We think, each of us, that we're much more rational than we are. And we think that we make our decisions because we have good reasons to make them. Even when it's the other way around. We believe in the reasons, because we've already made the decision.
When people evaluate their life, they compare themselves to a standard of what a successful life is, and it turns out that standard tends to be universal: People in Togo and Denmark have the same idea of what a good life is, and a lot of that has to do with money and material prosperity.
Interpretation
What this quote means
People across the world have a similar understanding of what constitutes a successful life, heavily influenced by financial success.
In this quote, Daniel Kahneman highlights the common benchmark that individuals use to assess their own lives, suggesting that despite cultural differences, there is a universal perception of a 'good life' centered around financial stability and material wealth. The quote implies that societal standards shape personal evaluations, indicating that our definitions of success are influenced by shared values rather than individual circumstances.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a presentation about the relationship between wealth and perceived happiness.
More from Daniel Kahneman
All quotes →The average investor's return is significantly lower than market indices due primarily to market timing.
Banks are run by executives, and executives protect themselves, and that does not always mean that banks are going to behave rationally.
Laziness is built deep into our nature.
Through some combination of culture and biology, our minds are intuitively receptive to religion.
You are more likely to learn something by finding surprises in your own behavior than by hearing surprising facts about people in general.
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