I have studied happiness for quite a few years. It relates to my work creating a people friendly, people populated public realm. We need places to mix in order to meet our innate social character. Being social leads to happiness.
Here in the U.S. we have doubled our income since 1950 yet are no happier. Increasingly, studies show that material wealth does not yield happiness. The happiest are those with strong social networks. The number of close friends Americans have has declined by half in the last 40 years. We degrade the environment consuming extraordinary amounts in a fruitless pursuit of happiness.
The New Economics Foundation in London has a happiness index measuring how efficiently a country generates happiness. The U.S. is 150th on the list of 178. Italy is the highest ranking western nation. It is a good reason for our trips there. People witness how truly content Italians are and how much social interaction there is. Inevitably our folks return determined to live life a little differently. It is a great reward for us to see this happen.
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