Abstract Do people who live in more developed and wealthier countries find more happiness than people in lesser developed countries? This paper analyzes the results of happiness between two sets of countries that fall on opposite sides of the industrialization and democratization scale. The results show that people between the two sets of countries are equally happy. It also shows that people in both sets of countries also are equally likely to be happy when finding things like family or friends important. As it turns out, happiness has little to do with GDP or wealth income of one’s country. In the second part of the study, happiness does not change much as a country industrializes. The author explores the point to industrialization and democratizing given one of the main goals of government should be happiness of their people. Review of the Literature It is a generally accepted idea that when countries industrialize, they improve living conditions for everyone in the country most importantly the rural poor. Britian was the first country to industrialize over a century ago, now each country that wishes to follow Britian’s example must use more state intervention. Resources and workers must be moved from rural agriculture to urban life in factories. This theory is known as the Gerschenkronian collective dillema and suggests that countries should want to industrialize and do it quickly with government coercion. Along with more state intervention in the domestic markets, industrialization also includes opening up a countries markets to international free trade. Theories introduced centuries ago by Adam Smith and other neoclassical economists state that countries will be able to increase wealth and gross do... ... middle of paper ... ... of Gandhi. This speech reflects some of the views of Gandhi, himself, such as the lack of need for material items. Overall, this speech illuminates the idea that people must find inner happiness and rely less of the material world around them to get by. http://www.prosperity.com/#!/ (prosperity index) This post talks about the different countries they have analyzed throughout the years. They use a “prosperity index” by Legatum Institute to figure out and rank the different countries in the world. This index ranks countries according to economy, health, personal freedom and etc. The index shows that small countries like (Norway) can be small and not so developed but have very happy people. It goes to show that happiness is not attained by working more hours but by having more hours with close friends and family. http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/wvs.jsp
The Industrial Revolution began in England during the late 1700s, and by the end of its era, had created an enormous amount of both positive and negative effects on the world in social, economic, and even political ways. The revolution began to spread across the world, raising the standard of life for the populations in both Europe and North America throughout the 1800s. However, even with all of its obvious benefits, its downsides are nonnegotiable, forcing workers into horrendous living and working conditions, all inside of unkempt cities. While some might argue that Industrialization had primarily positive consequences for society because of the railroad system, it was actually a negative thing for society. Industrialization’s
Even though industrialization benefited and progressed society in both Germany and Japan it was impossible for all levels of the political hierarchy to benefit equally. After all it is the “fundamental role of the state as an institution in the capitalist world economy to augment the advantage of some against others in the market.” (Wallerstein, 3). The government has the complete ability to control who benefits from the capitalist market. The two classes that generally benefited from the prosperity of the capitalist market during industrialization were the middle and upper classes. More specifical...
Although the Industrial Revolution contributed to life in Great Britain in both positive and negative ways, the origin of the industrialized society bestowed the foundation for the modern world. Contributing to life in Britain by making products and goods more affordable to common citizens and boosting the national economy, the growth of industrialization had an overall upbeat effect on the historical past. Equally, the renovated social class divisions altered the existing layout of ancient civilizations. Seeing that industrialization was benefiting Great Britain, many other countries soon began to replicate the prosperous routine. Industrial developments in the United States and continental Europe were inspired by the booming success of industrialization in relationship to Great Britain’s economy, political state, and social class divisions.
In Britain, industrialization changed the lives of workers in many ways. One way workers lives changed is being able to earn higher wages. They could make more money in factories than on farms. Wi...
Wilkinson and Pickett draw on a broad range of elements such as, health and wealth, income, mental well being and homicide in order to make their argument. They measure health and happiness in relation to people’s income and they find that in every society rich people on average tend to be happier and healthier than poorer people in the same societies
...(Nigeria tops Happiness Survey, BBC News), and that wealthier nations like the United States rank far lower than third world countries like Nigeria. The study shows that consumerism is a factor that happier nations lack, while the lust for money and possessions still hinders countries like America from basking in bliss. Hopefully, America does not take its materialism to extremes, in such a way that its fate is linked to Fitzgerald's Gatsby. For "the mass of men lead lives in quiet desperation" (Thoreau, Walden), waiting to awaken from the American Nightmare that they have brought upon themselves.
The Industrial Revolution was a time in western cultures when the production of goods became urbanized. Spreading from Great Britain, industrialization had become widespread in Western Europe by the mid-1800’s. France, in particular, progressed in the industrialization process from about 1830 to 1850. Industrialization created an enormous increase in th...
One reason described to be a cause of happiness is income. Don Peck and Ross Douthat indicate how, “National income appears to be one of the best single predictors of overall well-being, explaining perhaps 40 percent of the difference in contentment among nations” (352). With this statement, comes the explanation of how income can influence happiness in adults who strive to earn a living. Research illustrates how, “For individual countries, with few exceptions, self-reported happiness has increased as incomes have risen” (Douthat 352). While these two statements provide sufficient evidence for the reason of income bringing happiness, income itself is not relevant.
By using Gross Domestic Product as the main indicator of well-being, many important factors are neglected. As defined in the New Merriam-Webster Dictionary, well-being is the state of being happy, healthy, or prosperous (1989, p.831). Economically, perhaps the only relevant state under the definition is prosperity, but in reality happiness and health have a great impact on well-being, significant enough to be recognized even when focusing mainly on wealth in numbers. If society hopes to have a more accurate and complete indication of well-being, globally or nationally, a new system of measurement must be developed, leaving GDP to its original function of totaling the dollar value of all domestically-produced goods and services sold over a period of time.
Stearns, Peter N. “The History of Happiness. (Cover Story).” Harvard Business Review 90.1/2 (2012): 104-109. Business Source Complete. Web. 6 June 2015.
...riting ability of the contributing authors appropriately showed the audience in Europe that with their suggested root of happiness, change would be inevitable for a better, happier life. The revolutionary ideas for the stepping stones of happiness: moral pleasure, unified government, and equal social classes showed that the people of Europe were not happy. They wanted to adjust the way they lived and find the roots of happiness.
Happiness is a feeling that everyone aims to accomplish, yet some people seem to only catch a sight of it. Gratifying atonement, a state of well-being, and serenity are the more eminent elements of happiness. David G. Myers and Ed Diener propose the article “Who Is Happy?” which present aspects of happiness, a theory that recognizes adaptation, cultural world view, and personal goals. I believe through word of mouth and through those whom we look up to, we are told many myths about happiness, especially the biggest myth that money can buy happiness. In Daniel Gilbert’s “Reporting Live from Tomorrow”, he argues that the definition of happiness is not defined by wealth and that we rely on super-replicators and surrogates to make decisions that we feel will enhance our happiness. Our economic history has proven the idea of declining marginal utility. If we pursue life and liberty without happiness, our lives, quality, and value will slowly vanish, but the absence of wealth has nothing to do with one’s happiness.
A movement of industrialization transformed nations everywhere. Many countries experienced social and economic prosperity in this period known as the Industrial Revolution. The people of these countries also experienced change (Jacob, par. 1-5). Prior to the revolution, life for many was much different, allowing for many changes to occur; innovations reached several countries involved in this movement, and the lives of the citizens were largely impacted both positively and negatively.
Industrial revolution – the general historical phenomenon characterizing a certain moment in the development of capitalism.
Haller, Max and Hadler, Markus. "How Social Relations and Structures Can Produce Happiness and Unhappiness: An International Comparative Analysis" Social Indicators Research, Vol. 75, No. 2 (Jan., 2006), pp. 169-216. J Store.Web.06 Nov 2013.