Affiliations: Missouri State University, Springfield, MO, USA
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: D. Keith Denton, PhD, Professor of Management, Missouri State University, 901 S. National Avenue, Springfield, MO 65897, USA. Tel.: +1 417 836 5573; Fax: +1 417 836 3004; E-mail: DKDenton@missouristate.edu.
Abstract: Times sure have changed. A hundred years or so ago, the question would have been asked, “Do you expect to die on the job?” or “Do you expect to make enough to feed your family?” Now everyone is trying to figure out how to be happier. Now fast forward, in the middle of all the current financial crisis, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that with wage growth, record unemployment, and an extremely long economic expansion, job satisfaction is lower than in earlier years. Clinical depression is three to ten times more common today than it was two generations ago. The increasing body of evidence shows there is no significant relationship between how much a person earns and whether he or she feels good about life. Mounting research shows that optimism could extend your life. Research clearly shows that happiness depends on how you look at the world. In negative times, focus on the positive.
