Are you happier?

I read this article from Time magazine a couple of weeks ago called “The Happiness Paradox: Why Are Americans So Cheery?” Are we cheery? Is it possible that there really is a silver lining in this recession?

The author suggests that maybe the silver lining is in the downsizing, especially the downsizing of expectations. People had gotten exhausted with keeping up with the Joneses, and they’re a little relieved that the era of excess is over.

I like the last paragraph: “Whatever you make of the psychology of happiness, we know something of its physics. It rises as it ricochets off other people, returning to us stronger by virtue of being released. It gets bigger when we don’t care if it gets smaller; we stopped buying all the stuff we didn’t need that was supposed to make us happier, and we seem to be happier for it. And who would have expected that?”

Who indeed? I won’t go so far as to say that I’m happy about the recession or the global condition or the fact that so many people I know are out of work. But I am happy lately, and I think it has a lot to do with The Compact, and with blogging about it. Becoming a non-consumer has definitely been liberating. I’ve got more money, more time for things I care about, and I feel more in control. It’s a little bit like when I quit smoking cigarettes. One of the things I had come to hate was feeling like someone else (the cigarette companies and their advertisements) had control over my behavior. I didn’t want anyone else to have that power. To the best of my ability, I want to make my own decisions. And I feel more connected, part of a simple living/frugal/non-consumer community.

So, are you happier? Do you think being more or less happy is related to your economic situation or your status as a consumer? Do you identify yourself as a non-consumer, a conscious consumer, or something else? Please share your thoughts in the Comments section. Read the entire article here.