Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T23:06:26.007Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The affective origins of the Industrial Revolution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2019

Jeffrey R. Huntsinger
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660. jhuntsinger@luc.eduaraoul@luc.eduhttp://jeffreyhuntsinger.weebly.com/index.html
Akila Raoul
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660. jhuntsinger@luc.eduaraoul@luc.eduhttp://jeffreyhuntsinger.weebly.com/index.html

Abstract

We suggest in this commentary an emotional origin of the Industrial Revolution. Specifically, increased living standards directly preceding the Industrial Revolution produced increased happiness and subjective well-being that, in turn, fueled the explosion of innovation and economic growth experienced in industrial England.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Diener, E. (2000) Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. American Psychologist 55(1):3443.Google Scholar
Diener, E. (2012) New findings and future directions for subjective well-being research. American Psychologist 67(8):590–97.Google Scholar
Gasper, K. & Clore, G. L. (2002) Attending to the big picture: Mood and global versus local processing of visual information. Psychological Science 13(1):3440.Google Scholar
Greene, T. R. & Noice, H. (1988) Influence of positive affect upon creative thinking and problem solving in children. Psychological Reports 63(3):895–98.Google Scholar
Ifcher, J. & Zarghamee, H. (2011) Happiness and time preference: The effect of positive affect in a random-assignment experiment. American Economic Review 101(7):3109–29.Google Scholar
Isen, A. M. (2008) Some ways in which positive affect influences decision making and problem solving. In: Handbook of emotions, 3rd edition, ed. Lewis, M., Haviland-Jones, J. M. & Feldman-Barrett, L., pp. 548–73. Guilford.Google Scholar
Isen, A. M. & Daubman, K. A. (1984) The influence of affect on categorization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 47(6):1206–17.Google Scholar
Isen, A. M., Daubman, K. A. & Nowicki, G. P. (1987) Positive affect facilitates creative problem solving. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 52(6):1122–31.Google Scholar
Lyubomirsky, S., King, L. & Diener, E. (2005) The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin 131(6):803–55.Google Scholar
Russ, S. W. (1999) Affect, creative experience and psychological adjustment, pp. 5775. Brunner/Mazel.Google Scholar
Russ, S. W., Robins, A. L. & Christiano, B. A. (1999) Pretend play: Longitudinal prediction of creativity and affect in fantasy in children. Creativity Research Journal 12(2):129–39.Google Scholar
Sacks, D. W., Stevenson, B. & Wolfers, J. (2010) Subjective well-being, income, economic development and growth. CESifo Working Paper No. 3206, Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich.Google Scholar
Veenhoven, R. R. & Vergunst, F. (2014) The Easterlin illusion: Economic growth does go with greater happiness. International Journal of Happiness and Development 1(4):311–43.Google Scholar