• The Progress Paradox

  • How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse
  • By: Gregg Easterbrook
  • Narrated by: Jonathan Marosz
  • Length: 11 hrs and 13 mins
  • 3.6 out of 5 stars (177 ratings)

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The Progress Paradox  By  cover art

The Progress Paradox

By: Gregg Easterbrook
Narrated by: Jonathan Marosz
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Publisher's summary

In The Progress Paradox, Gregg Easterbrook draws upon three decades of wide-ranging research and thinking to make the persuasive assertion that almost all aspects of Western life have vastly improved in the past century; and yet today, most men and women feel less happy than in previous generations. Why this is so and what we should do about it is the subject of this book.

Between contemporary emphasis on grievances and the fears engendered by 9/11, today it is common to hear it said that life has started downhill, or that our parents had it better. But objectively, almost everyone in today's United States or European Union lives better than his or her parents did.

Still, studies show that the percentage of the population that is happy has not increased in fifty years, while depression and stress have become ever more prevalent. The Progress Paradox explores why ever-higher living standards don't seem to make us any happier. Detailing the emerging science of "positive psychology," which seeks to understand what causes a person's sense of well-being, Easterbrook offers an alternative to our culture of crisis and complaint. He makes a compelling case that optimism, gratitude and acts of forgiveness not only make modern life more fulfilling but are actually in our self-interest.

Seemingly insoluble problems of the past, such as crime in New York City and smog in Los Angeles, have proved more tractable than they were thought to be. Likewise, today's "impossible" problems, such as global warming and Islamic terrorism, can be tackled, too.

Like The Tipping Point, this book offers an affirming and constructive way of seeing the world anew. The Progress Paradox will change the way you think about your place in the world, and about our collective ability to make it better.

©2003 Gregg Easterbrook (P)2003 Books On Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Easterbrook...writes nothing that is not brilliant." (Chicago Tribune)

"Easterbrook is perhaps the finest general science writer in the country." (Forbes)

"Easterbrook...is a serious author with serious points to make." (The New York Times)

"This is an important, timely, and well-reasoned book that is sure to have people talking." (Booklist)

What listeners say about The Progress Paradox

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Don't let the extremists stop you.

Quite apart from the Fox News-poisoned minds of some reviewers above, I found this book to be generally quite important, with a few minor exceptions.

Easterbrook is no ranting liberal. He's a middling to conservative catholic writer with a fine head for synthesis. He brings together such wide-ranging topics as affective forecasting, behavioral economics, psychology, religion, sprituality, and statistics into a well-reasoned (but not perfect or comprehensive - no one would read such a book) sensible argument that boils down to this: we can be satisfied only if we choose to be.

The bottomless appetite we all experienced as children can be carried into adulthood if we are not mindful, resulting in a surprising inability to experience happiness in the face of plenty. Our lives can waste away in a cloud of pointless and insatiable material desires.

Great stuff. It will inspire gratitude in all but the most ideological stuf grabbers.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Quickly turned into a liberal political rant

As the others have said, the first part of the book seemed objective and OK, presenting reasons and data to support the author's point that humans on Earth have it better today than ever before. But rather quickly after that, he veered to the left and began to rant about the benefits of an idealistic society, based on left-wing, political ideas. He wants the United States to "buy" the world out of poverty, is anti-military, anti-business, and pro-big government. Overall I would not recommend this book. I was expecting an objective treatise, but was very disappointed.

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17 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

While I think Easterbrook has some valid points, they are sandwhiched between so much personal bias, that the book is hard to stomach. The personal bias is so strong in points that you have to question the validity of the information presented as "facts." I would not waste my time and money on this one.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great insight

I really enjoyed this book. It explains how all things have been getting better for years, crime is down, people live longer, purchasing power is up, almost all things are better. He also explains why despite all these trends happiness is not going up.

The narrator is extremely clear and does an excellent job of reading the book.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Conservative Liberal - Go Figure!

There is definitely something fascinating happening with this book, based on just the reviews on Audible: half the people are angry about his right-wing agenda, and the other half are angry about his left-wing agenda. And amidst all these partisan dismissals there are very few people who seem to understand the real point of this book. To me, it's about how we as a culture tend to wallow in the negative(!), and despite most things having gotten significantly better in the world, we remain cynical and unhappy. Sure, the guy puts some of his own opinions in the book, some leaning a little left and some leaning a little right. That's what authors of books like this are supposed to do, IMHO --- and I for one was impressed by the fact that he didn't seem to follow any one party line but spoke up for things he felt were right regardless of whether it was right or left. I wish more of us did. But his strongest points were not his opinions but the factual data on so many things that most of us have taken for granted as "getting worse," when the data shows they are all getting better. And I think it is fascinating that the primary response to a guy who writes an extremely positive, optimistic book is full of such hostility, vitriol and indignation. Mr. Easterbrook may be onto something more powerful than he thought --- perhaps he could follow up with "The Positivity Paradox." In any case, I highly recommend this book, because it seems you will either a)get something positive and enlightening out of it, as I did, b)feel better about your liberal beliefs by dismissing him as a tool of the far right, or c)feel better about your conservative beliefs by dismissing him as a tool of the far left. There's truly something there for everbody!

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • J
  • 10-30-04

The Good News...that isn't reported.

Easterbrook's book is a good examination, albeit somewhat long-winded, of how the human condition has improved over the past 100 years--and how rarely it is reported.
As an engineer, a fiscal conservative and a social liberal, I found that this book was even-handed, with swipes at the New York Times, The Washington Post, the (non-charitable) religous right and the environmental-nut left.

One of his greatest strengths in the book is his constant willingness to adjust statistics in meaningful ways. For example, while examining the gap between the rich and poor in the United States, he adjusts for first generation immigrants, and discovers that the gap is probably not the concern that it is portrayed. He also points out that the difference between what is available to the very rich and the middle class has drastically shrunk over the past several generations, to the point that it is difficult to identify many things that are only available to the super-rich. His encouragement of charity in general and religion in particular is also good, for he shows a clear understanding of enlightened self-interest.

His greatest weaknesses, however, are in failing to clearly communicate his (presumable) understanding that you can't make people not be poor by giving them money. He underestimates the extent that poor governments cause famine and injustice in the developing world.

Additionally, while his statistical analysis and adjustment is generally good, missing is some of the negative adjustment of expectations. For example, while the number of people attending college and graduating has reached a record high, the number of remedial college courses have also increased.

All things considered, his perspective is a refreshing look at the current human condition, and a good read.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Strong arguments for optimism

Easterbrook has many compelling arguments that although the culture of complaint and pessimism are seductive, an optimistic and kind demeanor towards life and others is far wiser. He cites voluminous statistics concerning how things are improving and studies that demonstrate the benefits to those who follow a philosophy of optimism and compassion.

I have familiarity with some of the literature Easterbrook cites and as a whole his arguments and logic are stronger than those of the individual authors he discusses. After listening to the book, it is more difficult for me to think and act in a pessimistic fashion. This alone makes the book worthwhile

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Good start , then faulty analysis, hidden politics

The Progress Paradox starts off with an interesting review of why, despite things being better, people seem unhappy. It's an interesting topic and the book raises some good points and observations.

Having built a solid foundation demonstrating how well market economies have provided a higher standard of living and discussing the unexpected angst that has resulted, the book then veers off into a socialist agenda advocating class warfare against the rich, government control of markets, and massive government programs. All of this is hidden under a false flag of "fairness" improvements to the market system. While the early material in the book is well supported with studies and facts, the veiled political views are hyped with false analogies, hysterical language, hidden assumptions, and outright ignorance of basic economic principles.

You could get the book and just throw it away after you've read the first half, but picking up a copy of P J O'Rourkes "Holidays in Hell" will provide a better read and a lot more insight into how the world really works.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Pretty Good . . . but.

I rather enjoyed this book. However, as someone that is pretty happy, grateful for the things I have and more concerned with environmental issues then the average person . . . I would have to say that I'm in the minority. Having just spent a year traveling around the 'western world' and now returned to my small home town in Canada; I would have to say that what the author has to say relates to most of the people that I met during my travels . . . it's certainly worth listening to (regardless which side of the coin your on.)

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

An Important Listen

I have to say that the first half of the book was very interesting and something I would urge anyone living in western society to listen to. He shows how even though most media outlets like to focus on the negative, and people love to believe everything bad that they hear, things really are getting better from our parents generation.
As someone who lives under 'wage stress' or whatever his name was for people who were just above minimum wage, but also in constant fear of some accidental drain on resources to put them in the poor house, I have to disagree with many of the things he states in the latter portion of his book, which contains almost all of the material I didn't feel fit the theme of the book.
In the first half, he addresses facts about how life is getting better, and wonders why we aren't feeling good about it. You would then say that he would put forth some ideas on how to feel good about it, or at least continue with his 'quit your bitching, things ARE good' feel he had going at the beginning of the book.
Instead, he dives off into long tirades on seemingly unconnected subjects like the 'pathetic arab nations' (his words not mine) and raising the federal minimum wage to an outrageous ten dollars an hour in an effort to make things more expensive for your average American in order to help the statistically fewer poor, forgetting about those of us right above the minimum he suggests, and thusly those that would hurt the worst by the inflation of goods to follow. He also tried to shame the reader into taking on even more of a burden in order to give more money to third world countries. What that has to do with things being better and us not being happy about it is above my head.
Additionally, he seems incapable of using the word "car," instead referring to them as "massive SUV's with the drivers screaming into their cell phones!" While I agree with his general dislike for the vehicle, it isn't the only thing on the road.
Now I'm out of words

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5 people found this helpful