One measure of "affluence," whose meaning can be ambiguous, is per capita gross domestic product. While GDP growth indicates a quantitative expansion of the economy, its size is by no means a measure of social well-being or people's happiness.
From the late 1940s to the 1960s, Japan's real per capita GDP was only one-fifth of what it is today. Japanese were poor and faced hard times, yet were mostly happy, having something to study for, work for and live for.
It may be hard to believe today, but from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, the "three status symbols" for Japanese families were a black-and-white television, a refrigerator and a washing machine. In the late 1960s, the symbols were upgraded to the widely touted "three C's" -- a color TV, a car and a "cooler" (air conditioner). When they bought those products, most Japanese felt a sense of unimaginable euphoria.