Amongrichcountries,peopleintheUnitedStatesworkthelongesthours.TheyworkmuchlongerthaninEurope.Thisdifferenceisquitesurprisingbecauseproductivity(生产力)perhourworkedisthesameintheUnitedStatesasitisinFrance,SpainandGermany,anditisgrowingatasimilarspeed.
Inmostcountriesandatmosttimesinhistory,aspeoplehavebecomerichertheyhavechosentoworkless.Inotherwordstheyhavedecidedto“spend”apartoftheirextraincomeonafullerpersonallife.OverthelastfiftyyearsEuropeanshavecontinuedthispattern,andhoursofworkhavefallensharply.ButnotintheUnitedStates.Wedonotfullyknowwhythisis.OnereasonmaybegreatlylowertaxesinAmerica,whichincreasetherewardstowork.Anothermaybemoresatisfyingwork,orlesssatisfyingpersonallives.
LongerhoursdoofcourseincreasetheGDP(国内生产总值).SotheUnitedStateshasproducedmoreperworkerthan,say,France.TheUnitedStatesalsohasmoreofitspeopleatwork,whileinFrancemanymoremothersandolderworkershavedecidedtostayathome.TheoverallresultisthatAmericanGDPperheadis40%higherthaninFrance,eventhoughproductivityperhourworkedisthesame.
Itisnotclearwhichofthetwosituationsisbetter.Aswehaveseen,workhastobecomparedwithothervalueslikefamilylife,whichoftengetlostinitsinterest.Itistooearlytoexplainthedifferenttrends（趋势）inhappinessovertimeindifferentcountries.ButitisadisappointingideathatintheUnitedStateshappinesshasmadenoprogresssince1975,whileithasriseninEurope.Couldthishaveanythingtodowithtrendsinthework-lifebalance?
小题1:Whichofthefollowingcountrieshasmoreofitspeopleatwork?