We eat out 2 times as often, and enjoy all kinds of things from computers to espresso machines. The truth is that since 1960, the divorce rate has doubled, and the teen suicide rate has tripled. The rate of reported violent crime has quadrupled, and there is five times the number of people in prison. There is no doubt that all this material wealth has caused a dramatic social recession that is making many people unhappy. According to Myers, a variety of factors contribute directly to the low moral point in our society.
Advertising certainly does that.
So do television programs like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Myers says that the American paradox is living in bigger houses, yet having more broken homes than ever before. We have higher incomes and lower morale. More mental health workers and lower happiness. According to Dave Myers, this is no longer an American paradox.