> So the paradox boils down to this: if the public's ratings at any
> given point in time are to be taken at face value, the typical
> American's quality of life is constantly improving over time. The
> present always surpasses the past, and the future always surpasses
> the present. But the very same rating system that builds this
> blissful portrait of perpetual human progress also eviscerates it.
> For when you look at the public's ratings of the present from one
> year to the next, you see that it almost never changes.
>
> What gives?
>
> Some psychologists theorize that human beings can't help themselves;
> they're hard-wired to imagine brighter tomorrows because the act of
> doing so is pleasurable in and of itself.
Are there any similar studies for other countries?
-- Andy