Epistemic status: talking out of my ass
- Improving QALYs in developed nations isn't a big priority for EA
- With bednets at $5 a pop this makes sense
- But loneliness, anxiety and depression are some of the biggest drivers of low well being in developed nations
- Parenting is really hard and isolating. Most EAs aren't parents; this could be driving the blind spot
- Setting up communal living situations is very expensive (time consuming, and financial investment is high) but it still might have have an enormous return on investment. I think it could be effective at addressing many of the above issues.
TBH I have very short timelines (~ 7 - 15 years), and think if we survive AGI then this will 'be sorted' anyway.
But in the event that doesn't happen, I think it is worth considering as an EA cause area.
Thoughts?
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/09/opinion/ezra-klein-kristen-ghodsee.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intentional_living
Would seem hard for intentional living as a general cause area to beat setting up intentional communities for people trying to make the world better.
Think of it like charter cities but at a micro level?