Dr. Christopher K. Hsee, Yang Yan, Dr. Naihe Li, Luxi Shen
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."
| שייך לנושאים: 1-13 - חינוך אינטגרלי, -מקורות מדעיים, התפתחות האגו, 3. קנאה וכבוד |
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Dr. David H. Maister
Field of reference: Economics
Description: Envy plays a central role in motivating CEOs, academicians etc.
"CEOs with obscene paypackets are unhappy until they have matched what is considered "normal" among other CEOs. Lawyers from modest beginnings, making more than a million dollars a year or more, can get depressed and resentful because they are not earning what investment bankers earn.The issue is not just about money, but many forms of the world's rewards and recognitions. Academics and other authors can be (and are) jealous the (non-monetary) respect and recognition that is accorded to their (perceived) competitors' work. Socially, in their personal lives, people are always playing the game of "keeping up with the Jones':" being content with what they've got, until their neighbor has more.We concluded from this research that among economics majors in the lab and hunter-gatherers in the forest, contributing to the success of a joint project for the benefit of one's group, even at a personal cost, evokes feelings of satisfaction and pride. Failing to do so is often a source of shame or guilt. Cooperation thus is sustained by altruistic motivations that induce people to help others when not helping would result in their having higher fitness or other material rewards."
| שייך לנושאים: 1-13 - חינוך אינטגרלי, -מקורות מדעיים, התפתחות האגו, 3. קנאה וכבוד |
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Dr. Ruut Veenhoven
Field of reference: Psychology
Description: People measure their contentment by comparing themselves with others
"people compare themselves to others: in particular to compatriots of about the same age and social class. This 'social comparison' is seen to focus on observable and socially valued matters such as job prestige and the material level of living. The better off people perceive themselves to be relatively, the happier they feel."
| שייך לנושאים: 1-13 - חינוך אינטגרלי, -מקורות מדעיים, התפתחות האגו, 3. קנאה וכבוד |
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Dr. David Rand, Dr. Martin Nowak
Field of reference: Psychology
Description: The power of reputation.
"HAVE you ever noticed a friend or neighbour driving a new hybrid car and felt pressure to trade in your gas guzzler? Or worried about what people might think when you drive up to the office in an SUV? If so, then you have experienced the power of reputation for encouraging good public behaviour. In fact, reputation is such an effective motivator that it could help us solve the most pressing issue we face"...............""Tokens such as these serve a dual purpose. First, they allow those who contribute to reap benefits through reputation, helping to compensate them for the costs they incur. Secondly, when people display their commitment to conservation, it reinforces the norm of participation and increases the pressure on free riders. If youknow that all of your neighbours are paying extra for green energy or volunteering on a conservation project, that makes you all the more inclined to do so yourself."
| שייך לנושאים: 1-13 - חינוך אינטגרלי, -מקורות מדעיים, התפתחות האגו, 3. קנאה וכבוד |
| להשאיר תגובה | |
Dr. Sara J. Solnick, Dr. David Hemenway
Field of reference: Health, Economics
Description: Scientific research on the subject of Relative Happiness.
"An important reason why more money does not automatically make everybody happier is that people tend to compare their lot with that of others. In one striking example, students at Harvard University were asked whether they would prefer (a) $50,000 a year while others got half that or (b) $100,000 a year while others got twice as much. A majority chose (a). They were happy with less, as long as they were better off than others." ..... "Other studies confirm that people are often more concerned about their income relative to others' than about their absolute income. Pleasure at your own pay rise can vanish when you learn that a colleague has been given a much bigger one. The implication of all this is that people's efforts to make themselves happier by working harder in order to earn and spend more are partly self-defeating: they may make more money, but because others do too, they do not get much happier".
Article: http://www.economist.com/
Academic paper: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/
| שייך לנושאים: 1-13 - חינוך אינטגרלי, -מקורות מדעיים, התפתחות האגו, 3. קנאה וכבוד |
| להשאיר תגובה | |