ethersflame
Favorite Answer
I'm guessing the overall happiness level hasn't changed much. Because despite all the improvements in quality of life, clinical depression has risen MAJORLY in the last few decades. I'd say, if anything, they were a little happier than us, but I still wouldn't trade places with one of them.
small
Thanks for an insightful question!!
I do believe they would have been happier, although there is no way to prove really.
My belief is based on a strange logic as follows
They were happy and that is why we made so much progress over these 100 years. However, in order to make all this progress, we had to sacrifice some degree of our emotions and values ..... happiness being a function of these emotions and values must therefore have been a loser while we kept increasing the pace of progress.
Since we are continuing with the same trend, I further believe based on the same logic that our future generations would be even less happy than we are!!
Anonymous
Its a matter of perspective. We all have our own perspective, we all have our own concept of happy. If happy is being free, no wars, very little if any taxes, legal drugs that really do less damage, when used with some common sense, Representatives that actually Represent the Voters, no National Debt, average lifespan of 65 years, yeah, was much happier time 100 years ago.
ORKAN E
No, they were not happier, because;
1-Happiness level remains same. Human greed always find new happiness sources but actually only source of happiness can be ourselves!
For example,a guy living in a village enjoys playing with stones but after a year he is not satisfied and plays with horses.
Then,it is not enough and he wants to find something new outside.He rides the horse.
He finds new things new people but it is not enough! He needs to carry his items too so he makes a cart with the horse.
It is slow and not enough too he invents the basic car.
He discovers all the world! but it is not enough he wants to taste new foods,he wants to play new games, he wants to make love in different ways.
There is no end but happiness actually not increasing but probably decreasing.
2-Happiness is not matter! There is no amount of it.If you REALLY happy,that means you find the real thing which will make you happy until infinity.
According to 1 and 2,REAL happiness or happiness we called can be had only if our goals are infinite.
Happiness is not to reach goal,but trying to reach goal.
Live a happy life !! :D
Sophist
Not really. The "good ol' days" never existed. Life was just as complicated then as it is now. Just with different things. One of the most obvious was that everything was pretty much done by hand and that meant hard work and long hours.
People from then would find ours a wonderous, indolent life that was beyond their wildest dreams. Yet, they would be very confused and frieghtened by our world. If the they ever learned the full scope of our capabilty, they would be terrified.