From Felix FitzRoy
The special report on happiness (16 April, p 46) did not mention the Easterlin paradox, that the average happiness of developed nations has not generally increased with growth of GDP per capita over the past few decades, and has even declined in China despite its spectacular economic growth.
One reason is the strong dependence of individual well-being on relative rather than absolute income. Others are declining community and social capital, as well as environmental degradation resulting from economic growth.
These results show that policy focused on GDP growth is not the way to increase happiness in developed countries. Denmark and other Nordic countries usually top international comparisons of average well-being, with their much greater equality and trust in neighbours and institutions.
School of Economics and Finance, University of St Andrews, Fife, UK
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From Alan Entwistle
I can, as a parent, state unequivocally that Daniel Gilbert’s assertion in your interview with him (16 April, p 48) that children have a reliably negative impact upon happiness is incorrect.
Tests he employs, or endorses, may score parents to be less happy on average than non-parents; my offspring probably rate me as a “miserable old git”. I can, however, assure both parties that I would be significantly more miserable without said offspring.
Buckhurst Hill, Essex, UK
From Hugh Colvin
Gilbert thinks that states should measure happiness. When governments are consistently able to achieve cuts in death rates, prison populations and greenhouse gas emissions, along with the eradication of child poverty, a balanced economy, peace, class sizes of 20 and so on – the list is very long – then perhaps in some Shangri-La they will be entitled to get to work on national quotients of “happiness”, whatever that may mean.
But until that happy day, my state of mind is not their business.
Knighton, Powys, UK
