Review of The Happiness Equation sparks debate in the US

Posted on 2011/08/17 , tagged as

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The Happiness Equation is kicking up a bit of controversy following this review in the Wall Street Journal, entitled ‘Lessons from Cloud 9’.

Bryan Caplan takes issue with Powdthavee’s argument that the best way to improve happiness is to redress large income differences between rich and poor.

Caplan ends by encouraging those who would address such inequalities of income to ‘cheer up!’ and be ‘grateful for what you have’.

His review has provoked a fair few criticisms of its own.

As a blog called ‘Noahpinion’ puts it, ‘Shouting ‘Quitcherbitchin’ is not going to raise our aggregate happiness’. It follows Tyler Cowen’s post in Marginal Revolution which notes that such outlandish statements from Caplan often leave him ‘giggling’.