Gregg Easterbrook explores the exact phenomena detailed in the title of his book, The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Get Worse.
The Big Ideas!
- Nearly every standard of living measurement shows that the average person’s life is considerably better than it was as little as fifty years ago.
- Despite these improvements, people report feeling more unhappy than ever – this is the paradox!
- Based on this discrepancy between standard of living and actual satisfaction levels, living standards do not appear to actually make people any happier.
- People still can find happiness in the modern era; they simply have to look for it in the right places.
- Volunteerism is one of the most effective routes to personal satisfaction.
Neutrino’s Nutshell
Life has certainly changed since the founding of our country. America has grown from thirteen colonies to a nation of over 300 million. Things are better. Medicine has almost eradicated smallpox, polio, and other diseases that at one time caused great calamity. And technology has made it easy to get all the chores done in a minimal amount of time.
With all these advancements, you’d think Americans would be happier than ever. Not true. People are worse off. Happiness levels have remained stagnant since the 1950s, while diagnoses of depression have skyrocketed! Sure, some of this can be attributed to better awareness and more accurate diagnosis of mental health problems, yet it still is shocking that the improved health, education and other measurements of living standards have not coincided with higher levels of happiness.
In The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse author Gregg Easterbrook explores the seemingly inconsistent measurements of living standards and happiness. He seeks to discover how we’ve ended up the way we are and how we can lead happier, more fulfilling lives.
We tend to think that happiness is related to things, such as fancy homes, cars, computers, cell phones and so on. But as Easterbrook has discovered, there is plenty of truth to the old cliché, “Money can’t buy happiness.” Instead, argues Easterbrook, happiness is a simple choice. A person can be happy if they truly want to, regardless of circumstances. The key to finding happiness does not lie in material wealth; it has more to do with one’s dedication to helping others. By volunteering time for charitable organizations or simply doing a little extra for friends and family members, a person can greatly improve his or her satisfaction with life.
Quotables
There is no relationship between having a perfect navel or named rose, or grand home or expensive car or any such item, and happiness. A perfect navel makes you look better; a large home allows daily life in comfort; a fine car means you get where you are going; you might look good, live grandly, travel in style, and still feel forlorn.”
IMEO (In My Eudaimonian Opinion)
The Progress Paradox may have been written before the tumultuous times of the recent economic recession, but it remains pertinent in an era of stagnating wages. If anything, the book serves as a great reminder that, despite economic turmoil, we can find happiness and meaning in our lives.
Easterbrook provides a thorough explanation of the forces that have shaped American society and what we can do going forward. He uses the expertise of prominent positive psychologists to provide a glimpse at the hope that lies in the seemingly bleakest of situations. And he makes the reader realize that, in helping others, one is simultaneously helping him or herself.
It may be packed with information, but The Progress Paradox never comes off as a dry read, thanks to Easterbrook’s incredible wit. And when giving the full history of Americans and materialism, the author turns the book into a compelling story, rather than a dull history lecture.
Take action, humanoid!
- Let go of your insecurities surrounding material wealth; while money is nice, it certainly isn’t everything. Let teens know that they are capable of having a rich and rewarding life without living in a gated community.
- Emphasize the importance of volunteerism. As Easterbrook suggests, helping others is one of the best ways to make yourself feel better. Make a point of volunteering as a family at least once a month.
- Let go of the negative. Obviously, negative feelings are always going to have some sway over your family, but the more you can focus on what’s going right, the happier you’ll be.
- Being happy is a choice. Lead by example and make a commitment to choosing happiness over despair.
Parents and Teachers
The easiest way you can incorporate the lessons of this book is to dedicate some time to helping others. Whether you get teens involved in food drives or helping at the animal shelter, you are teaching them a valuable lesson. It is also a good idea to think about the things that make you grateful and ask teens to do the same. They may realize that things aren’t so bad after all.
The Deets
The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse
Author: Gregg Easterbrook
Publication Date: 2004