John Stuart Mill

פורסם: 22.02.12, 9:55 pm

Field of reference: Philosophy, psychology, sociology

"Men do not desire merely to be rich, but to be richer than other men."

Link to article


שייך לנושאים: 1-13 - חינוך אינטגרלי, -מקורות מדעיים, התפתחות האגו, 3. קנאה וכבוד
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Field of reference: Psychology

Description: Human desires such as wealth and acquisition conform to relative happiness. Basic animal desires such as food conform to absolute happiness

"A central question in consumer and happiness research is whether happiness depends on absolute or relative levels of wealth and consumption. To address this question, the authors evaluate a finer level than overall happiness and distinguish three specific types of happiness: with money, with the acquisition of an item, and with the consumption of an item. They find that happiness with money and with acquisition is relative and that happiness with consumption can be either absolute or relative, depending on whether the consumption is inherently evaluable or not.In general, laypeople assume that happiness depends on absolute wealth and absolute consumption levels. Behavioral researchers have drawn a more realistic picture by arguing that happiness depends primarily on relative wealth and relative consumption levels. In this article, we draw an even more realistic picture by demonstrating that each view is correct under predictable circumstances. We believe that if attention is focused on consumption rather than on money or goods and if wealth is invested in improving inherently evaluable consumption rather than inherently inevaluable consumption, raising wealth from one generation to the next will make the new generation absolutely happier."

Link to academic paper


שייך לנושאים: 1-13 - חינוך אינטגרלי, -מקורות מדעיים, התפתחות האגו, 3. קנאה וכבוד
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