Ruut
Veenhoven
Paper
presented at the international conference “The paradoxes of happiness in
economics”, Milan, March 21-22 2003. Published in Italian as Felici
nelle avversista
in: Bruni, L. & Becattini, G. (Eds.) 'Felicita ed economica. Quando il benessere e ben vivere' Edizioni
Angelo Guerini e Associati, Milano, Italia, ISBN 88-8335-482-6
ABSTRACT
Happiness is often seen as the fruit
of an easy life, but empirical studies show that happiness can go together with
considerable hardship. Average happiness is high in current western
nations, in spite of chronic problems such as criminality, time-pressure and
social inequality. Likewise, the happiness of the average citizen is not
affected by calamities such as the 11 September terrorist attack on New York.
At the individual level there are also examples of happiness in hardship: the
happiness of poor and handicapped people is only slightly below average.
These paradoxical findings can be explained in three ways: one
explanation is that they do not adequately reflect reality, because of
measurement bias or false consciousness. A second explanation holds that
subjective happiness is insensitive to objective conditions. A third explanation is that we can live with
some problems and even flourish when confronted with challenge.
These three explanations are considered in the light of the available
evidence. It is concluded that the last one fits best. Happiness requires
livable conditions, but not Paradise.