Economic growth has undeniably increased living standards, making people wealthier in both developed and developing nations. As this trend continues to rise, however, an intriguing paradox has emerged: In developed countries, citizens report that they don’t feel much fulfilment as compared to previous generations, even if this development brought significant positive advances. This essay will explore both the reasons behind this phenomenon and the lessons that can be learned from it.
In recent decades, the economy has brought significant positive developments, with people gaining more affluence and living at high standards, while some people are still not satisfied with these improvements. As modern society considers material wealth as true success or happiness over overall well-being or social relationships, people focus solely on ever-higher financial goals or accumulating materials that show them their wealth. Despite the importance of social interactions or socialism being downplayed and wealth-pursuing goals praised by this modernism, community relationships play a crucial role in this modernity. People not only prioritize prosperity but also associate it with happiness and success. For example, one might think that if they achieve their desired affluence, they will become happy, while happiness cannot necessarily be obtained along with money. In other words, these views could be the main reason why people are not as satisfied as those were in the past.
As for the lessons, there are many issues that can be analysed through thorough investigations. Firstly, people should be aware that happiness is not generally related to becoming rich or living at high standards, as there are many factors by which people can feel fulfilment. By socializing with others, individuals can obtain a high sense of belonging, which leads to improved mental health. To clarify, isolation is the trigger of anxiety or depression and this may be the main clue of being unhappy, becoming more apparent and it should be solved through face-to-face interactions. In addition, the more people accumulate wealth the more they consume, since gathering materials face overconsumption. To cope with this issue, people should not excessively gather wealth, and concentrate on a balanced lifestyle, as the appropriate balance in wealth and mental health can award people with a higher level of satisfaction.
In recent times, obtaining wealth and high-value materials become synonymous with happiness, and as a result people often concentrate on pursuing ever-high financial goals, leading to assume that achieving high affluence may give them happiness.