Are you happy? No? Maybe you should quit your job and become a money-starved art blogger – that’ll cheer you up!

Oliver James, author of the books Affluenza and The Selfish Capitalist discusses his theory that our increasingly wealthy, ‘have-it-all’ society has actually made us more miserable. Perhaps more interestingly, he notes that since the 1970s there has been no real increase in the income of the average worker while the rich have actually grown twice as wealthy. Watch the clip from The Book Show below. Does his theory hold any weight, or does Mariella gently tear it apart in her friendly, husky tones…?

The next episode of The Book Show is on tonight at 7pm on Sky Arts channel 267 and is repeated Saturday morning at 10am. Follow this link to find out more.