Re:It's the 21st century – why are we working so much?
by jdietrich on Monday August 05, 2013 @10:57AM
(#6160461)
As others have commented, healthcare is not a relevant factor in most of the developed world; Even in countries with a privatised or semi-privatised healthcare system, it just isn't a big expense outside of the US.
I think that the key explanation is very simple - our expectations increase with our income, creating a ratchet of consumption. There is a very good body of research showing that people feel the benefit of increased consumption only briefly, and that they feel the effects of a loss far more acutely than the effects of an equivalent gain. We also tend to value our relative status far more highly than our absolute status - "keeping up with the Joneses" is a very powerful drive. We tend to feel worse about ourselves if the people around us are becoming relatively wealthier, even if our absolute living standards have not diminished at all.
The great post-war promise of the leisure society could easily be realised if we maintained post-war standards of living. It's not very expensive to live in a small house without central heating or A/C, to eat fairly humble food and rarely eat out, to replace clothes and household goods only when they wear out etc. I know of a great many hackers and artists who have made that choice, but they are very much in a minority. Most people would far rather work >~40hrs a week and benefit from the increased purchasing power. Frankly, I think that most people wouldn't gain any real life satisfaction from extra leisure time - fully half of the average American's leisure is taken up with television viewing.
I think that the key explanation is very simple - our expectations increase with our income, creating a ratchet of consumption. There is a very good body of research showing that people feel the benefit of increased consumption only briefly, and that they feel the effects of a loss far more acutely than the effects of an equivalent gain. We also tend to value our relative status far more highly than our absolute status - "keeping up with the Joneses" is a very powerful drive. We tend to feel worse about ourselves if the people around us are becoming relatively wealthier, even if our absolute living standards have not diminished at all.
The great post-war promise of the leisure society could easily be realised if we maintained post-war standards of living. It's not very expensive to live in a small house without central heating or A/C, to eat fairly humble food and rarely eat out, to replace clothes and household goods only when they wear out etc. I know of a great many hackers and artists who have made that choice, but they are very much in a minority. Most people would far rather work >~40hrs a week and benefit from the increased purchasing power. Frankly, I think that most people wouldn't gain any real life satisfaction from extra leisure time - fully half of the average American's leisure is taken up with television viewing.