20世纪,大多数国家的生活水平都有较大的提高。经济学家预计,人们的生活水平在下个世纪还会持续升高。这样看来,人类是不是越来越幸福了呢? 美国南加州大学的经济学家伊斯特林的回答是:未必。在伊斯特林看来,美国的富人的确比不太富足的人幸福一点。根据统计结果,在半个世纪的时间内,美国的国民生产总值上升了两倍多,但是美国人对幸福的感受总的说来并没有随之改善。 In the 20th century, the standard of living of most countries was greatly improved. Economists predict that people’s living standards will continue to rise in the next century. In this way, human beings are getting more and more happy? University of Southern California economist Istaline’s answer is: not necessarily. To Easterlin, the rich in the United States are indeed happier than the less affluent. According to the statistics, in half a century, the GNP of the United States more than tripled, but Americans’ general perceptions of happiness have not generally improved.