Well Being

"Beyond the satiation level of income, you can buy more pleasurable experiences, but you will lose some of your ability to enjoy the less expensive ones." I read this quote from the book, "Thinking Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman. I'm never rich but I can relate this idea to what I experienced when I travelled first time. I sat by the window seat, feeling excited to see the plane flying among the clouds. A simple experience was a mere pleasure when I saw Paris, Greece or Italy. The enriched culture, exotic appearance of people and even the night train had become very sexy! I could survive with baguette for a few days, or sample cheese and skip my lunch. After years of travel, I start to look for something more "fascinating" to stimulate the senses, or just lie on the beach in a resort enjoying sunshine and good food. The book talks about measurement of well-being by U-index. What's well-being? Health? Happiness? This index refers to the proportion of time people spent in a negative emotional state while commuting, working or interacting people around them. If you sleep 8 hours, you commute, work and enjoy time with families for 16 hours. If your U-index is 25%, that means you feel emotional discomfort or pain for around 4 hours. The measurement is solely a perception of how you feel rather than the actual health conditions. People who feels more positive and can bear with pain might be better off in well-being. According to Kahneman, higher income can mean that you can buy more pleasures by obtaining on luxurious goods or having nice vacations, but that does not translate to emotional experience. Therefore, better life satisfaction does not equal to enhanced well-being. Another interesting point he points out is that, people with religious faith enjoy positive affect and stress reduction, but they cannot reduce any feelings of depression or worry. Nevertheless, the idea of perception is very powerful, not only in marketing but also in happiness and well-being. The next question is how can we generate positive energy and feel better in a long run?

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