Why has happiness declined in Western Europe?

Did you know that happiness has declined in Western Europe? Yes, you heard right. Although their level of subjective well-being remains among the highest in the world, in most of these countries it has fallen over the last ten years. And this decline mainly affects young people. This is according to the UN World Happiness Report and the European Social Survey.

In fact, it is possible that your well-being has also declined without you realizing it.

But why?

At the Institute of Wellbeing, we have devoted thousands of hours to researching what improves or worsens the happiness of individuals and societies. And so now I will explain why and how this negative trend can be reversed.

One reason for this decline in well-being in Western Europe, though not necessarily the most important one, is that purchasing power has remained fairly stagnant. Previous generations experienced genuine economic miracles with great optimism, bringing significant improvements in quality of life.

However, today many view the future with pessimism, suspecting that, for the first time since the Industrial Revolution, they will live worse than their parents. The idea is spreading that their efforts will not be rewarded with the kind of life they deserve.

Listen carefully. To give you an idea, in the Eurozone, over the last twenty years, we have gone from a per capita GDP that represented eighty percent of that of the United States to one that represents only sixty-five percent, approximately.

But how is this possible when we used to be one of the most dynamic places in the world?

Because we are no longer so focused on generating wealth.

On the one hand, there is poorly managed public spending. It may not be the main cause, but it contributes. Would you like an example that angers many people? The waste of public aid on people who are able to work but do not want to, preferring instead to live off others.

And the rest, those who pull the cart while others lie comfortably in it, have to work for free and under duress for part of their time to support them. This regime of fiscal slavery does not represent a significant budget item, but it generates a sense of injustice and unease.

Add to that money other items of wasteful spending, such as subsidizing the media to partially control them, excessively unproductive civil servants, senior officials, and unnecessary public agencies and companies. And then there are the subsidies to associations and foundations affiliated with governments.

Now stop for a second and think about what I'm about to say. It would be much more effective to spend that money on promoting innovation, imitating successful programs such as those in Israel, Sweden, or the United States. And also to devote sufficient resources to ensuring that tech startups have the talent and, above all, the funding they need.

But if, in addition to this, incentives were introduced for private capital to invest more in venture capital firms and stocks, this would trigger the creation and development of innovative companies. Most importantly, some would grow and eventually become large unicorns that would bring great wealth and high salaries, such as Google, Apple, or Amazon.

However, did you know that the areas where public spending is highest are pensions and healthcare? This is due to the aging population, with life expectancy increasing but the retirement age not rising at the same rate. And who pays for this? The younger generations, who are increasingly squeezed in the form of lower purchasing power, higher taxes, and higher contributions.

But pay attention to this. This could be mitigated by making a major technological effort to automate and robotize the economy, so that fewer and fewer people could produce more. However, this is not being done, as the priorities are more about giving benefits to certain voters in the short term than developing purchasing power, well-being, and the general interest in the medium and long term.

This causes some countries to become overly indebted, which generates another additional waste: debt interest. Debt can help economic growth in times of crisis or if it is used for sufficiently profitable investments. But when it is used for consumption, it slows down the growth of per capita income.

Add to this mix excessive regulation that does little to generate wealth. This has a negative impact on, among other things, entrepreneurship, access to competitively priced energy, and the construction of sufficient housing. The latter considerably limits well-being, especially among young people and those on low incomes.

The desire to intervene is such that there is more concern about regulating innovation than promoting it. So, is it any wonder that we have lost the technological race to the United States and China?

Keep in mind that research and development not only improve purchasing power, but some innovations, especially in the field of neuroscience, eliminate or reduce certain types of suffering. Investment in research in this field is essential to maximize happiness.

But what's more, with different regulations in each European country and an obsession with local languages rather than promoting English, this leads to fragmentation of the European market rather than a single market. And that slows down the growth of businesses.

Is that all? No way! Because it turns out that there is also less entrepreneurial and innovative spirit than in the United States or China.

However, add inadequate immigration management to this already explosive cocktail. It is true that immigration has attracted talent that has contributed to and enriched society. What's more, it is necessary for countries to continue functioning well. And, in fact, it can even increase the well-being of society.

However, the lack of sufficiently rigorous filters, such as those in place in countries like Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore, has also been a magnet for people who have come to detract rather than contribute. This is the case with criminals who have increased theft and violence in some areas. There are also those who have increased sexual assaults, sometimes committed in groups, because the perpetrators believe that women who do not dress modestly have lost their honor and dignity and therefore do not deserve respect, but rather to be raped and assaulted. All of this is very harmful, generates insecurity, and clashes head-on with the golden rule for building a happy society: live without harming anyone, any sentient being. The only exception? Self-defense, but always against the aggressor and never against an innocent person.

But there is another type of dangerous immigrant who also violates this principle. These are immigrants from very different cultures who want to impose religious rules that are contrary to our rights and freedoms. They are those who are in favor of killing, imprisoning, or otherwise harming homosexuals, those who leave Islam, or those who criticize that religion. They are those who believe that women who do not obey their husbands should be beaten, or that free women or, in general, those who do not follow dogma should be murdered, assaulted, or punished in other ways.

And a third group of immigrants who break the golden rule are the so-called "welfare state tourists," that is, those who have not come to work, but to live off public assistance. Why do they break the principle of living without harming others? Because they are actually stealing money from others that they have worked so hard to earn.

To make matters worse, the complicit leniency shown to these individuals means that they are not usually expelled.

But, in addition, mass immigration in a short period of time in certain areas of Europe has led to the saturation of healthcare, education, and other services.

The consequence of all of the above? Degradation of certain places, deterioration of the welfare state, negative demographic and cultural change, and reduced social trust. And all of this leads to a decline in well-being.

It is not surprising that more and more Western Europeans, especially skilled young people, are emigrating to countries such as the United States, Switzerland, or Australia.

But there's more, as we spend more and more time on social media at the expense of face-to-face relationships, which leads to loneliness.

And then there is the growing comparison on social media with supposedly "perfect" lives that are not really perfect, but make us feel miserable.

However, there may be other causes for the decline in well-being in Western Europe. Tell us what you think they are in the comments, and we will analyze them.

Now, does all of the above mean that we are doomed to continue reducing our well-being? No, as long as, instead of standing idly by and watching this deterioration increase, we roll up our sleeves and get to work to reverse all of the above.

How? By raising awareness among other citizens, talking about these issues, sharing this article, and voting for political parties that reverse the above trends.

And remember: The happiness of a society is not lost suddenly: it erodes little by little... and can only be recovered when we stop looking the other way and start taking responsibility for the future we are building.