“The ‘Three Happinesses’ and Public Policy”

Abstract

In the American Declaration of Independence (1776), it is stated:

We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness — That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its Foundation on such Principles, and organizing its Powers in such Form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and Happiness.

I had found no significant relationship between happiness and time over a period in which GDP per capita grew by one-third, from 1972 to 1991 (Easterlin 1995, pp. 37–8). Charles Kenny (1999, pp. 14–15), based on a correlation of happiness with GDP per capita over the period 1952 to 1988, found a significant negative relationship in the United States… [O]ne needs to develop an empirically tested causal model that includes the life satisfaction derived from multiple sources — not just material goods, but also family life, health, work utility, and the like (Easterlin 2003). A better understanding of the causes of happiness will provide a more secure foundation for policy recommendations.

Richard Easterlin (2004b)

To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.

Bertrand Russell

Virtue is not an end in itself. Virtue is not its own reward…. Life is the reward of virtue — and happiness is the goal and reward of life.¹

Ayn Rand