We are yearning for a better balance in our lives, believing that when it comes to things like individual freedom and material abundance, we don't seem to ''know where to stop'' or have ''too much of a good thing''. Beyond the abstract moral issues, surveys also reveal more tangible dimensions to our concerns about ''progress'' and its impact on quality of life. All these concerns are linked, directly or indirectly, to the growth priority. It seems, then, that measures of social quality of life reflect social conditions and trends that measures of personal well-being tend to mask. Our social perceptions may be distorted by media and other influences, and vary over the short term as personal circumstances change and the national mood shifts.
Subjective measures are just that, subjective.
However, the evidence suggests the perceptions are not distant and detached, but reflect deeply felt concerns about modern life. There are other streams of research which also raise, although more indirectly, questions about contemporary social developments and whether they represent real progress. Referring to ''a dark side of the American dream'', the researchers say that the culture in some ways seems to be built on precisely what turns out to be detrimental to mental health. While these findings do not prove that materialism and related values cause a deterioration in well-being, they suggest their cultural promotion is not conducive to it. The cause-effect relationship is likely to be complex and two way.