Happiness as a Goal of Human Beings

Abstract

There are many concepts and ideas regarding what happiness may mean, but it certainly is a major goal of human beings. In the past, the concept of Gross National Product (GNP) was an important social innovation for capturing economic activity. A higher material living standard enabled people to lead better and healthier lives. Many people have a romantic view of the quality of life in previous centuries. However, people living in those times had no access to material things nowadays taken for granted. Similarly, goods and services that are generally available in the developed world may be inaccessible for many in the developing world. Today, it is no longer assumed that higher material wealth automatically leads to higher life satisfaction. There are many other factors that determine happiness beyond purely material aspects. It is important to deal with the fundamental questions of how much material consumption contributes to our happiness and which factors above and beyond material aspects determine human well-being.