Rather than thinking that some countries are doing much better and worse with their wealth, I suspect that the data collection methods leave something to be desired when one wants to compare across countries.

Rather than thinking that some countries are doing much better and worse with their wealth, I suspect that the data collection methods leave something to be desired when one wants to compare across countries.

I’m kidding but it struck me as the most jarring piece of info on that graph. I’d also point out that Deaton makes the findings sound more directly proportional than they appear to me when looking at that graph. The Venezuela/U.S. comparison being the most drastic. When I look at it, it seems clear that some nations are much better at utilizing their GDP than others and the U.S. comes out pretty poor in that regard, perhaps due to a law of diminishing returns or because our GDP distribution policies are crappy.

I’m kidding but it struck me as the most jarring piece of info on that graph. I’d also point out that Deaton makes the findings sound more directly proportional than they appear to me when looking at that graph. The Venezuela/U.S. comparison being the most drastic. When I look at it, it seems clear that some nations are much better at utilizing their GDP than others and the U.S. comes out pretty poor in that regard, perhaps due to a law of diminishing returns or because our GDP distribution policies are crappy.

Your point about relativity is a good one although I think regardless of that, money makes you more comortable and arguably therefore happier regardless of what’s going on in other countries.

I’d also like to see a bar chart with the different religions also, i.e.countries that are predominantly Christian in one bar, Muslim in another bar, etc. and then compare that with happiness and then find a way to mix GDP in there somehow.

But in the end the eternal question will always be, which is the cause and which is the effect? Did happiness cause production, did production cause religion, did religion cause happiness?

Your point about relativity is a good one although I think regardless of that, money makes you more comortable and arguably therefore happier regardless of what’s going on in other countries.

I’d also like to see a bar chart with the different religions also, i.e.countries that are predominantly Christian in one bar, Muslim in another bar, etc. and then compare that with happiness and then find a way to mix GDP in there somehow.

But in the end the eternal question will always be, which is the cause and which is the effect? Did happiness cause production, did production cause religion, did religion cause happiness?

Mi dispiace.

Mi dispiace.