I found an interesting article on bankrate.com today:
The article goes into depth about the correlation(or lack thereof) between money and happiness. The main point of the article is: if you make a comfortable/mediocre income, then excess wealth will most likely increase your happiness by a smaller amount than you'd expect. And if you are already well-to-do and then make more money(e.g., going from earning $100,000/yr to $500,000/yr), then you will most likely only experience a marginal(if any) increase in happiness.
However, what I found most interesting about the article was one of the smaller, yet seemingly obvious, points: If you are earning below the poverty line, then you will most likely experience a DRASTIC increase in happiness. The article also stated that while going from middle class to wealthy will not guarantee happiness by any means, that going from middle class to destitute will most times create UNHAPPINESS. Also, I found it interesting(and very true!) that the increase in happiness/comfort between making say, $5,000/yr and $50,000/yr is TONS greater than the increase in happiness/comfort between making say, $100,000/yr and $500,000/yr. This is because $50,000/yr is an adequate amount to pay for everyday living expenses plus a little bit of socializing, whereas $5,000/yr would be very tough to live on, even with some rent subsidization.
What is my point? In my opinion, I believe that lack of money can lead to more problems/stress than too much money. For example, a person "living in a cardboard box under a bridge." Not only would this type of person lack the money to spend on lavish vacations or material goods, but this person would also be faced with a crisis in terms of obtaining adequate necessities(food, clothing, and a roof over one's head). Even someone living better than a bum under a bridge, but still earning less than the poverty line cut-off, would have a very difficult time getting by. (We've all commented on this in the "Living on $12K/yr" thread.) Not only would this person struggle to pay the bills, but would have to pull tons of overtime just to keep up with rent(thus increasing risk of getting physically "run down" and ill), would be one paycheck away from homelessness or potential bankruptcy, and the list goes on.
People used to wonder why I spent so much time stressing about my budgets and finances, and why I was "so obsessed with money and keeping good credit." Well perhaps I didn't want to risk falling into a situation where I would end up with nothing! I used to live on Ramen and ask my friends to lend me money for gas so that I could drive 3mins down the road to class(walking was not a safe option; it meant walking along freeway exit ramps and/or highways to walk from my college apartment to the college campus)...and it really sucked! I can admit, I became a LOT happier when I started dancing and literally went from earning $5,000/yr to $50,000/yr+. I was finally able to eat nutritious food, obtain health insurance, see a doctor when sick, afford reliable transportation, keep up with bills, finish my degree, etc. Does anyone else have any similar experiences with money and its effect on personal happiness?


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Mind you he and his spouse are lottery hounds. We would see him at the packy buying books of tickets at a time. Why is this guy chasing a dream that has already come true??? He is still working, but something about health insurance/bennies. Hubby says he was on cloud nine for about a month but shortly after returned to his usual demeanor. I know it's not my business, but this shit pisses me off



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