Is Big Better?

Our houses have more the doubled in size over the last fifty years as the average number of occupants has decreased. Our energy usage and carbon dioxide emissions have increased and are adding to the global warming problem.

"We have moved from the little house on the prairie to the big house on the cul-de-sac."

Bill Mckibben

Are we happy?
In his book, Deep Economy, Bill McKibben points out the results of a happiness survey. Since World War II, the National Opinion Research Council has polled Americans once a year with the fundamental question:

"Taken all together, how would you say things are these days - would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?"

The proportion of respondents saying they were very happy peaked in the 1950's and has decreased steadily in the years since.

Thinker and writer, Leonard Sweet, has some good thoughts on our "bigger is better" mentality in a Napkin Scribbles podcast entitled "Do Smaller Larger".