The assertion is littered with flaws. It may have been an enjoyable story about life outside of our offices, computers and techno-lives... yet littered with logical flaws.
The micro scale doesn't represent the macro scale. The relationship has not been proven. Long-term and short-term impact were not explored. Motivation models for happiness were not explored. Multiple repeatable cases where it was indeed information and not just "Bad stuff happens, here's a bunch of it at once" was not explored.
An underlying theme here is that knowing of less than favorable events in the world impacts your quality of happiness, and that people strive for happiness through greater consumerism and status. I flatly disagree with this whole premise. It's a lovely read, but it's (and I don't use this word often) total bunk.
The micro scale doesn't represent the macro scale. The relationship has not been proven. Long-term and short-term impact were not explored. Motivation models for happiness were not explored. Multiple repeatable cases where it was indeed information and not just "Bad stuff happens, here's a bunch of it at once" was not explored.
An underlying theme here is that knowing of less than favorable events in the world impacts your quality of happiness, and that people strive for happiness through greater consumerism and status. I flatly disagree with this whole premise. It's a lovely read, but it's (and I don't use this word often) total bunk.