This myth also promotes a tendency to believe that nothing can be done, and that the challenge is too great. In contrast, if nothing is done about unsustainable consumption patterns, more and more people in the world will be condemned to living with severely reduced standards of living. Studies demonstrate that the continual increases in income, consumption levels and stress tend to perpetuate dissatisfaction rather than improving well-being (Veenhoven 2009, Bok 2010}.