Happiness Is Bad for the Economy?

A Facebook friend shared a photo of a page from a book - Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig.

"Happiness is bad for the economy.  If we were happy with what we had, why would we need more?  How do you sell an anti-aging moisturizer?  You make someone worry about aging.  How do you get people to vote for a political party?  You make them worry about immigration (you could choose any issue to put there, so please no political discussion in the comments.  I'm just quoting the book.)  How do you get them to buy insurance?  By making them worry about everything.  How do you get them to have plastic surgery?  By highlighting their physical flaws.  How do you get them to watch a TV show?  By making them worry about missing out."

He goes on to say (on this one page that I saw) that being calm and happy with our "non-upgraded, messy, human selves" becomes a sort of revolutionary act, and is not good for business.

At first, it is easy to read this page of text and agree with him.  We certainly do spend a lot of money on products and services to increase our happiness or, at least, decrease our level of worry.  How many of us joined gyms or diet plans because we were unhappy with our health or appearance?  I recently updated my own SparkPeople bio and the final sentence is:  "I need to find motivation again because I don't really like the way I look or feel."  I've been buying new products (vitamins, herbal supplements, health foods) and started going to the gym again.  I guess my unhappiness with my physical state did its own little part in boosting the local economy.

However, I don't think people only buy products or services when they're unhappy.  I buy and do plenty of things just because I like them.  I'm not looking for those things to change me in any way.  It's not like they make me any happier.

I don't know where the author of this book goes beyond his opening statements, as all I saw was the first page.  The thing I take away from this excerpt is the reminder that material things don't bring happiness.  That has to come from within.  Buying things to make a positive change in your life is not bad and it can help you on the road to happiness, but we know that momentary happiness from material things fades rather quickly.  If there is something we want to change, we can take steps to change it and our attitude.  We can choose to focus on the good things in our lives and the progress we've made and be grateful - an attitude of gratitude.

Money can't buy happiness.  But if an already happy person wants to spend money on a trip or a new big-screen TV, good for them...  and good for the economy!