS terms prevent further comments.
I don’t think we’re taught it’s our patriotic duty to spend. I’m also really unsure how you think this would force loyal citizens to procreate. If anything people will want to have fewer children.
Give women access to a high school education or better, a chance at a decent non-farming job and easy access to contraception and most will decide that two or fewer are the right number of children for a family, and it really doesn't matter if a government heavily subsidizes children or not. This cuts across a lot of cultural, religious and income lines. (The fertility rates in Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Iran are barely above replacement rate, and current fertility rates in Brazil and the USA are both around 1.7 kids per woman) Women who are not subsistence farmers want kids but they usually want a smaller number of children where they can put more time and family resources into each child.
Minus the UK, western Europeans spend half as much per-capita on consumer goods. They take up there recreational time with outdoor walks, cafes, biking, family visits, or window shopping.
It has created slower growing economies, but Europeans have found a way to make it by. Americans are taught its their patriotic duty to spend, but our economy doesn't have to structured in a way that is reliant on consumerism. 70% of our GDP is based on consumer spending, so if people stop the economy will tumble. But with the supply chain crisis America may be forced to reorient their economy are production.
Yay or Nay?
Nay.
Tax Americans enough and they will have the same problem as Europeans. Lack of disposable income to buy all the goodies we are used to.
The pandemic did prove one thing. All the chatter that socialized medicine was far superior to our system was total baloney.
Go google terms like davos agenda, world economic forum and stake holder capitalism.
There's a plan to reduce the middle class. They use a lot of fancy flowery language but the end goal is that by2030 you'll own nothing and be happy about.
This is not right wing BS, it's listed right on those websites. The global elites want a one world government, to get there America has to go.
Hence turn us into wimps the way most of Europe is, if you can't see that then I don't know what more I can say.
The top wealthiest will be the haves and the rest their serfs, just like the Middle Ages.
If the Leftists really want a Socialist Country and want to join the EU … they should do that.
The rest of the American Citizens will figure out their own Future. It will NOT be Socialist/Communist.
Americans, so set in their ways, even at the cost of their own well being and interests.
Keep the arrogance alive.
You are embarrassingly uniformed.
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