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by davidw 5039 days ago
Cute story, but I'd put money on people doing cleaning work, statistically, being happier doing their hobby rather than cleaning.

Not all cleaning people work for investment managers that cut them in on sweet deals. Truth be told, I would guess that those are probably a minority.
1 comments
mikepmalai 5039 days ago
I'd put money on most cleaners not having hobbies =) (Sorry couldn't help myself...I come from a family of very blue collar folks and it's a running joke that your hobby is sleep)

My main point is it's hard to break years of routine/habit. If someone has done the same thing for 20 years, I don't expect them to suddenly change. Even when change would bring greater happiness over the long-term, I'm not betting against the comfort of status quo.

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salemh 5039 days ago
You are probably on to something with the lack of "retirement" (US, business and academia). Also, the change may lead to less happiness, from breaking such a long-term "routine" (I would say "life").
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mikepmalai 5039 days ago
It seems like with enough time we become institutionalized to a certain way of life and will reshape our happiness to fit perfectly to that world.

Oddly, first time I saw the world this way was after watching Shawshank Redemption as a kid and seeing Brooks killing himself after he was freed. From that point on, a lot of the seemingly irrational decisions people make made a lot more sense to me.

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