preview

Happiness And Happiness Analysis

Decent Essays

Weiner is continuing his research, by staying with a journalist friend from New York; her name is Susan. She invites him to meet with a couple of Swiss people to interview their views on happiness. A wealthy banker, a doctor, and a former Hollywood agent who’s lived in Switzerland for the past ten years. Weiner asks them on a scale of 1-10; “how happy are you these days?”, and the responses are as expected, many eights and nines and even a seven. The Swiss interviewees were as shocked as Weiner to see that they were pretty happy with their lives. During the interview with them, he further asks, “what is it that makes them happy?” , the doctor replies, “ Envy.”, explaining that the Swiss will do anything to avoid envy with each other. They live by rules and judgment. Examples: no flushing the toilet after ten or no laughing after midnight, etc.
He remembers that a certain naturalist named E. O. Wilson claimed that humans have the innate love for nature through evolutionary past. Weiner decides to take a trip to Bern; place so quaint, you might end up leaving from insanity, of it being so quiet and small. He then travels to Zurich for a short while to bask in some culture and chocolate, to see how well people on that side of town spend their happiness. To his shock, it is actually very slow-paced; every person is in no hurry to leave the beauty of the surroundings. Switzerland is a place of rules and morals but full of judgment and monitored actions. Rules do not create more happiness, because it restricts your activities. Nevertheless, keeps you safe.
The controversy of Choice vs. Happiness is divided between fact and idea. Through the second chapter of “The Geography of Bliss”, it focuses on the many choices that the Swiss need to vote on in order for them to maintain ‘conjoyment’. They believe that anything that is worth it should be taken seriously, which leads to their unnecessary voting for everything. Leading to what Barry Schwartz’s book; “The Paradox of Choice”, claims “ There is such a thing as too much choice… A surplus of options (especially meaningless one), we get confused, overwhelmed, less happy” (Weiner, 44). Putting too much choice on people, pressures them, causing the state of happiness

Get Access