presentation time

or, better titled, "here goes nothin"

1. research question: how does globalization affect happiness? if a country is more "globalized"--economically, politically, culturally--do the people generally satisfied with life? On the individual level, are people happier as they become more globalized?

2. the research i've done so far has given me conflicted results. an essay by robert wright (a political scientist, i believe) says that, for the poorest countries in the world, globalization will in fact increase happiness. the logic behind this is as follows: as a country becomes more globalized economically (opens its markets), it becomes richer. in fact, the world is becoming richer as a whole. up to a point, money does buy happiness. this point is about $10,000 per person, and it's because much of that money goes toward increasing democracy and boosting social programs like healthcare for all. so for the poorest countries in the world , globalization does lead to happiness.

3. so what happens when you've got your democracy and healthcare and you've got a bit more money? well now, no matter how rich your country gets, you will not get significantly happier, says wright. individually, as you get richer, you start comparing yourself with your new "peers." for example, if you get an initial pay raise at your job, you'll feel superior to the people you work with. however, with time, you will start to compare yourself to people who make MORE money than you, and you'll feel inferior and unhappy again.

this can be connected to how global media works. for example, let's look at how american sitcoms get exported to, say, china. while china is a rich nation, individual citizens are not necessarily rich. if they see a show like gossip girl, where everyone has tons of money, they may start comparing themselves with the cast on gossip girl. they may get jealous and unhappy that they don't have the sorts of things blair and serena can afford. globalized media, then, can make the "have nots" unhappy.

this idea of comparing yourself with a new set of people is supported by eduardo porter in his ny times column, too.