Right now, many of us are better fed, housed, and cared for than at any point in human history, though this isn't so relevant... it's the relative value of what we have, versus what we know is possible, that causes problems. Much of the unrest in the developing world is probably explainable by its glimpses, through mass media, to the conditions in the industrialized world. And even in those parts, inequality is staggering, and we have a powerful cultural narrative of personal responsibility for that inequality, which is broadcast through increasingly pervasive media...

I don't think people were ever any happier than we are now. I think that now we just have a lot more tools for diagnosing various kinds and causes of unhappiness, and for discussing it with each other.

I also think, strongly, that Happiness isn't much of a worthy goal, in life. Happiness is the result of achieving your goals. Try for honor, or for kindness, or for solving an intractable problem or saying something important, and happiness will follow. But "the direct pursuit of happiness is a sure recipe for an unhappy life."