“Happiness (and how to measure it),” a recent cover article in The Economist (December 23, 2006), addresses the question of how happy people are today. The author acknowledges an emerging field in economics and psychology he calls "the science of happiness” that allows us to measure happiness and see trends over time and in different countries. It covers broad areas of research that equate happiness with affluence, “quality of life”, and general well-being. From a review of the research, the author concludes that "...people come to take for granted things they once coveted from afar. Frills they never thought they could have become essentials that they cannot do without. People are stuck on a treadmill: as they achieve a better standard of living, they become inured to its pleasures."

How happy are you? You are the best judge of how satisfied you are with your life. With the Wheel of Life, you can rate your personal level of satisfaction in eight principal areas of life, such as love, money, and health.