Although you squander much of your International Section on two recent surveys of “happiness” around the world (“Where Money Seems to Talk,” July 14, 2007), there is little that surprises in your treatment of the subject. The wealthier the respondents, both within and between countries, the more satisfied they tend to be both with their own lot and the way things are going in their countries. Stunning, indeed. It reminds me of the old saw: “It is better to be rich for a hundred years than poor for a single day.” The main problem with your article is that you confound satisfaction, clearly specified in both surveys, with happiness. The two are related, of course, but not very strongly, as any dictionary in any language will readily testify. Much of the hoopla in your treatment of the correlation between wealth and happiness is thus spurious. Or even worse.