Theos-Talk Archives (December 2006 Message tt00316)

Friends, 

"Can poor people be more self-satisfied than the rich? What is the link between wealth and happiness?" 

The question opens an article in the ULT monthly magazine "The Theosophical Movement".   

The text says: 

"A World Value Survey of people in 65 nations, conducted recently by an international group of social scientists, concluded that the world's happiest people lived in Nigeria, followed by the people of Mexico, Venezuela, El Salvador, and Puerto Rico. People in America, who earn a lot and spend a lot in all sorts of expensive fripperies, ranked sixteenth. This conclusion defies conventional wisdom, reports Richard Ernsberger Jr. (Newsweek, July 26, 2004)."
"It is felt that the relationship between money and happiness is tricky. Happiness means different things to different people—some equate it with personal success and self-esteem, while others equate it with money. Daniel Kahneman, a Professor of economics at Princeton and co-winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize, says that 'a person's happiness level doesn't simply rise with his bank account; the law of diminishing returns applies.' 

How so?

To see all of this October 2004 article in TTM, click  at 

http://www.teosofia.com/Mumbai/7412light.html

Regards,  Carlos. 


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