--- Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com> wrote:
>
> On Nov 28, 2007, at 4:15 PM, Jerry Monaco wrote:
>
> > I'm not sure what Doug means when he says,
> "There's plenty of
> > evidence that
> > poor people aren't all that unhappy - and that
> money doesn't make
> > people
> > happier." Surely he must define "poor" in a
> limited way.
>
> I'm referring to the so-called "economics of
> happiness" literature,
> which shows that economic growth has not made people
> in given
> countries happier over time, and which shows that
> rich people aren't
> always all that much happier than poor people.
>
> Of course, people may not have the imagination to
> see their own
> unhappiness, as Tahir might say.
Emile Durkheim in his book Suicide, observed that suicide rates were higher for people who experienced major changes in their socio-economic position, whether that be moving from affluence to poverty or vice versa. I wonder what implications people might here perceive for the discussion concerning happiness.
Jim F.
>
> Doug
> ___________________________________
>