[roenxi]

I think this is under-calling both how miserable people were before the modern era and the remarkable impact good birth control has had on modern society. Suddenly there is lots of free time and a lot more choices to make than there were even 50 years ago and all the choices have unsatisfying outcomes. We live in a world that is too complex to understand, and people keep screaming that everything is about to collapse (which, in fairness, may be correct).

People have identified that both the traditional roles - child rearing and working very hard all day - are not much fun. Human society and morale doesn't cope well with hedonism. There aren't obvious alternatives. I don't see how a specific social theory could overcome these practical realities. Unusually, I don't really see economics as a factor here - everyone is, by historic standards, absurdly wealthy. Even most poor people.

[seydor]

> how miserable people were before the modern era

Materially, maybe , but judging by the way people live in rural communities even today, it's closer to the truth that they were happier overall, as they had a social support net, more socializing than they can handle and more time in nature. It's a qualitatively different life than urbanized domestication

[anon291]

Our family lives in a major urban metro. We go to a traditional urban church. We have everything you mentioned. No diss to our rural brethren, but rurality is not a prerequisite to this life. Most city people problems are of their own choosing.

My wife and I currently suffer from the more socializing than we can handle.

But this requires people to care for religion, which again is a self imposed change people have decided on.

We can criticize Reagan and thatcher till the cows come home. However to claim we are living in their utopia is false. Their utopia was highly religious and would not allow the shifting social norms we have seen in the past few years. The article is actually quite irresponsible in only bringing up thatcher and Reagan's economic revolutions while failing to bring up the sexual revolution.

[PontifexMinimus]

> But this requires people to care for religion, which again is a self imposed change people have decided on.

Self-imposed? People can't just choose to beleive in God, and most religions like their adherents to sincerely beleive in their stuff.

[anon291]

I mean at the end of the day everything the article complains about is people not believing in God.

Americans have a clear religion and its god is money.

Also, I'll point out the religious belief is basically inherited. A lot of the problems we see today are the previous generations refusal to pass on values and attitudes passed on to them.

[aklemm]

Which God? Am seeing that leads to violent conflict every single time and undermines your argument a wee bit.

[nfhshy68]

Happiness has steadily decreased since social media has grown in popularity.