Kathryn: I took the trouble to check that report you cited from America’s Newspaper of Record that “A surprising 94 percent of Americans say they are satisfied with their lives.”

One of Mr. Murdoch’s skivvies told me that there is in fact a typo in the report. It should have read: “94 percent of Americans say they are satisfied with their livers.” That is to say, there is a low (though, of course, rising) incidence of liver disease in the U.S.A.

Asked about their lives, 98 percent declared that they dwelt on the edge of despair, had no hope for the future, believed that the world is going to hell in a handbasket, and thought “frequently” about self-annihilation.

Glad to have that cleared up!