Social Sciences

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The Stationary State and How to Reach it in Today's World

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This paper is about Mill's theory of the stationary state and how it is relevant today. I explain that his arguments in favor of the stationary state are still relevant, and that trying to 'slow down' (i.e. desire less progress) might lead to more collective happiness. How can we achieve this in a society that values competition and specialized knowledge so much? The answer might lie in broadening access to liberal arts education, which Mill enlightens us to be better. Whether or not we need to 'slow down' will always be subject to debate, but it's worthwhile to go back to Mill's stationary state theory and see his views about progress are relevant today.

Predictors for Happiness at the Country Level

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Using step-down linear regression, a model was found that predicts 89.15% of the variability in general satisfaction for a given country (P<0.001). Satisfaction with the financial situation was found to be the strongest predictor of general satisfaction (P<0.001), followed by perceived freedom (P<0.001) and gross domestic product (P=0.001). The model suggests that economic circumstances strongly influence our personal level of fulfillment. However, the data also suggests that the principle of diminishing marginal utility does apply to economic prosperity too.

Facebook Privacy Settings for Students with Leadership Positions

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The study analyzed a sample of 146 students from Harvard College in order to expose a relationship between leadership, as measured by having positions in student organizations, and Facebook privacy settings. Students leaders (n=94) were less likely than the control group (n=52) to leave an open profile (accessible to the entire Harvard Network), to show their list of friends, their pictures, or their discussion wall.

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