The Zeitgeist

It seems like a brief survey of the news leaves one feeling like the world is getting worse. Part of me doesn't want to believe that. The reason being is that probably every generation feels that way--surely people during the Great Depression felt that way, and no doubt many during WWII felt that way.

But it could be argued that just because many people believed that in the past, that doesn't necessarily mean now isn't the worst. I think the argument can get more complex than at first notice.

I would argue that most people are not as happy as they used to be. Even with modern-day conveniences and the great benefits of technology people's subjective well-being has gone down.

It seems paradoxical, but it's true.

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