what's wrong?

"At the beginning of the 21st century, citizens of rich countries confront a perplexing fact: despite decades of sustained economic growth, which have seen the real incomes of most people rise to three or four times the levels enjoyed by their parents and grandparents in the '50s, people are no happier. Indeed, the proliferation of the maladies of affluence - such as drug dependence, obesity, loneliness and psychological disorders ranging from depression, anxiety and compulsive behaviors to a widespread but ill-defined anomie - suggests that the psychological well-being of citizens in rich countries is in decline. Perhaps the most telling evidence is the prevalence of depression. In the five decades that followed the Second World War - which are regarded as the golden age of economic growth - the incidence of depression in the United States increased tenfold. Major depression, already the greatest cause of disability, is expected to become the world's second most burdensome disease by 2010. The market has turned its attention to ways of capitalizing on the sickness of affluence; pharmaceutical corporations are leading the way, antidepressant drugs free of side effects now being their Holy Grail.

This leads to questions that go to the heart of the modern world. If affluence - the object of so much determined effort - has failed to improve our well-being, why have we tried so hard to become rich? Has our pursuit of riches led us to sacrifice some things that contribute to more satisfying lives, including the strength of our relationships, a surer sense of self and the quality of the natural environment? In short, has the whole growth project failed?"

-- Clive Hamilton's "The Freedom Paradox: Towards a Post-Secular Ethics"