Why The Chinese Are Getting Richer But Not Happier

I've neglected this poor ol' blog, but I'm still reading in this area, and may fire it up again. This morning, this article (from the always incredible PsyBlog) demanded my attention...PsyBlog: Why The Chinese Are Getting Richer But Not Happier:

"While the Chinese are getting richer, they don't seem to be getting happier - in fact they're getting more unhappy. This paradox may have much to teach other expanding societies about the perils of financial inequality."

Reading Lately...

I've been sadly ignoring this space...still reading and saving things in my bloated Bloglines account (which I've pared down to the essentials, I think), and hopefully I'll get around to pulling out the gems soon. Anyway, a couple of sites have been consistently excellent and thought-provoking:

• Richard Florida's blog covers so many slices of my interests that I just devour every word -- cities, creative work, lifestyle choices, innovation, geography -- just subscribe already.
  
• Mind Your Decisions, a quirky and brilliant mix of "personal finance (saving, investing, economics) and game theory (negotiating, market design, imperfect competition)"
  
• PsyBlog makes psychology accessible, fun and fascinating. Posts are consistently awesome, and today's post is no exception: "Experience Beats Possessions: Why Materialism Causes Unhappiness"
  
• Although I sometimes strongly disagree with her, I have 34 posts saved from Penelope at The Brazen Careerist. Provocative stuff, and right in the middle of lifestyle choices. Check out the Most loved and most hated posts of 2007 for the ultimate sampler.
  
• Maybe the oddball pick in this bunch, Robert Paterson was the very first blog I ever followed, going back to 2001(ish). He's all over the board, covering an eclectic mix of topics with a thoughtful, impatient tone that I never seem to tire of. One recent post about surviving an inevitable financial crisis got me to take action with my own finances, following some of the simple advice.