What is to blame for this phenomenon...

What is to blame for this phenomenon? How can happiness decline when our living standards are objectively rising every decade?

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brookings.edu/blog/ben-bernanke/2016/10/19/are-americans-better-off-than-they-were-a-decade-or-two-ago/
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Materialism

by a mass reframing of what it means to be happy, or what the concept of happiness IS, along lines that aren't congruous with reality

irrelevant threads

wow it's almost as if our well being metric is garbage and we have no idea how to quantify or even define well being in a meaningful way

nah nevermind, probably just iphones or millennial entitlement or something

It all went downhill when you and your mom stopped sucking dick.

>wow it's almost as if our well being metric is garbage and we have no idea how to quantify or even define well being in a meaningful way
No one is complaining about the methodology but you

>women are happier when they're servicing cock
Can't argue with that desu

"Living standards" is an ideologically loaded term, not an objective measure.

this and fluorescent lights is literally all that's wrong

The fuck do you expect when wage growth has been stagnant for at least a decade, job security has been steadily declining, and average people are steadily being priced out of ever owning their own homes? We're worse off by pretty much every measure other than "lol but we produce more stuff."

>What
Who*

Affordable personal computers and internet access were introduced in the mid to late 90s.

Virginia slims poll

W..what

US economic welfare has increased significantly over this time. The happiness chart has been on the declines since the 50's iirc

brookings.edu/blog/ben-bernanke/2016/10/19/are-americans-better-off-than-they-were-a-decade-or-two-ago/

capitalism, man

>materialism
This is the red pill of this thread

He is right, though. At least in part. The economy still grows around what, 3% a year? That's as much economic growth as most of the world experienced in 50 years before industrialization. 6% a century. The problem is we're coming off of this industrial boom expecting the growth to continue, when it stopped those paces in the 70s.
Someone in the Great Depression? At least a little bit happy because in their lifetime they had seen some major improvements - someone born in 1890 would have the opportunity to see the connection of electricity, plumbing, radio, television, roads, and the telephone to the average American home in their lifetime. These new technologies gave rapid growth to the economy, which we haven't really been able to scale to the internet age. The internet is a boon, sure, but a lot of it is overvalued - Peter Thiel talks a lot about this and the "pets.com" style of tech investing. Innovation right now isn't about something making a massive difference in the average life, as only a few websites (facebook, amazon) have been able to do that. Innovation right now is about super specialized apps that alert you when your pet is ready to be picked up from the groomer, or when your tea is done brewing.

Also there are certain narratives that have gained footing that say that traditional things that make people happy (stable home with 2.1+ kids) are doubleplusungood, but they don't offer a satisfying alternative.

>our living standards are objectively rising every decade
If you live in a big house, surrounded by similarly sized houses, yet someone in your neighborhood has a palace, you will be green with envy. You will not be satisfied by material wealth until you are better or as good as your peers. This is why we should shun materialism.

Decline of Religiousness, breaking up of the family, the desire for short term appeasement (drugs, sex, porn, entertainment) over what gives actual fulfilling joy (family, religion, charity)
This

Muh Existence

Millennial's lives actually fucking suck.
They'll never be able to afford a house among other things and everybody still hates them.
We still haven't seen the brunt of this either.

American house prices save a few areas are crazy cheap to be honest

Culture. Western civilizations have a very toxic culture for the normal sane people. You have people pushing policies to emasculate males and make females masculine which results is the natural order of social interactions between the sexes getting fucked and along with other factors, has lead to the dating scene in the US being completely fucked along with marriage.

Then you have men growing up with a lack of purpose which has resulted in suicides and general apathy within them. Women have embraced the sexual revolution and single motherhood along with shitty women are increasing in numbers along with the men who enable that shit because "lmao free puss"

Also shitty parents raise shitty kids. Lots of factors are making people unhappy. Despite the push for "MUH INDIVIDUALISM" people like it when they have a role to do and can gauge how well they're doing. Not everyone can be a leader.

Realistic response to unsustainable global geopolitical and environmental situation

Show me it is a cycle or a trend and we can discuss

"living standards" might, but quality of life, peace of mind, free time, etc. Are all on the down.

>How can happiness decline when our living standards are objectively rising every decade?
But they aren't

destruction of community—multiculturalism, diversity, etc.

>Work more than ever
>Rampant inequality
>Destroyed sense of community
>Replaced religion with narcissism
>Total loss of faith in the political establishment

The most equal period of human civilization in the last 1000 years was the start of WW1 to the end of WW2. America built it's society off the back of an enigma it's been intentionally destroying whilst complaining it's going away.

the failed man is the wealthiest

Quality of life and free time have improved

>quantifying happiness

Fail to see how free time has improved when we work more than ever.

Look at the charts. Leisure time has improved