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Comment by colechristensen | Hacker News Reader

>People are happy where they’re at right now.

Are they though?

They have experienced unrelenting growth for over 30 years and counting. Greatly improving their lives along the way. They are in a better place than ever before. Of course they are happy. More than anything, Chinese are pragmatic. will that continue into the future as the population ages? Remains to be seen.

My anecdotal experience talking with Chinese nationals is that they basically approve of the government and would not choose to switch to democracy.

For what it's worth my anecdotal experience is exactly the opposite. Sample size = 4 people.

GDP annual growth rate in China averaged 9.6% for the last 30 years. So I guess they have a reason to be happy.

I am not trying to convince anybody to be unhappy, but I have my doubts that GDP really has a lot to do with it one way or the other.

GDP is not just a number you know. If one were previously hungry and cold and are now well fed and comfortable, of course that affects happiness. Why do you doubt that?

The U.S. GDP has increased greatly since 2008, and yet there is widespread discontent in America.

Wealth only really matters to the point where you can support a good living. That "good" will vary but beyond that increases in wealth bring diminished returns. Think about a salary: if it's below a threshold you are unhappy no matter what. Above that any raise brings more marginal increases in satisfaction, you start looking at other things for that.

The US is past that point so now it needs more than wealth.

GDP can be one marker for 'things are improving'. Of course it isn't the full picture - when you are living in increasingly restrictive state monitoring you against your own will, you feel the government is bunch of idiots, jobs have been shifting away and so on and on, people are not that happy. Rich are getting richer, poor poorer. If you are 2 joints away from serving prison sentence and having your life ruined for good (maybe less relevant these days).

Losing 'friends' around the world - 30 years ago, americans were heroes, WW2 saviors of the europe and the world, America was land of endless opportunities and most importantly - freedom. Now its the opposite - unlawful killing of somebody with tons of civilians with drones wherever they want, and in the same time being very friendly with horrible regimes like the one in Saudi Arabia because oil and money. Freedom and US ain't the same thing after 9/11.

Plus on top of that workaholic US mindset, that weird attitude that your job defines who you are and whats your position in society. None of this can make masses happy, in contrary.

.. that statement doesn't really have a lot to do with how things are/were in China.

Americans don't even know what real poverty looks like.

As Bill Clinton strategist Jim Carville once said, "it's the economy, [----]".

What's the relationship between wealth and happiness? Is it linear?

Probably impossible to say, but I'd guess you'd have diminishing returns. So economic growth in a poor country will have much greater benefit than the same level of growth in a rich country.

There is a significant positive correlation, up to about 70k USD/year. After that (at higher incomes) there is no reliable correlation.

That magical $70k figure has been bandied about for the better part of a decade, yet nobody ever seems to adjust it either for locality or inflation.

Well, you are correct. GDP alone isn’t going to make people happy. Different policies, etc help.

America has so much discontent because of certain policies that have made our country worse over time. Health care, world view, etc.

Increase in GDP also brings very tangible improvements in income, life standards, modernization of cities, new technologies and a lot more to be happy with.

Tangible improvements for people who already have money.

GDP doesn't tell you where the money is going, and who benefits from it.

GDP may as well be a measure of how well the rich are doing because it tells you next to nothing about how the most disadvantaged in society are doing.

I figure that is intentional though.

Tangible improvements for almost everybody. The poorest people in China probably have seen biggest improvements. It’s not a capitalist government

Yes they are. Especially younger generations in China nowadays are much more likely to be pro-Chinese government and less agreeing to western values. Plenty of young students who came to study in America for a few years also have a tendency now to become more agreeable with Chinese government

People who have never seen the grass on the other side can't make a judgement as to whether it is greener.

I have visited countries where personal freedoms are curtailed but the general population had food, water, shelter and luxuries so they were content. It is only the moment they realize that those things are in danger or they covet what other nations have that problems arise.

You can't miss what you never lost.

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