Somerville: America's Happiest City

Somerville Becomes First City to Track Happiness

Everyday when we wake up the first thing that we notice is how we feel. Regardless of whether it's a Tuesday and we are headed to work or whether we are vacationing in the Caribbean, we get a feeling to start off our day; some feel happy, some feel sad and others are anxious about something. We feel things everyday and it is our feelings that determine our levels of satisfaction in life. But all too often we focus on the things around us as a measure of happiness, instead of the way that we feel. Somerville, MA recently became the first city to take note of this. Instead of asking residents to talk about their surroundings, the city surveyed residents about how happy they are.

Letting Feelings Shape Policies

Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone is largely credited with transforming the city from a place that was better to avoid into a place where people wanted to live. It is also consistently ranked among the best managed cities in the country. In shaping the city, Curtatone decided to ask residents how they felt about life, how they felt about Somerville and how they felt about specific policies enacted by the city. 

The survey yielded some interesting results, some surprising and others unsurprising. They mayor's office found that trees and bike lanes contributed to residents happiness as did income up to $75,000. But surprisingly, the city learned that zero sort recycling was also a huge plus for residents. Before the survey part of the city had zero sort recycling while the rest had to sort recyclables. After the happiness survey, Somerville moved the entire city to a zero sort model.

Somerville is definitely onto something. What good is a building, road or policy in a city if it doesn't actually make us happy? Hopefully many more cities will follow in Somerville's footsteps. 

How Changing Prices Effect Poverty and Social Mobility

Toys are Cheaper, Essentials Cost More

Due to a variety of market forces, prices for goods and services are always changing. Some things seem to become more expensive over time, while other things tend to get cheaper. But, these prices changes actually tend to occur in broad categories and as a result, they have an effect on poverty and social mobility. Take a look at this graphic, which shows the relative price change in a variety of categories since 2005. You'll notice that the most important goods and services: college tuition, healthcare, childcare and food, have all gotten more expensive, while fun items, such as TVs and computers have gotten much cheaper.

The Effect on Poverty

Now that prices have changed so much, poverty has changed as well. As the adage goes "poverty now comes with a color TV." But ironically, even as the poorest among us have more purchasing power to afford fun items like TVs, they are actually less capable of purchasing the goods and services that lead to a way out of poverty. It has become more and more expensive to finance college and this has turn many low-income kids away. At the same time, it becomes increasingly expensive to afford the cost of daycare, which creates an incentive for low-income parents not to work.

Interestingly enough, the things which have declined in price also tend to be those products which have seen their manufacturing bases outsourced. The cost of labor is much lower in other countries, so as jobs have left American manufacturing, so have prices on these products dropped. 

MyStuckMovingLife: One Year Later

Still Stuck, But Hopefully Moving Soon

For those of you who routinely read my blog, you've probably noticed that I tend to cover a wide variety of topics and I rarely post anything about my own personal life. My aim is always to generate discussions that focus on the core of our human experience, and often I feel that talking about progressive trends in cities is a great way to do this. I've been at this now for about a year and people ask me often what motivates me to continue and to be fully honest I'm never really sure, but I find it quite calming. I want to take the time to give an update not about the world that we live in, but rather about myself as a part of it.

When I first started blogging I chose the name MyStuckMovingLife and I always hoped that nobody would ask me why, because I did not really know the answer. But now I do. I realized that through most, perhaps all, of my life I've felt limited in one way or another, but I've always had a pervasive sense of optimism about the world. I've felt confined and held back, unable to push forward, but I've always hoped that one day things might be different. But now for the first time, it's really all about to be different.

Stuck

Most of you probably don't know much about me or about my life, because very few people do and you are probably not exactly sure what I mean when I say in a very vague sense that my whole world is soon to change. But here it is in a nutshell. I've spent the last three years at a college that was not in any way a good fit for me. For the entirety of my time I've felt drained, frustrated and held back from achieving everything that I want to. That's not to say that I haven't been successful; I'm graduating a year early with excellent grades. Simply put, I've been unhappy and unfulfilled. But I have 7 days left of classes and then it's all over. 

Moving

In one week I will reach the end of my 15 year formal academic career; the goal that I've been working towards for 75% of my life will be achieved. The next week I graduate and then only days later I fly to Europe for the vacation I've always dreamed of. I'll be reunited with one of my best friends who I haven't seen in a year, and she and I will travel to Prague, Rome, Florence and Paris together (which I'm sure will provide me with some great material for future posts). And then I will return and start full-time work and enter a new phase of my life, one that I hope to be rich and full of meaning. 

Life

It's almost surreal when I think about it, but this is really me. This is my life. I've spent the last 20 years preparing for "the real world" and now it's about to be right here for me to touch. But in some ways the role of the student, at least in my experience, is quite sad. You are told over and over for years on end that you have to prepare for the future and for what you want to do with your life. But all the while you are in fact alive; you are somehow "preparing" for your life while also living your life. It seems like a contradiction to me. I could tell myself that I won't start living until the day that I receive my diploma, but I simply can't accept that any longer.

I am and always have been an active participant in my own life, but it seems that I've only just come to accept it. I've spent preparing for this time, and I'm more ready than ever before to move forward. 

How Restaurants Trick Us

The Psychology of Food and Dieting

Most of us want to eat healthy. We wake up in the morning and think "today I will only make healthy choices, and I will avoid sweets." Somehow that never seems to work. Part of the reason for this is that some people have no self-control and will eat anything that is put in front of them (ME), but there are ways that the food industry itself can influence us and encourage us to make unhealthy choices with foods. One of the worst offenders happens to be one of my favorites: The Cheesecake Factory, pictured below. 

Subtle Restaurant Tricks

There are really a wide range of ways that we as consumers can misperceive food. Many of these tricks are found in restaurants, but it is important to be aware of them in almost any food environment.

Menus

Some restaurants have begun placing calorie counts next to foods, which is actually very helpful for consumers. However, there is a problem with this and it is that just because a food is low-calorie does not mean that it is healthy at all. But simply seeing the calorie counts of foods on a menu gently encourages people to make lower-calorie choices. 

Unless a restaurant segments foods within the menu into "regular" and "healthy" sections. When all "healthy" options are listed together in the same section, consumers are happy because they are aware of this section and know that they have it as an option, but they then are more likely to consume from the regular menu. To actually influence choices in a positive way, menus should not separate healthy from unhealthy options because the separation allows people to consider them separately.

Ambience

This is one of the more subtle ways that we are influenced by our surroundings. I've always had theories as to why restaurants operate in certain ways, but now I have an explanation.

Have you ever noticed that restaurants are often quite cold? I always thought that it was to make you uncomfortable and leave faster, but the reality is that because food and alcohol create a warming sensation, cold temperatures actually encourage us to eat more!

Lights have an equally large effect. Dim and warm lights tend to help relax us, which encourages us to think less and eat more and more slowly. Bright lights have the opposite effect.

I am always annoyed with TVs in restaurants, but they too serve a purpose. TVs distract us and slow us down, which makes us spend more time sitting. This in turn causes us to actually spend more time (and money) eating. 

Food

There are two ways that food itself can be the thing that tricks us. The first is that the texture of food influences whether or not we think that it is healthy. We assume that crunchier more texturized foods are healthier than soft and chewy foods. The reason is that we believe that crunchier things are less processed and closer to nature. The perfect example of this is Clif bars. I always thought that Clif bars were healthy and I would eat them often while exercising; part of what attracted me to the bars was their rough texture. But it turns out that eating a Clif bar is almost as bad as eating a Snickers! On the other hand, soft and chewy Lara bars are actually better for you! 

The other food related trick is that fast food restaurants that include "healthy" options actually influence us to make unhealthier choices. For example, when McDonalds began offering salads in the mid-2000s, people actually ate more Big Macs. The reason for this is that when we think about the difference between healthy and unhealthy foods, we expend energy considering doing something good for us. This makes us actually feel more health-conscious, which makes us more likely to reward ourselves with a Big Mac! 

The Paradox of Wealth

Very Rich, but Very Poor

Money, assets, wealth, rich, poor, destitute: all of these are in some ways less tangible than they may seem. Sure, today we have a world full of have's and have not's. Some are suffering in extreme poverty while others lounge on Caribbean beaches. This may seem to reflect some sort of natural arrangement, but in fact it does not. Wealth is really just a socially constructed system to distribute society's resources.

Imagine for example that you are Bill Gates; you have more money than you could ever dream of. Now imagine that you are in a desert with a low-income person. Nobody else is around. You are both walking through the desert alone together and you happen to find a pitcher of water. What would happen? I suspect that you would simply split the water between the two of you. Outside of market system of society, Bill Gates and any other person suddenly become equals. If something cannot be bought or sold, wealth becomes meaningless.

It's important to remember that in the natural world, money does not divide humanity into those who are worthy of something and those who are not. Society simply has needs and wealth is in a very general sense a reward to those who fill some of these needs. So what happens then when society determines that certain individuals should be given a huge share of total wealth, relative to other people? 

I think it depends.

Money alone really is empty. It really takes meaning when it represents something else. For example, for some people money can come with achievement and the fulfillment of ambitions. These people may feel happy earning more and more money because it represents their own accomplishments. On the other hand, some people seem to happen upon money for seemingly no reason, and in these situations it may generate other feelings.

The Rich Can Feel Poor

I know that often times nobody really wants to hear about the problems of the rich. People may think that they have nothing to worry about because they have all the money that they need. But money is not always a solution and I believe that all life problems can really only be in perspective of one's own life. That being said, I truly want to examine the perhaps sad lives of some extremely wealthy individuals.

If someone becomes rich upon accomplishing a major life goal, reaching some milestone or just by chance, they may feel discontent. If money was a motivating force in someone's life and they suddenly have more of it than they will ever need, it could create a sense of being finished in some way. The sense of achievement and abruptness that could come with wealth may leave some rich wondering "What now?" Money alone might have the effect of interrupting a sense of purpose in the world. 

The Rich Can Also Feel Rich

Perhaps if instead we examine a rich person, or a set of rich people who earn wealth over time, we may find a different outcome. If wealth becomes a part of the journey rather than a destination, it may not conjure the same feelings of a sort of existential dread associated with fulfilling a life goal. Those who are able to come into wealth and adjust their life goals to seek new passions and ambitions, rather than just more money, may feel quite happy with their wealth.

Tension Between Rich and Poor

For some reason, there seems to be a theme in our society of being obsessed with knowing who has money and who doesn't and of creating some sort of judgment as a result. If you are rich, you are taught, probably subconsciously, to look down upon those who earn less than you. On the other hand, if you are poor or even middle class, you may resent those who have more money than you do. 

I believe that no matter the direction of the scorn that it is in many ways quite foolish. There is really no point in disliking an individual or a group of individuals just because they fall into a different financial class than you do. Thinking back to the desert example, after extracting the social construct of wealth from the equation, it's easy to see that everyone is really equal to one another in their intrinsic human value. 

Wealth is just the way that society determines the allocation of resources. Individuals really cannot determine how much society will value their contribution; market forces set wage rates for different industries, companies and individuals. Therefore nobody should judge somebody else simply for a difference in income. 

We are all humans and we are all equal. We should stop letting ourselves believe that a person's financial status is at all indicative of their human value. 

Is The Housing Bubble Back?

The Housing Market Roars Back to Life

2006 was a seemingly pleasant time for America. Sprawling subdivisions were popping up all over the country, home prices were surging and homebuyers were grabbing up properties at record rates with little to no money set aside for down payments. It seemed that prices would never stop climbing and that wealth would never stop growing.

Then came 2007 / 2008 and everything collapsed. Home prices plummeted, people found themselves owing more than their homes were worth and we were faced with nearly countless foreclosures. Neighborhoods stood abandoned; new subdivisions stopped mid-construction and America decided that we would never create another housing bubble again.

Welcome to 2014

For the past three years, housing has been making a strong comeback. Interest rates have been at record lows and home prices have been steadily rising. But after years of recovery, we may have inadvertently begun to create another bubble like the one that caused the housing crisis in the first place.

This government chart clearly shows the last bubble that was created. This measures the difference between home prices and rental units. More specifically, the light blue line measures what it costs to own a home while the dark blue line measures the would be cost of renting the same home. Between 2000-2006 there was a huge and growing gap between the cost of buying vs. renting. The financial crisis corrected this bubble and brought home prices more in line with historical averages.

Pay attention to the last centimeter or so of the graph. Sometime around 2011, the light blue line began to rise sharply in comparison the the dark blue line. If this trend continues it will indicate that homes are once again becoming much more expensive than renting.

Now here is another graph that is less technical, but perhaps more telling.

This one shows the median and average square footage of new homes. During the last bubble, new homes got larger and larger. It was the era of McMansions. After the crisis, home sizes fell significantly. But once again, home sizes began to creep higher starting in 2011. As of right now, home sizes have actually hit a new record. This means that the average home built today is larger than during the peak of the last housing bubble!

Be Careful America

Right now homebuyers are feeling quite excited. Prices are rising and interest rates are low. Things are looking pretty great. I'm not trying to put a damper on this excitement, but I think that it is important to be cautious. If we are not careful, this type of activity could quickly begin to re-inflate a real estate bubble. Try not to forget what happened last time. 

 

Netflix Psychological Price Increases

Netflix May Be About to Raise Prices

For years, Netflix has charged $7.99 per month for it's online streaming subscription and by all accounts the company is doing quite well. In an attempt to bring in more money each month from subscribers, Netflix appears ready to use some psychology to entice you into paying more!

Middle Price Trick

Many consumers are unaware of the middle price trick, sometimes called reference pricing. This is the practice of using tiered pricing for similar goods to entice the consumer to choose the middle option. There are a variety of examples of this.

Take Starbucks for instance. On menus, coffees are typically offered in three sizes: tall, grande and venti. When choosing to purchase a coffee you may think, consciously or subconsciously, that the venti would be too much, but that the tall would not be enough. You are psychologically enticed to choose the size in the middle, the grande, because you perceive it as average. But Starbucks also has a fourth option that is not advertised, a short, which is even smaller than the tall. If you walked into a Starbucks and saw "short" "tall" or "grande" on the menu, you would be more likely to choose a "tall" because again, you would think to be making the middle of the road choice.

Netflix

This past year, Netflix moved in a similar direction by offering a lower priced option. There is some speculation that Netflix may introduce a tiered system by which the low end service is $7.99 per month, while a premium option is $8.99 and a super-premium option is $9.99. This move would not really be about offering more choice to customers; the purpose here would be to make you feel "cheap" with your $7.99 subscription and move over to the $8.99.

Subtle eh?

I'm not arguing that companies are somehow evil for charging prices in this way. It is up to the consumer to really think about what their needs are when making a purchase. It is my hope that learning a bit about this type of pricing strategy will stop some of you from being fooled into buying more than you really want or need.

Women, Marriage and Prosperity

Why Poor Women Have A Harder Time Rejecting Marriage

Over the past several years, many Americans have seen their dreams put on hold. Individuals within our society often struggle just to keep afloat, despite the many things that weigh them down. Unfortunately for women, marriage, or rather, the lack thereof, has become one such weight.

It would be nice if love was the only factor in the modern marriage game, but unfortunately it is not. For women especially, socioeconomic status plays a huge role in whether or not a marriage will occur and why. Let me explain.

Sarah and Mary

Let's consider two women on opposite ends of the income ladder, Mary and Sarah. Mary is a successful lawyer who lives comfortably in a spacious Manhattan condo. Sarah is a single mother of two who works at a fast food restaurant and at a Walmart. Despite their hectic lives, both women fall in love. As her relationship gets more serious, Mary begins to contemplate marriage. She considers whether or not binding herself to a man will restrict her independence, slow her career progression or contribute in some way to a male dominated world. As Sarah contemplates marriage, she thinks of raising her two children on two incomes rather than one. For Sarah, the prospect of marriage could mean not having to worry about going to bed hungry.

Both women are in love, but their relative needs are quite different. The wealthy Mary has the privilege of considering marriage in an abstract way, and wondering how it may affect her future lifestyle. Mary has a lot of power in deciding whether or not to get married. Struggling Sarah on the other hand, sees marriage as a question of love, but also one of opportunity. Sarah's decision on whether to marry has an immediate and tangible affect on her own lifestyle and on that of her children. Effectively, she has less power.

Now of course, Sarah and Mary are completely made up. But their stories parallel the reality of being a woman in America. Without using a value-judgment, the fact remains that married women tend to have brighter economic outcomes than unmarried women. And for women floating around the poverty line, this matters a lot.

Compare the top line to the bottom line: married working woman vs. unmarried working woman. Think back to struggling Sarah and imagine the improvement in her life and her children's lives if she moves from the red line to the green line. Mary, who is already floating above the green line, does not care.

Judgment Free Reality

My goal here is not to claim that poor women should get married or that men should rescue women from their sad lives. These numbers are in many ways representative of the persistent and unfair gaps in pay between men and women. But regardless of how fair or unfair these numbers are, they are reality. Sure we can and should work to make changes here, but for right now, marriage is an important predictor in lifestyle.

When I said judgment free I lied, I do have one judgment before I close. Our society always teaches young girls to want marriage and to hope for it. Girls dream about their wedding days and plan them out for years. But what about young boys? Our society never tells boys that love is important. We teach boys to follow their dreams and make big changes in the world with their careers. For boys, love is taught to be an afterthought. Perhaps this is the real problem. 

America's Growing Social Consciusness

The New Age of Helping

Yesterday I wrote a bit about how McDonalds is losing favor with the American public due in part to it's poor treatment of employees. But I believe that this is just one small piece in a new and growing trend in our society. It appears to me that in a large sense, Americans are beginning to care about one another. You may not believe me or see this yourself yet, but I think this is just the beginning.

Sometime around 2008 something really fundamental changed here in the United States. For the first time in many decades financial hardship hit Americans and it hit them hard. Almost nobody was immune from the effects of the financial crisis. People who had worked hard for their whole lives saw their retirement savings dry up, people watched their neighbors forced out of their homes through foreclosure and many who never thought they would have to worry realized that they suddenly did.

It Really Changed Us

As so many Americans felt the ground shift beneath their feet, they began to realize, whether consciously or not, that they were perhaps more fortunate than they had ever thought. Those whose lives were not destroyed by the crisis realized that perhaps it was not money that determined someone's social value. Instead of building walls of class stratification higher and higher to hide behind, Americans have just started looking over the walls. 

Even as the economy has rebounded, news coverage still focuses on the less fortunate. Instead of ignoring the problems that plague poor Americans, we have begun to really look at them more critically. Restaurants such as Panera have experimented with "pay what you can" models and many other businesses have begun looking for ways to contribute more actively to society. At the same time, many states and even individual cities are pushing to raise the minimum wage so that more Americans can live with dignity.

At the same time, as was the case with McDonalds, Americans have begun to shy away from companies that treat workers unfairly. Fast food sales are dropping and customers are staying away from these stores in protest. Companies such as Walmart which are known for poor employee practices are also suffering in this country. Americans are demanding more equality and fairness. 

The Sharing Economy

One other sign of this growing trend is the rise of the "sharing economy." Essentially this means that people are opening up their personal lives a bit more to strangers around them. There are many companies that provide examples of this. Airbnb, for example, allows people to rent out rooms in their homes for short periods of time for vacationers. Aside from homes, people are sharing cars, food, space and even clothing with one another. 

Just the Beginning

This trend is only beginning to take root in America, but it has the potential to really shape the way that we exist in the world. We could end up becoming more like the socially inter-dependent countries of Northern Europe. But no matter what actually happens, we are in an exciting time where we have begun to think about some of the issues that matter the most.

Out with McDonalds

America's Faltering Love for the Fast-Food King

After decades of domination, fast-food companies are entering into a period of struggle in America. For years these companies: McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's and others, have fattened American's bellies and lightened their wallets. But now for the first time, Americans have begun to fight back against these companies.

People are Fed Up

I mean this literally. Our bodies cannot tolerate many more big Macs and supersized sodas. Year after year Americans and consumers around the world consumed more and more sugary drinks and fatty foods. Obesity rates have crawled up and that has been an explosion of diseases such as diabetes. 

But in 2013 something changed. McDonalds same store sales in America actually declined for the first time ever. This means that despite low priced addicting food options, Americans visited McDonalds fewer times, and spent fewer dollars at this fast-food chain. 

But Why?

I personally can think of two reasons. One is simply that Americans are beginning to become more health conscious and realize that fast-food is literally poisoning them. The second reason though is far more interesting.

It has become clear to the majority of Americans that McDonalds has been taking advantage of it's employees. The company pays close to minimum wage for most employees even while raking in billions of dollars in profits every year. Then the company goes even further and mocks employees by creating "budget plans" for them like the one shown below.

This wonderfully thoughtful budget shows the way that a McDonalds employee would support themselves by working two jobs for about minimum wage. Working for about $8.00 per hour, it would take about 60 hours per week between two jobs to bring in this level of income. Not to mention that McDonald's assumes that it's employees need to spend $0 per month on heat!

Way to go McDonalds. 

The Silver Lining

It appears to me that America as a society is becoming more socially aware of the problems of other people. Rather than just focusing on ourselves, it seems that we are wanting more and more to help out others. Even the suggestion that feeling bad for McDonald's employees may decrease sales is a good sign. It shows that perhaps we are becoming reluctant to support a company that routinely takes advantage of it's employees. If we continue to put pressure on McDonald's, maybe they will even change their practices. 

What Your Drink Can Indicate About Political Preference

Alcohol and Party Ties

Sometimes statistical relationships can prove to be quite interesting. A new study by The Independent shows that your favorite choice of alcohol can be a strong indicator of your voting habits. They published a chart that shows the relationship between alcohol and liberal views as well as tendency to turn up on voting day.

One observation is that some drinks tend to reveal age. For example, drinkers of Jaegermeister or Don Julio are likely on the younger end of voters. These drinks are found towards the bottom of the chart, indicating lower voter turnout, which tends to make sense. On the other hand, drinkers of wine, who tend to be older, turnout more consistently for elections.

Republicans tend to drink dark colored alcohols while democrats prefer clear drinks such as vodkas or champagne. The study doesn't actually attempt to explain why this is so, but it is always possible to theorize. Despite these differences, it seems that rum, which is shown in purple, does not actually tend to suggest either a left or right leaning individual.

I find it particularly interesting that even though we may not be actively thinking about our political beliefs, we may accidentally reveal some information about our tendencies simply through ordering a drink. This is not to say that these relationships are foolproof or that drinking causes political affiliation, but it is nonetheless an interesting observation. 

America's Broken Dream

Chasing Money and Getting Lost

Once there was a dream. A dream of raising our children with more than we had, a dream of houses on cul-de-sacs, a dream of consumption: The American Dream. Anyone could be anyone; society preached of upward social mobility. For decades, we believed in this dream. We moved our families to the suburbs, worked long hours at work and expected that we could create our own idealized life. 

But did this make us any happier?

It appears not. 

We have now reached a time in this country where our traditional American dream is broken, and economic signs seem to indicate that there may not be a way of resurrecting it, at least not anytime soon. We could take this as a sign that our country is falling apart, but I think that it could provide a wonderful opportunity for us all. Rather than focusing on consuming more than our parents and living in a bigger house, why not focus on being happier versions of ourselves? Why not ask ourselves what really makes us happy? If we focus less on changing our socioeconomic group, maybe we could really all be a bit happier. Most of us have somewhere around 80 or so years to live, why not make the most of our time here?

I realize that this may seem counterintuitive. Doesn't an increasing standard of living make us feel more satisfied? Perhaps it could, but it often comes with sacrifices that we tend to overlook. I want to explore happiness in our society.

Seriously, there are several reasons that the American Dream is worth giving up. 

What Makes Us Unhappy

There are a variety of things that could contribute to happiness in a persons life. Surprisingly, money is less of a factor than many people think. Once we reach a certain middling level of income, money does little to increase our happiness. And sometimes chasing money can actually contribute to our unhappiness. At some point, the cons of more money often outweigh the pros. 

Commuting

One of the biggest factors influencing well being is commute time. People with longer commutes are more likely to be unhappy. The American Dream which has encouraged suburban home building has increased commutes for many americans over time. 

Commutes Over Time

Commuting and Happiness

Taken together, these graphs show exactly that. Over time commutes have increased for Americans despite the facts that commuting further tends to reduce satisfaction. 

Stress and Loneliness

When people are extremely stressed out, they are less likely to find time to nurture themselves. Whether due to full schedules or lack of energy, this also tends to lead to lack of social activity. People who spend less time socializing and more time stressing tend to be less happy.

This chart shows that as social time increases, so does feelings of happiness. People who work long hours in pursuit of larger and larger paychecks inevitably are left with less time to spend with others. The stress from extra work and the isolation from other people is certainly not a positive addition to one's life.

Now What?

So there you have it. Perhaps the American Dream is dead. Perhaps many Americans are dealing with stagnating wages and lifestyles and perhaps the homes that we raise our children in will be smaller than those we ourselves grew up in. 

But so what? Having more possessions cannot make us happier and I have pointed out a few ways that the dream that our society subscribed to actually may have reduced our collective well being. I urge you to reject the American Dream. Manage the money that you do have well, but do not let money become your biggest motivation in life.

Search instead for happiness and your world may become brighter even if your wallet becomes lighter.

50% of African American Men Arrested by Age 23

America's Broken Prison System

It's no secret in America that we as a society really enjoy sending people to prison for almost any crime. In fact, we have the highest incarceration rate in the world: 716 per 100,000 people. This leaves us with around 1.5 million prisoners, about 25% of the total for the entire world. It gets worse. 

The incarceration rate in this country has risen rapidly over the last 40 years and shows little signs of slowing.

Prison Inequality

Some people may be asking themselves if high incarceration rates are really such a bad thing and I could respond with an economic argument showing just how expensive prison is for society. But what appears even more telling to me is how society diverges on how to treat different groups of Americans. The picture above shows the huge disparity between incarceration for males and females. The ratio is about 15 : 1. This could mean that men commit more crimes, but it could also mean that men are treated more harshly by the justice system. 

Let's go further.

I titled my article with a statistic that I found shocking: 50% of black men are arrested by age 23. This is sadly true. If you don't believe me, you can check my sources here, here and here. If you are a young black man you are many many times more likely to find yourself in prison than a young white woman.

Percentage of Population Group Incarcerated

These numbers are so sad. If you were a black man who had not finished high school in 2008, there was a 37% chance that you would be in prison. Compare that to the .3% of college educated white men who were also imprisoned.

Set Up To Fail

Prison is in not helpful to prisoners in any way. A person serving jail time is taken away from their family, away from their job and forced to stop contributing in a meaningful way to society. Sometimes this prisoner may be a murderer, but sometimes they may be a person who shoplifted some food to feed their family.

Aside from the psychological harm that a prison term can cause, it further reduces the chances for success in our America. Think about it. When applying for a job there is always a question that asks about a criminal record and in most cases you are required to disclose everything that has happened in the last 7 - 10 years depending on where you live. If you are a 25 year old black man, there is greater than a 50% chance that you will have to say that you have been arrested. There is more than a 50% chance that your application will be put at the bottom of the pile. When given the choice, most employers would choose a candidate without a record over one with a record all else held equal. 

What else do we expect?

We say that in America everyone should be treated equally, but this is clearly not the case. There are so many ways that we hold people back in this country and incarceration is only one. We as a country need to take a stand and say that this is not fair. We need to give everyone a chance.

So please, stop putting everyone in jail.

2014: My Year to Connect

Connecting by Disconnecting

I have an unfortunate confession to make. For the last several years of my life I have lived inside of a trap. Day in and day out my loyal iPhone 5 has rested beside me and has alerted me anytime someone calls or texts, anytime someone posts a status on Facebook, a photo on Instagram or even changes their job title on LinkedIn. That's not to mention the minor pang of anxiety that accompanies the dull buzz of an e-mail. What's worse than the anxiety that comes with my phone is that which comes without it. Anytime I realize that I have become separated from this critical lifeline, I feel a seemingly unavoidable sense of panic until I am reunited.

I could spend an entire day surrounded with friends and family and realize that I had barely noticed them. I often would pay more attention to Facebook than to the faces of real people in front of me. The only way for me to capture a memory was to snap a photo on Instagram. 

I have decided that this is no way to live.

My Resolution

I spent the last couple of days of 2013 wondering what I might want to change in the new year and could not seem to think of anything of substance. Even though I am 9 days late, I have decided that this year, my main goal is to connect with those around me. Now I could issue some broad proclamation that I pledge to give up technology entirely, but that seems impractical and extreme. My goal is not to deprive myself of the modern world, but rather to achieve greater balance in my life.

This year I want to be more present and devote my attention primarily to whatever is in front of me. I want to free myself from the anxiety that comes with the need to feel constantly connected to my iPhone. And so I apologize to you in advance for all of your texts, calls and e-mails that I do not instantly respond to, for all of your cute photos and funny statuses that I do not immediately like; this year I will get back to you, but I pledge to take my time.

Here's to a happy and healthy 2014!

On Making Life Decisions

Life as the Endless Consumer

I think of the word consumer as bad. To me it stirs up images of McDonalds, obesity, crowded McMansions and televisions. I spend most of my time running from the consumer label, but the faster I run, the more I realize that it is impossible to escape. Almost every decision that we make has been commercialized; we have been segmented and targeted by unassuming men holed up in marketing departments. No matter what choices we make, we fit some sort of mold and the notion of individuality slips further from our grasp.

Everyday we must make decisions, some are easy and some are more challenging. We know immediately when we get out of bed that we will walk to the bathroom and brush our teeth with some Crest Toothpaste and then use our Keurig to make some Starbucks coffee. These decisions are almost thoughtless for us, but even these simple morning routines are representative of a larger commercialized reality.

Making Big Decisions

At this point in our society, some decisions still require active thought. I would categorize these as big decisions, things such as where to work and where to live. Granted, not everybody has the luxury of making such choices, but for those who do, they choices can be daunting.

Let's just consider the idea of choosing a place to live and imagine that it is an independent choice and that we can choose anywhere. You might at first be really happy that you have so many choices, but when you think more you realize that whatever you choose will come to represent you as a consumer. 

San Francisco, Paris, London, Sydney, Nebraska, Alaska, Hawaii: all of these places represent something different. You will have to think long and hard before you make a choice, but that choice ultimately will help to define you further as a consumer. 

Choice Creates Anxiety

Even choice itself is a paradox. We all think that we want more options so that we can make sure we choose something that's really the best, but when presented with a seemingly unlimited number of choices, we feel unhappy. The more options we have, the more likely we are to feel regretful for having not chosen a particular thing and the more we will worry about whether or not we are making the right choice. There probably is always a "best" choice, but finding it can elicit so much stress.

People are actually happiest when they have no choices because they are most willing to accept whatever the condition is that they are given. In many ways this runs counter to the notions of freedom and free will. So we cannot eliminate choices; to do so would run against the common will of our society. 

Searching for Happiness

So what do we do? Everyday new brands are created and more things are commercialized and as a result, the number of choices that we have is ever increasing. At the same time, our satisfaction is decreasing for the same reason. But an attempt to reduce choice may put us on the path towards an autocratic society. 

I believe that the main purpose in life is to find happiness. The more clutter there is in the world, the harder that happiness is to find. It seems that the key is becoming independent of consumerism, but I'm not sure that we as a society know how. 

Reasons to Love Boston

Why Boston is a Great Place to Live

I've lived in New England for my whole life and it is only in the past few years that I have first come to appreciate Boston. Despite the fact that I live about an hour outside the city, I make it a point to commute in at least twice a month to take advantage of all of the different things that the city has to offer. Out of anywhere that I've travelled to, I think that so far Boston is my favorite city. Here are some reasons why this is my favorite city.

Walkability: This is key in my mind to the success of any city. While most cities build mega-highways through downtown that cut off pedestrians, Boston is a city designed for walkers and bikers. Speed limits for cars are low and it is always easy to get from place to place on foot. The subway system provides aid for destinations that are too remote. But overall, the city is one of the best places for just wandering around for a day. Boston was ranked the third most walkable city in the country!

Distinct Neighborhoods: Boston is hundreds of years old; in some neighborhoods you can feel as though you should be about to witness the Revolutionary War while in others your feel 100 years in the future. If you can afford it, Boston can offer you housing in almost any type of area whether it be a single family detached home, high-rise luxury condo or grand brownstone. Each part of the city has it's own unique feeling. 

Entertainment: Often times when I have nothing to do I will go to Boston just to eat, shop and walk around. In most cities I would get bored after a few hours of strolling, but Boston has such great shops and restaurants that it can keep you looking for more all day. The city has a great balance of chain stores and restaurants with unique bistros and boutiques. There is always something to satisfy you whether you are seeking novelty or familiarity. At night the city comes alive with almost unlimited options for dancing, socializing and even karaoke!

Progressive: Walking around Boston you can almost feel the culture of the city. It is one of the most liberal and accepting cities in the country; it makes you feel almost as though you are walking through a European city. The city feels very safe and does not try to keep anyone out. The citizens are politically active and the city really gets involved with the larger community.

What Makes a City Feel Safe

Safety from Environmental Clues

Walking through a city at night, most of us will not encounter any problems. Even in the most dangerous cities in America, violent crimes strike no more than about 2% of the population per year. But despite the fact that most people go about their day to day lives unharmed by criminals, some areas really just have "a bad feeling." Sometimes it is just our perception of a place that makes us feel as though it is unsafe; many "bad" areas actually have low crime rates. But what exactly is it about an area that can make it feel more or less safe?

It turns out, there are a lot of things that can make a perfectly nice area feel less safe. Take this picture for example. When I looked at this picture one of the things that stuck out to me was the uncollected trash; it looks rather foreboding. But no imagine the same view with no trash. Then I am apt to see a bike-friendly sidewalk in an open area. That feels like a much safer thought.

Now we will look at some specific examples of what makes a neighborhood feel unsafe.

Trash: As I already mentioned, trash is one of the biggest subconscious indicators of safety. When we see trash on the street we think two things. The first is that the people who live here are either rude or do not care about their community. Both of these things make us worried. The second thought it even more ominous. Uncollected trash is a sign of lackluster city services. If the trash man won't come, how can I be sure that police do? It's an anxiety laden trap, trash does not actually make an area less safe.

Feeling that an area is Lower-Class or Boring: Unfortunately in many people's minds, lower-class and boring go together. In a "boring" neighborhood buildings have similar designs and it is challenging to discern where exactly you are; no landmarks or notable buildings help to guide you. Wandering through an area that seems rather similar and nondescript you may think "why would anyone want to be here?" You assume that nobody makes the choice to be here unless they have to or are too poor to live somewhere else. You then think that because you are in an area that you perceive to be lower-class, your risk for becoming a victim of a crime rises. 

No Pedestrians: Seeing people walking around is comforting. When lots of pedestrians are roaming an area, we assume that it means that this is a tourist friendly area or simply an area where people feel comfortable walking around. We think that other people would not bother to walk if an area was really unsafe so we should not either. This is more of a self-fulfilling prophecy than anything. Foot traffic is not actually indicative of fewer crimes.

Distance from Starbucks: I'm serious, Starbucks seems to count, at least in my book. People tend to associate Starbucks with upper-class or tourist areas. If you are visiting a city and see a Starbucks, you know that you are in a nice area. But if you keep walking and begin to realize that you haven't seen your favorite coffee shop for several miles, you may actually begin to worry. 

This map took forever to find so I hope you appreciate it! But look. The touristy areas of DC, namely downtown and the Northwest quadrant are full of Starbucks. Wander into areas where you feel less safe, namely Southeast DC across the Anacostia River, and there is only one location!

Race and Access to Food Video

This video examines the relationship between race, income and food access. I hope you enjoy.

Obesity: The Last Form of Discrimination

Obesity Based Discrimination

I started thinking about this topic when I read a news article about Atlantic City, NJ last night. There is a casino that hires women (and some men) as models and calls them "Borgata Babes." In order to work as a Borgata Babe, the employee must participate in weekly weigh-ins and never gain more than 7% of their hire-date weight. When some employees were fired for gaining too much weight, they were dismissed from their jobs. They then took the challenge to court and lost!

In the United States, we have over they years learned that it is bad to discriminate on the basis of race, religion, income and just about everything else, but not obesity yet. In fact, only one state, Michigan, has laws that protect obese Americans from discrimination. For those who believe that it is acceptable to discriminate against those who are obese, a common argument is that you choose to become obese. In some ways this is true, but there are so many conditional circumstances such as income and metabolism that tip the scales strongly against some people.

Right now over 33% of Americans are obese and around 70% are overweight. These numbers are certainly not good, but let's look at some of the ways that obese Americans are discriminated against.

More likely to be perceived as incompetent: Many people look at those who are obese and think that they are in some way out of control. They are less likely to trust obese Americans than healthier weight Americans and when asked about intelligence, are likely to give obese people lower marks.

Skipped at Work: Whether for hiring, performance evaluations or promotions, obesity makes someone more likely to be ignored in the workplace. This is unfortunate because there is no evidence that obesity makes someone less competent. Some offices will even refuse to hire someone who is obese because they fear that they will have to pay more for health insurance.

Charged Extra: In case you have never noticed, seats in public places tend to be designed for skinny people. Seats are found in lots of places from movie theatres, to parks to subways to airplanes. Many people do not fit well in the "average" seat. As a result, many companies, most notably airlines, charge extra for obese customers. Rather than adjusting seat sizes, obese people are often charged for the price of two seats. An obese person is still one person, not two.

Hopefully in the coming years some of these forms of discrimination will change. A new study was just published that states that shaming obese people by calling them fat and things like that actually increases their chances of remaining obese.

Cities are Safer than Suburbs

Why it's Safer to Live in the City

Now you may see this title and be a bit skeptical, but a new study asserts that this is true. If you don't believe me, check out this article by National Geographic. At first, I was skeptical as well. But when you dive into the facts, this seemingly illogical idea begins to make much more sense.

But haven't we learned for decades that the best way to keep our children safe was to move out to the suburbs? How can cities really be safer?

Fewer Car Accidents: 

There are a number of factors that tip the scales in favor of cities, but by far, the biggest reason that cities are statistically safer is that they provide a lower risk for car accidents. In 2011, over 32,000 Americans died in car accidents. Logically, the more you are in a car, the more likely you are to die in a car accident. Because suburban and rural residents depend on cars for everyday needs, they spend significantly more time in cars, making them much more likely to die in car accidents. If you live in a city and use public transportation, your risk of dying in a car accident drops to near 0. 

Now you may say so what? I'm not worried about car accidents, cities are just simply more dangerous. Its true that cities have more crime per capita, but accidental deaths caused by cars are still real deaths. They must be factored into the equation. Just as a note, city dwellers using public transit are more likely to die in these types of accidents, but the rates and severity of these accidents are much lower than of cars.

Quicker Saves:

This can really mean a variety of things, but it comes down to the idea that if something bad happens to you in a densely populated urban area, you are more likely to get help quickly. This bad thing could be a fire, a shooting, a heart attack or almost anything else. If for example you have a heart attack in New York City, you will be close to a hospital and more likely to survive than if you live in say rural Maine. Response rates for accidents can really mean the difference between life and death. Rural areas tend to have slower response times because emergency services have to cover larger areas and are thus more likely to be far away from where the accident occurs.

Fewer Suicides:

There tend to be higher suicide rates in rural areas compared to urban areas. Suicides tend not to be among the leading causes of death, but they still contribute to the final total. Nobody knows for sure why rates are higher in rural areas, but one possible explanation is isolation. People benefit from social connections and these relationships can help to ward off depression. Being far from others in rural areas may increase depression and suicide rates by default.

I have to say that when I first read this new study I was surprised. In as much as I advocate for living in cities, I was among the majority of Americans who had the misperception that rural areas are safer. Be informed, spread the word.