In this blog post, we will examine how increasing wealth and a better understanding of happiness will affect human happiness.
Humans have long strived to live happy lives. People believe that they enjoy happiness in the process of setting goals for themselves and achieving them. As such, the word “happiness” is a concept that people always keep in mind, whether consciously or unconsciously, but its abstract nature makes it difficult to define specifically. Google Dictionary defines happiness as “a state of well-being or contentment.” However, concepts such as “sufficient satisfaction” and “contentment” cannot be defined according to objective standards. The criteria for happiness can vary depending on a person’s cultural, historical, and social environment, as well as their personal values. For example, in the United States, the words ‘excited’ and “happy” are often used interchangeably. As such, the value of happiness is a difficult topic to discuss, even for us today. However, thanks to increased wealth and a better understanding of happiness, the people of the future will be happier than those of today.
First of all, happiness is closely related to the wealth enjoyed by humans. When discussing happiness, the first question that arises is whether happiness is an objectively measurable value. Those who argue that happiness can be determined by objective criteria often cite wealth as that criterion. In modern society, there is a clear correlation between wealth and happiness. According to Yuval Noah Harari, wealth and happiness are positively correlated to a certain extent. This is because there are clear conveniences that can be enjoyed through wealth in a capitalist society. Of course, it cannot be concluded that “happiness is determined solely by wealth.” As Easterlin’s paradox suggests, it is well known that infinite wealth does not lead to infinite happiness. However, if the overall amount of wealth increases, people who were unhappy due to poverty will be able to enjoy basic comforts in life, and the overall level of happiness will also increase. In fact, if we look at the scatter plot showing the per capita GDP and happiness index of each country, we can see that there is a clear correlation between total wealth and happiness. In a future society, if the total amount of wealth increases and everyone can enjoy a certain level of wealth, the total happiness of humanity will increase proportionally.
So, will humanity enjoy more wealth in the future? When comparing the past and the present, it is undeniable that the total amount of wealth enjoyed by humanity has increased exponentially. Yuval Noah Harari explains that in 1500, the total value of goods and services produced by humanity was approximately $250 billion in current US dollars, but today, the total annual production reaches $60 trillion. This represents an increase of approximately 240 times. Even considering population growth, the average wealth per capita has increased more than tenfold compared to the past. Human science and technology and industry are still developing rapidly, so it is highly likely that humanity will enjoy much greater wealth in the future. Therefore, as long as the increased wealth is distributed appropriately, human life will become more prosperous and overall happiness will improve.
Second, advances in our understanding of happiness will make humanity happier in the future. As mentioned earlier, defining happiness is very difficult. However, humanity has long sought to understand the essence of happiness. Research on happiness has been conducted in various fields, including the humanities, philosophy, and natural sciences, and people have even attempted to quantify happiness, which was once an abstract concept, through surveys. In addition, education is helping people to pursue mental health and happiness. Scientific research is identifying the biological and chemical substances and phenomena that make us feel happy. Yuval Noah Harari says that it has already been proven that human emotions are determined by the interaction of nerves, neurons, and synapses, as well as biochemical substances such as serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. The medical community is attempting to treat mental illness by regulating hormone secretion. By the same token, if the amount of biochemical substances that make us feel happy is artificially increased, it should be possible to feel happy even in unhappy situations through scientific methods. Of course, one may question whether this kind of happiness is true happiness. However, from a mechanistic point of view, humans are ultimately just living organisms that operate according to specific algorithms. If the process of feeling happiness is achieved through biochemical substances, it would not be very different from the happiness we normally feel.
Some point out that biochemical happiness could cause moral problems. Yuval Noah Harari cites Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World as an example, questioning whether it is desirable for the government to artificially make people happy. However, this novel is just fiction, and the possibility of a phenomenon like Brave New World actually occurring is very low. Of course, there is a risk that drugs that induce happiness will be abused. However, just as people with depression find peace of mind through medication, if people who feel unhappy can gain stability through medication, there will be no moral problem.
In this way, increased wealth and a better understanding of happiness will make humanity happier in the future than it is now. Of course, we cannot say for sure that a society where everyone is happy will come to pass. For a society where everyone is truly happy to arrive, continuous research on happiness and the resolution of income inequality are necessary. However, there is definitely a high possibility that humanity will be happier in the future than it is now.
