The Possibility of Dreaming and Thinking I Wish I Had More

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In the United States today, maybe 20% of our population would be an affluent class. But most people like that probably stridently describe themselves as middle class and say they don't have enough. The psychological data also shows that we very, improved circumstances very quickly becomes the norm for most people. And I'm not sure how the educational system or others could teach people to deal with this.

Author Gregg Easterbrook talks about the ideas in his latest book, The Progress Paradox: How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse. How has life changed in America over the last century? Is the average person getting ahead or are the rich taking all the gains? Easterbrook argues that life is better for the average American in almost every dimension. The paradox is that despite those gains, we don't seem much happier.