1957 - the happiest year

[Alan Burns]

Recent research has deemed 1957 to be the happiest year:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4150296/Yes-1957-really-happiest-year-ever.html

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/weve-never-had-it-so-good-1957-was-the-happiest-year-ctx8whpgw

I grew up in the 1950's on a council estate in Middlesbrough.  It certainly was not utopia, but my perception is that people were indeed much happier then than now.

The main form of indoor entertainment was radio.  The few who could afford television were restricted to watching one or two channels.  (I recall listening to the serialised "Journey into Space" - it filled my imagination in a far more profound way than being spoonfed images from Dr Who on television.)

Nightlife was restricted to cinemas, dance halls and pubs (which closed at 10:30pm).  No night clubs.

Monday was washing day - using a poss stick, tub, boiler and manual wringer in the outside wash house.

Few houses had telephones.

Few houses had central heating. (we would get frost on the inside of our windows)

Few families had cars, but we had many more railway stations and rail services than we have now.

The road outside our house was used as a play area, but we had to look out for the milk float!

There was no contraceptive pill.

Abortion was illegal.

"Living together" was frowned upon.

No one had heard of transgender, gender fluidity or gender ideology.

Almost all children had a mother and father who were married.

Our local church had five Sunday Masses - all well attended.

We can never bring back the past, but we can learn from it and perhaps try to recapture some of the values missing from today's modern secular society.

[Steve H]

There were plenty of back-street abortionists putting desperate young women in danger, and the fact that no-one had heard of gender fluidity etc. didn't mean it didn't exist. The illegality of homosexual relations led to much unnecessary sadness. The death penalty still existed, and Timothy Evans was only the most famous person wrongly hanged. I could go on (and frequently do).
As for the research - how do you quantify happiness? Sounds like junk research to me.

[Aruntraveller]

But Steve it's in the Daily Fail. It must be true.

[Nearly Sane]

There were plenty of back-street abortionists putting desperate young women in danger, and the fact that no-one had heard of gender fluidity etc. didn't mean it didn't exist. The illegality of homosexual relations led to much unnecessary sadness. The death penalty still existed, and Timothy Evans was only the most famous person wrongly hanged. I could go on (and frequently do).
As for the research - how do you quantify happiness? Sounds like junk research to me.

Women weren't allowed to have cheque books. Marital rape was allowed. Trentvoyager would have been prosecuted for his love.


Yep, I agree but define 'gender fluidity'? Because I think using the term of 1957 and now is problematic.

[Steve H]

And another thing - correlation isn't necessarily causation, so all those good things about 1957 mentioned by AB - if indeed they are good - do not necessarily have anything to do with the happiness of the year, even if we accept the conclusion, which I don't.

[jeremyp]

!957 was in black and white. There were no Beatles songs. My parents hadn't even met.

There's no way it was the happiest year.

[SqueakyVoice]

...There was no contraceptive pill.
Abortion was illegal.

Almost all children had a mother and father who were married.

In The Daily Male? What are the chances...?

We can never bring back the past,

Good.

[Steve H]

I don't know where you - or the person who compiled the list, since it looks like a cut-and-paste job - get the idea that there were no night clubs in 1957. https://www.britishpathe.com/workspaces/08782f054ae3df7596715391e027a861/hOnvzVEA

[Alan Burns]

I don't know where you - or the person who compiled the list, since it looks like a cut-and-paste job - get the idea that there were no night clubs in 1957. https://www.britishpathe.com/workspaces/08782f054ae3df7596715391e027a861/hOnvzVEA

I was referring to my home town of Middlesbrough, from which my perceptions of happier people are based.
It is much different now - with late night drinkers creating a very intimidating town centre environment.

And I also forgot to mention the widespread use of corporal punishment in schools which was successful in providing much better discipline than we have now.

And policemen on the beat were free to give rowdy youngsters a clip round the ear for misbehaviour. 

[ProfessorDavey]

I was referring to my home town of Middlesbrough, from which my perceptions of happier people are based.
It is much different now - with late night drinkers creating a very intimidating town centre environment.

Isn't that just what naturally happens as we get older.

I suspect elderly people in the late 1950s felt intimidated by the youngsters of the day - there was certainly huge 'moral panic' about the behaviours of teenagers from older generations. In fact I think you'll find that the term 'moral panic' was coined to describe the portrayal of youth culture of the late 50s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mods_and_rockers

[Nearly Sane]

I was referring to my home town of Middlesbrough, from which my perceptions of happier people are based.
It is much different now - with late night drinkers creating a very intimidating town centre environment.

And I also forgot to mention the widespread use of corporal punishment in schools which was successful in providing much better discipline than we have now.

And policemen on the beat were free to give rowdy youngsters a clip round the ear for misbehaviour. 

Ah, yes, how good it was to be able to beat children.

[Nearly Sane]

Isn't that just what naturally happens as we get older.

I suspect elderly people in the late 1950s felt intimidated by the youngsters of the day - there was certainly huge 'moral panic' about the behaviours of teenagers from older generations. In fact I think you'll find that the term 'moral panic' was coined to describe the portrayal of youth culture of the late 50s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mods_and_rockers

Indeed

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/52209/15-historical-complaints-about-young-people-ruining-everything