Are you happier than your forefathers?

Answer 1

The idea of happiness is subjective and the question whether we are happier now as a society and individually more than our forefathers were happy is difficult to answer.

First, every person's life and circumstances are different, even within the same society, country, region, area, and local community.

Second, what one person might think are circumstances that would lead to unhappiness may be the same circumstances of an otherwise happy person, now or in the past. A person may be bitter and unhappy over ill fortune, poor decisions, or poor health, whether they live now or two hundred years ago. Yet, another person in similar circumstances may be (or have been) happy and content with their "lot" in life.

Medical researchers today study aspects of happiness, peaceful thoughts, contentment, etc. and most studies have concluded that optimism is often at the core of whether a person reacts in a way we describe as "happy" or "content". Many researchers believe that when we "think positively" and have hope and faith, we can change how we feel and think about even the worst situations.

As a comparison of daily life and lifestyles, we can chart that individual responses would and do have an impact on how people view their lives, whether now or hundreds of years ago.

Comparison of today versus in the 1800s, in both:

1. Classes exist, from the most poor to the most rich. But sometimes, the most rich financially are the most sad, unhappy, lonely, etc. Sometimes, the most poor are very happy, despite having no money.

2. Other than educated men in the 1880s, most people had little formal education. Today, we have greater and longer former education, yet, more people report depression and discontentment.

3. Almost all people in the 1800s did some forms of manual labor. The educated men fell into four groups, lawyer, physician, teacher, or preacher, but all within those 4 groups were also farmers usually. Today we use more machines for manual labor, and have much more leisure time. Some researchers think that because humans do less hands-on work, we feel more discontent.

4. Few people in the 1800s felt "entitled" to ANYthing! If they didn't work, they didn't eat. If they didn't earn money, they knew they could not buy basic necessities. They didn't expect an inheritance and appreciated what they were given. Today, many experts cite a phenomenon called "entitlement", in which many groups and individuals believe they should be given money, benefits, or to be taken care of by someone or by government. This entitlement belief causes taxpayers to dislike people who receive government's help (money, food stamps, free health care, or even extended unemployment benefits). As a contrast, communities in the 1800s had NO entitlement programs. In fact, it was only in the mid 1800s that church leaders began to create "homes" for orphaned children. It was only in the late 1800s that communities formed long term "homes" and institutions for the elderly, ill, and insane. It wasn't until after World War I and World War II that the US government began "food programs" for the poor/hungry.

5. Almost all people in the 1800s knew they would probably die before turning 18. IF they lived until their 30s, it was likely they'd die before age 60. IF they lived to 80 years old, they were unusual. Women of childbearing years knew that with each pregnancy they could die, and mothers knew they were likely to lose at least 1 child before the child turned 2 years old. They also knew that even if all their children lived beyond age 2 years, they risked death before age 5 years old simply because of communicable diseases, common colds, pneumonia, and unclean water (typhoid) or spoiled food. After World War II, we've had antibiotics to kill bacteria.. and in the last 20 years, anti-viral meds to kill viruses. Lifespan averages now hit in the mid 80s and longer. We have better access to doctors, better technology, and better care. However, many people today think all doctors should be able to cure all ills, which is an impossible belief to fill. Our forefathers believed in self-care, practical use of medicine and herbal treatments, along with relying on faith in God which gave peace even when doctors could do nothing to save a wife, husband, or child.

6. People in the past took more self responsibility, in all areas of life. As one example, look at how many men "went west" into Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, etc., to search for land to buy, then returned home to New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, etc. The next year, the man and his family (often with other families), traveled to their new home in the other state. They often left family behind--parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins-- with no hope of ever seeing them again. The homesteaders had to rely on themselves and their skills to make it through each day. Most WALKED the entire way; wagons held possessions, not people. TODAY, however, children often think it is a hardship to walk to school; to go without television; to suffer when the electricity going off for a few hours in a thunderstorm.

In comparing the changes people saw in daily life, work, technology, etc., we simply cannot then say that people were less happy if they were born in the 1800s. We also cannot say whether people today are happier or less happy than their forefathers. We can say that in all eras, societies, groups, communities, families, etc., people today and our forefathers experience/ experienced many varied circumstances that could contribute to whether individuals might feel happy or unhappy, but there are too many variables to say whether ALL persons were/are happier or unhappier now than before! Traits like personality, optimistic-pessimistic tendencies, upbringing, life events, family supports, etc. all can have their own impact on how well a person adjusts to and reacts to adversity. Resilience can offset many negative experiences. Therefore, when more people learn the lessons of resilience, we can say it is more like those people would be happier regardless of their circumstances.
You can never know that. Unless you can somehow talk to your relatives from hundreds of years ago to ask how they feel, you may never know.

Answer 2

I do not have emotions or consciousness, so I do not experience happiness. Happiness is a subjective experience that varies from person to person, so it is difficult to compare my state to that of my forefathers.