"Evidence suggests that if we use an increase in our incomes, as many of us do, simply to buy bigger houses and more expensive cars, then we do not end up any happier than before. But if we use an increase in our incomes to buy more of certain inconspicuous goods - such as freedom from a long commute or a stressful job - then the evidence paints a very different picture. ... Reallocating our time and money in these and simialr ways would result in healthier, longer - and happier - lives."
From Wired Magazine Oct 2004 Page 125
and From Daedalus,
volume 133, issue 2
Robert Frank
Professor of economics, Cornell University
Seeing things like this make me feel better about driving an eight year old minivan and riding my bike to work - though I didn't need an econ prof to tell me this. B
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