Book description
In this new edition of his landmark book, Richard Layard shows that
there is a paradox at the heart of our lives. Most people want more
income. Yet as societies become richer, they do not become happier. This
is not just anecdotally true, it is the story told by countless pieces
of scientific research. We now have sophisticated ways of measuring how
happy people are, and all the evidence shows that on average people have
grown no happier in the last fifty years, even as average incomes have
more than doubled. In fact, the First World has more depression, more
alcoholism and more crime than fifty years ago. This paradox is true of
Britain, the United States, continental Europe, and Japan. What is going
on? Now fully revised and updated to include developments since first
publication, Layard answers his critics in what is still the key book in
'happiness studies'. Richard Layard is a leading economist who
believes that the happiness of society does not necessarily equate to
its income. He is best known for his work on unemployment and
inequality, whihc provided the intellectual basis for Britain's improved
unemployment policies. He founded the Centre for Economic Performance at
the London School of Economics, and since 2000 he has been a member of
the House of Lords. His research into the subject of happiness brings
together findings from such diverse areas as psychology, neuroscience,
economics, sociology and philosophy.
