The Encyclopedia
of World Problems
& Human Potential

Illusion of happiness

Name(s):

Illusion of contentment

Incidence

People in the USA are, in 1993, on average four-and-a-half times richer than their great-grandparents. Compared to their parents in 1950, people in the USA in 1993, on average, owned twice and many cars and drive 2.5 times as far each year. In 1987, the number of shopping centres in the USA (32,563) surpassed the number of high schools. Only 6% of Americans earning more than $50,000 a year believe they have achieved the American Dream, compared with 5% of those earning less than $15,000 a year.

Claim

Overconsumption does not make people happy. Once they have "enough" for a comfortable life, more is not necessarily better. Reduced consumption can bring greater freedom and fulfilment.

Broader

Personal misperceptions

Narrower

Reduces

Aggravated by

Reduced by

Collapse of belief systems

Strategy(ies)

Value(s)

Type

(F) Fuzzy exceptional problems

About the Encyclopedia

The Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential is a unique, experimental research work of the Union of International Associations. It is currently published as a searchable online platform with profiles of world problems, action strategies, and human values that are interlinked in novel and innovative ways. These connections are based on a range of relationships such as broader and narrower scope, aggravation, relatedness and more. By concentrating on these links and relationships, the Encyclopedia is uniquely positioned to bring focus to the complex and expansive sphere of global issues and their interconnected nature.

The initial content for the Encyclopedia was seeded from UIA’s Yearbook of International Organizations. UIA’s decades of collected data on the enormous variety of association life provided a broad initial perspective on the myriad problems of humanity. Recognizing that international associations are generally confronting world problems and developing action strategies based on particular values, the initial content was based on the descriptions, aims, titles and profiles of international associations.

About UIA

The Union of International Associations (UIA) is a research institute and documentation centre, based in Brussels. It was established in 1907, by Henri la Fontaine (Nobel Peace Prize laureate of 1913), and Paul Otlet, a founding father of what is now called information science.

Non-profit, apolitical, independent, and non-governmental in nature, the UIA has been a pioneer in the research, monitoring and provision of information on international organizations, international associations and their global challenges since 1907.

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Illusion of happiness

About the Encyclopedia

About UIA