It seems undeniable that most people are drawn to better themselves economically, given the chance. But what is often overlooked is that this is only part of a much broader human desire for more. We can and do seek more in material terms. But if we find more only in material terms then most of us are left with a sense of lack. To put it generally, human wellbeing requires something other than just more material prosperity.
That something else is the more that humans seek to gain in art, science and language - more feeling, more insight, more knowledge. It is why relationships are key to wellbeing too: in friendship and love, we reach out and find more to life in others. It is why religion, in its various guises, is more or less universal: the transcendent might be thought of as the ultimate “more”.
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