Cultural Norms In America

With the daily hustle and bustle of life Americans can lose sight of the true happiness. The cultural norms of Americans can define their outlook on life and cause them to be more satisfied by their social statuses that are achieved through their work. Other countries view Americans as workaholics, but to Americans long hours and lack of sleep is just a natural part of life. Americans live an unhealthy lifestyle due to overworking and not taking the time to take care of their minds and bodies.

A main separation between the United States and other countries is working hours. In America it is very common for people to work long hours and sometimes even overtime to accumulate more revenue. “Practice such as overtime, part-time, moonlighting,

“Americans work 50% more than the Germans, the French and the Italians” (Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn). Reasons for working more are either due to economic or cultural explanations. “According to Prescott (2004), Americans work more than Europeans because of domestic tax rates; tax rates affect labor supply (assuming it is not fixed)” (Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn). Working longer hours and more frequently is apart of America`s social stigma that is apart of its cultural norm. In America “ opportunities for social mobility are (or are perceived to be) higher in the US than in Europe. In other words, working longer hours does (or appears to) pay off more in the US than in Europe” (Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn). In America people are most commonly defined by how much money they have and their social status in life. The standards for success are based on economic status and pursuit for fame ; not as prevalent in other countries. Americans are always trying to do better in their work while Europeans strive to be better at home, in both they are striving to achieve happiness this is an example of economic truism. “ An economic truism is that people do things to maximize their utility. Americans maximize their utility (happiness) by working and Europeans maximize their utility through leisure” (Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn). In America education levels can determine the extent of someone's success. American society is built around a hierarchy of education and job level, which determines how valuable to society you are. “The correlation between education and life satisfaction is higher for individuals with low income and in poorer nations; education may help to satisfy aspirations, but it might also elevate aspirations. Personal or household income matters more in poor countries (with GNP less than $8,000 per person). As long as people can afford necessities, income does not contribute much to happiness.