I read a research report today which found that if people have enough money to take care of their family’s basic needs plus about $20,000 for additional non-essentials, getting more money doesn’t make people happier. So basically, a little more money makes people happier, but a lot more money doesn’t.
Okay, I buy that. I’ve made big decisions in my life that put money into second place instead of first, and I don’t regret them. On the contrary. And I have enough money for the basics plus enough to do or buy most of the things I really want. In any case, there aren’t any gaping holes that I desperately want money to fill.
And as I look around, it looks to me as if getting money is more often than not destructive of a person’s relationships, sometimes of their talents, and closes out opportunities and enjoyment that people who are spending less time and effort in pursuit of money take for granted.
So why do I think it would be so exciting to win the lottery or some other fortuitous source of some fantastic amount of money? Do I seriously think I’d be happier?
Seriously: No.
I like that… so then we are only as happy as our needs are fulfilled.
Comment by jooliedee — May 11, 2009 @ 9:39 pm |
I think you might be right, but I don’t think one can go as far as saying that’s what the research found. Apart from the fact that much research must be handled with caution, what this particular study found was that beyond a certain point, more money did not seem to make people happier. Why that may be so I think poses an interesting question. My own hypothesis is that there are at least two reasons. The first is that what we do to make more money often destroys the very things that give most people most happiness. And the second is that, although money can help solve a lot of problems, there are a lot of problems it can’t solve no matter how much you have to throw at it.
I’d be interested to know your thoughts on the matter.
Comment by theotheri — May 12, 2009 @ 8:40 pm |
RE “The first is that what we do to make more money often destroys the very things that give most people most happiness.”
Agree. I believe this to be true when people are more focused on money than on their happiness, something many of us do. When we lose focus of what really is important to us (individually or as a whole), and replace that focus with the pursuit of financial wealth, we can expect different results.
RE “And the second is that, although money can help solve a lot of problems, there are a lot of problems it can’t solve no matter how much you have to throw at it.”
Agree. I think of money as a tool but not a solution.
Comment by jooliedee — May 14, 2009 @ 1:54 pm
Me too. John Lennon said that he thought of money as a form of energy. Very similar to your “tool but not a solution.”
Comment by theotheri — May 14, 2009 @ 8:12 pm |