Questioning More is better

I am in Japan. I am traveling with my wife and an old friend. I have seen two old friends and both seemed depressed. One is a Japanese friend worried about losing his job in this economic downturn and a second an American Ex-pat secure in his position yet willing to take a pay cut to have more vacation days. My two friends are both trapped. The first is trapped by fear the second by a good job if all you think about is the pay.
This trip has me questioning the concept of more is better in economics.