Americans Are the Wealthiest but Not the Happiest

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

It seems the old adage holds true: Money can't buy happiness.

At least that's according to the Better Life Index released Tuesday by the Paris-based think tank Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The OECD ranked the United States No. 1 in terms of household wealth and 12th in life satisfaction out of 36 countries tracked.

Denmark--which ranked 16 in household wealth--took the prize for the happiest OECD nation, while Hungary--listed at 29 in terms of income--ranked the lowest.

Americans' household wealth is about $102,000 on average, significantly higher than those in many other developed countries. Only Switzerland comes close, at about $95,000 on average.

If that sounds hunky dory read further.

But there's a caveat to that seemingly encouraging data point. While Americans make loads more money than many other nations, the U.S. also has one the largest gaps between the rich and poor, with the top 20 percent of the population earning nearly $82,000 a year while the bottom 20 percent get by on just $10,600.

Americans give up a lot to make all that money--workers put in long hours and take fewer vacations and less personal time, according to the Better Life Index. On average, American workers spend 1,778 hours a year in the office, higher than the OECD average, and devote less time to socializing with friends and family than workers in many other countries.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/americans-wealthiest-not-happiest-163028373.html

[4th law of robotics]

1. Probably won't happen but I'd prefer a scheme where:

A) we adjust the minimum wage to something more reasonable. B) We commit ourselves to raising it every year to account for inflation/cost of living. C) every few years or so we take let's say one hour off the work week and further adjust the minimum wage by that (So go from 40 to 39 hours per week is a 2.5% reduction in hours worked, so increase the rate by inflation/cost of living/and 2.5% so people work less but their wages stay the same).

Maybe keep this going until it's down to 32 hours per week or so. Adjust everything slowly in regular implements so businesses can have plenty of time to prepare.