Has our happiness floated upward with the rising economic tide？ Are we happier today than in 1940， when two out of five homes lacked a shower or tub？ When heat often meant feeding wood or coal into a furnace？ When 35 percent of homes had no toilet？
Actually， we are not. Since 1957， the number of Americans who say they are “very happy” has declined from 35 to 32 percent. Meanwhile， the divorce rate has doubled， the teen suicide rate has nearly tripled， the violent crime rate has nearly quadrupled (even after the recent decline)， and more people than ever(especially teens and young adults) are depressed.
I call this soaring wealth and shrinking spirit “the American paradox”. More than ever， we have big houses and broken homes， high incomes and low morale， secured rights and diminished civility. We excel at making a living but often fail at making a life. We celebrate our prosperity but yearn for purpose. We cherish our freedoms but long for connection. In an age of plenty， we feel spiritual hunger.
金钱买得到幸福吗？买不到！但是，钱多一点儿，幸福是不是也会多些呢？我们很多人会咧嘴一笑，点点头。我们相信，财富的多少与精神愉悦之间有些关联。多数人会说：我们确实想成为富人。现在，美国大学生中有四分之三的人认为，“经济的富足”是“非常重要”或“必不可少”的。金钱的确重要。
富人更幸福吗？研究人员发现，在一些贫困国家里，相对富足的确能使安康的可能性更大。因为我们需要食物、休息、庇护所和社会联系。
但是，生活中有这样一个令人惊讶的事实。在那些几乎每个人都能拥有生活必需品的国家里，财富的增长对幸福的影响并不大。收入和幸福之间的相互关系是“令人惊异的微小”。密歇根大学研究员罗纳德？英格利哈特在他的调查报告中是这样评述的——他曾对16个国家的17万人口作了调查。一旦人们的生活安逸了，增加的物质财富所带来的幸福感则会逐渐降低。第二张馅饼永远没有第一张味道鲜美，或者，第二次10万美元带来的兴奋感远不如第一次强烈。