I've had this discussion with someone very close to me recently. We didn't come to an agreement and I'm certainly not done thinking about this topic. I will lay out both of our arguments here.
My opinion
For all societies, throughout all of human history – life has always been unfair. Life has always been hard. However, despite all this misery, I believe humans are hard-wired for happiness. I think that of all people ever, a great majority viewed their lives as worthwhile.
No matter if you unjustly get put in jail, are a farmer in a feudalist society in medieval times, a slave in the Roman Empire, or something entirely else. I believe chances are big you would consider your life worthwhile when asked – all things considered. Life, for most people, is full of beautiful moments that, however small, make up for the bad.
I'm not a psychologist, biologist or expert in any other way so my opinion on this subject is not scientific. This is just the way I feel the world works.
Their opinion
We are lucky, living in a free and prosperous society. For most people, life has not been 'worth it'. The misery caused by all the oppression, wars, health crises (or lack of healthcare), inequality, child deaths and so on made it that way. This has always been the case, unfortunately.
Happy lives are something only found in privileged circles, the lucky few in a skewed world.
Abstraction
My opinion goes with the assumption that happiness is largely unrelated to circumstances, that it's an experience somehow part of nature rather than nurture. The person I had this discussion with believes the opposite. I do not know who is right. Am I naive and are they realistic, or are 'in-touch' and 'cynical' more accurate terms to describe our convictions?
I intend to find some credible research to back either of our claims.