In Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, author Yuval Noah Harari wrote, “If we accept a mere tenth of what animal-rights activists are claiming, then modern industrial agriculture might well be the greatest crime in history. When evaluating global happiness, it is wrong to count the happiness only of the upper classes. Perhaps it is also wrong to consider only the happiness of humans.”
Many Americans place happiness at the center of life. Psychologists, social scientists, and economists have studied its drivers for decades. To ask “Are you happy?” is to measure someone’s normalcy in American culture. Unhappiness, by contrast, is often treated as a problem to be solved—something defective to be fixed.
Social media has amplified this pursuit. Platforms have become showcases of curated joy: smiling selfies, exotic vacations, new houses, trendy restaurants, concerts, and parties. The underlying message is less “I’m happy” than “See how well I’m living.” But this performance comes at a cost. Research consistently shows that scrolling through others’ highlight reels increases loneliness, anxiety, and depression. Far from building community, it often deepens isolation.
Psychologists suggest that the behaviors we label as narcissism online—the constant self-promotion, the endless stream of photos—can mask insecurity rather than confidence. At the same time, studies find a troubling rise in “extrinsic values,” where worth is measured by looks, possessions, and status symbols. Humility has been crowded out by self-advertisement. The quiet dignity of keeping some experiences private has all but vanished.
It’s no surprise, then, that a culture steeped in self-display has elevated leaders who thrive on it. But the larger question remains: why are Americans so determined to prove they are happy? Why is personal happiness treated as a higher achievement than doing good for others?
There is nothing wrong with wanting to feel happy. A stable emotional state helps people function and care for those around them. But when happiness becomes the ultimate goal—an end in itself—it can blind us to the suffering that urgently demands our attention. True contentment should not require ignoring the world’s pain.
Some argue they must be happy to be productive. Yet history is filled with examples of individuals whose dissatisfaction with injustice fueled extraordinary contributions. The hunger for a better world can be a greater motivator than personal comfort.
Consider the people whose voices cannot be heard: the young girl trafficked into slavery, the caged hen trembling in a factory farm, the journalist tortured in solitary confinement. None of them wish for us to be happy. They wish for us to act. Corporations, however, have a vested interest in convincing us otherwise. The tourism industry sells vacations as a necessity, not a luxury, while airlines, hotels, and entertainment giants flood us with ads that redefine indulgence as need. In reality, no one requires a beach holiday to survive. What we call “self-care” is often just consumerism with better branding.
Every day of life in a safe, resource-rich society is already a vacation compared to the lives of billions without reliable food, water, shelter, or healthcare. Yet advertising, tradition, and social pressure convince people they need ever more—lavish weddings, endless gifts, constant upgrades, and new cars every few years. Homes become storage units for goods that provide fleeting satisfaction while real needs—clean water, basic nutrition, medical care—go unmet across the globe.
Science suggests that these purchases don’t even deliver the happiness they promise. Studies show that long-term well-being is shaped more by genetic predisposition and brain chemistry than material indulgences. By contrast, decluttering, simplifying, and practicing altruism consistently improve life satisfaction. Helping others changes the giver as much as the receiver.
If people redirected even a fraction of what they spend on indulgence toward alleviating suffering, the impact would be profound. Money spent ziplining in Costa Rica could instead provide clean drinking water for a village. A new luxury car could fund thousands of malaria-preventing bed nets. Small sacrifices, multiplied across millions, would transform lives.
And yet we resist, because our culture prizes convenience and self-expression over sacrifice. We are quick to demand comfort for ourselves but slow to confront the discomfort endured by others. We perfect our appearances while millions go blind from treatable conditions. We chase gourmet meals while 815 million people starve. We plan our next getaway while millions of refugees risk drowning in oceans or collapsing in deserts to escape violence.
The truth is unavoidable: our priorities are skewed.
We live in extraordinary times. Democracy is under strain, inequality is widening, the planet is destabilizing, and suffering echoes across every continent. The status quo of self-indulgence will not suffice. The question should not be whether we are happy, but whether we are useful. The latter should make us all much happier.
Kirschner's Korner 
This is so thoughtfully written. I could not agree with you more. Somewhere we stopped living for the good of the community and started believing the lie that “I” am what matters. Such selfish behavior satisfies the deeply childish desires in our worst natures and does nothing to make us better, to help us to grow, and to tap into that part of our humanity that is still good and that can make a difference in this increasingly degenerate world. I applaud your honesty.
Thank you, Stephanie. You’re a shining example of a selfless, caring, and humble person focused on doing good in the world. I appreciate you.
May I have permission to share this article with my environmental science High school students? I have taught for almost 25 years and I have lived that time by the rede, do no harm. A couple years ago, I rescued a lamb our Ag teacher had let get sick and I really thought she was going to die. But my students and I nursed her back to health and then tried to buy her freedom, which we did, but it cost me my job because I went up against the machine of animal agriculture. The word “activist” was tied to my name like some weight meant to drag me down. Through it all, I maintained I did nothing wrong and eventually won a big settlement from the school district and we did save our lamb from slaughter. Through my example my students watched me maintain my clam, follow my heart and keep helping animals. I walked my truth and those who lied lost their teaching certifications. Now we are faced in our district with apathy. Last year another Ag teacher caught a live raccoon and made his student drown it in a 50-gallon barrel while they all watched. He also let them beat an opossum to death with iron bars because it was a nuisance. All of this was done in the name of agriculture. I am still walking my talk and trying to sway the hearts and minds of my students that everything on this planet has as much right to be here as they do. I would like to share this with them.
You nailed it!
Thank you, Laurelee. Your life epitomizes purpose. It’s an honor to be your friend. You’re an inspiration.
If we can figure out how to be happy engaging in work to improve the world, we will be more effective. Great joy can be derived from helping others. That, is the truest and most pure form of happiness.
Every job offers opportunities to improve the world (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlV_ODrEL0k), but there’s a difference between being happy about giving or taking joy in small victories, and being a happy person.
You are so right Andrew. I need to get off my butt and do more. And i will. Thank you for this article.
Thank you for caring and embracing the challenge, Elaine.
This is a remarkable post. I too am not occupied with happiness. I think people who are end up being disappointed. I’m going to save this. I think it’s wonderful.
Very kind of you, Terese. I appreciate your note.
If this article resonates with you, you may consider reading Five Lies Our Culture Tells by David Brooks in today’s NYT: https://nyti.ms/2Gnk2kh He emphasizes the need to shift focus from ourselves to helping others. He also wrote a new book called Second Mountain in which he apparently discusses people’s excessive focus on self.
I’ve read with great interest about people’s devastation over a fire in a building (Notre Dame) the past few days–and the $1 billion in donations that poured in to reconstruct it. Imagine the more pressing problems that could be addressed with that $1 billion. We need a tectonic shift in the order of our priorities.
Thank you for sharing, and for always being a source of support and renewal. This post gives me strength!
Thank you, Varun. I appreciate you! You’re an inspiration.
This is such a great piece and it inspires me to do more to help animals. I’m going to share it. Thank you for your good work.
Very kind of you, Donna. Thank you for everything you do to help animals.
Thank you, Andrew. Your writings are always brilliant, illuminating and inspiring. I agree with you, and appreciate you so much for shining a light for others!
Thank you, Diana. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. Thank you for your dedication to making the world a more humane place.
Your article is brilliant and very true. I am writing from http://www.gentleworld.org a vegan non-profit organization in Hawaii and NZ. Some of us have been vegan for over 40 years and still going strong. We feel the same way so it is moving to find another soulmate. Let us know if you ever come our way. Thank you. Summer
Hi Summer,
Thank you for your kind note, advocacy, and invitation. My condolences for the loss of Sun.
Andrew – this leaves me speechless because it is the truth. Thank you.
Lori Marino
Thank you for being such a bright light in this world, Lori. You do so much good. I appreciate you.
Thank you for the kind note.
“Every day of a fortunate person’s life, which consists of unlimited food and water, a roof over their head, electricity, access to medical care, freedom, and opportunity, is a vacation. People have been programmed to believe they need more. ”
Well said!