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Europe: land of leisure, land of the good life, of sipping wine at sidewalk cafés and enjoying the security and equality that social democratic systems create; unlike in America, where a nation of workaholics slaves away to pay for its own health care. Meanwhile the gap between the American rich and poor widens, driving all but the super-rich to futility and despair. Right? Wrong, as Arthur C. Brooks uses decades of happiness research to prove in his second book, Gross National Happiness. "Happiness is a full-time job," Brooks reveals: hard work makes people happy, and in fact only 11% of Americans are dissatisfied with their jobs. 51% are completely satisfied or very satisfied, compared to 36% of the Dutch and 32% of the French. Brooks shows that American liberals are not as happy as conservatives. While 44% of conservatives say they are very happy, just 25% of liberals do. Brooks also looks at the relationship between politics and charitable giving (a major factor of individual happiness). Those who disagree that "the government has a responsibility to reduce income inequality" give four times more money to charity than those who agree. Compare America to Europe: 51% of Americans volunteer, compared to 19% of Germans, for example. Research shows that the following is what makes people happy: self-reliance and the conservative political positions that accompany belief in self-reliance; marriage; political freedom; religious observance; full-time work; the opportunity to get ahead; and charitable giving. "Not happiness stamps," said Newt Gingrich of the "unalienable rights" the Declaration of Independence enumerates. "Not a department of happiness; not therapy for happiness. Pursuit." Brooks makes a strong case for preserving America as "an oasis of happiness-producing freedom in a world that generally doesn't believe citizens can handle freedom—and doesn't trust them to try." (Basic Books, 2008, 277 pp., $26.95) |
Americans are actually much happier than Europeans. 56% of Americans are "completely happy" or "very happy," a higher percentage than the citizens of any European country except Cyprus. Only 44% of Danes, 39% of Swedes, 36% of the Dutch and 35% of the French are very or completely happy. While strict labor laws guarantee job security, short hours, and lots of time off for most Europeans, those laws also guarantee high unemployment as companies fear taking on employees they can't get rid of.
