Human Satisfactions and Public Policy

There is much casual evidence that people in the West are not becoming happier, despite economic growth. There is also some systematic evidence. Opinion polls reveal no increase in self-rated happiness in the United States since the War. And, more slippery evidence this, rich countries appear to be no happier than poorer ones – at any rate among the advanced countries.2 But if growth has not brought happiness, the important question is what policy conclusions follow.