When it comes to economic development, positive change is typically gradual and only noticeable over long periods of time; by contrast negative developments—economic crises—are often rapid and spectacular. This creates a biased narrative that focuses on negative news, while positive trends go unnoticed because they are less dramatic.
Two questions are central to each human being: How long will I live? How much money will I earn? While we all approach these questions with many nuances and influencing factors (such as education, health, political stability, climate, infrastructure), almost everyone in the world wants an uplifting answer to both questions. Everyone wants to live a long, healthy and prosperous life and most of us now actually have a credible shot at it.
Brookings Institution