Outline:
Study of overall satisfaction, well-being or happiness
Frey 2011
deals with how people perceive their life satisfaction
"The measurable concept of happiness or life satisfaction allows us to proxy the concept of utility
"overestimate the satisfaction they derive from having a higher income in the future, and they underestimate the utility gained from immaterial aspects of life, such as friendship and social relations.
"More basic is the advice that happiness should come as a side product and cannot be achieved by aiming at being happy." this is called the "hedonic paradox"
<emergent sustainability><!-- can't directly create happiness, but it may be necessary for conditions of sustainability -->
Happiness leads to optimism, trust and taking a longer time-scale view.
Need trust to make social changes that challenge or may disrupt the current social order.
Because our society and economy is based on energy abundance, any change to lower energy consumption (or other aspects of sustainability) will require changes in our society.
Other related changes are:
demographic transition - away from high birth rates
spending habits - away from a culture of consumption and where (higher) relative wealth is the source of happiness
long term solutions - require technologies that are adaptable to changing conditions and don't lock in any particular infrastructure requirements
this is essentially I = P A T
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