The goood life?

How much money do you need to be happy? For many, the answer to this question

is simple: ‘More!’ Despite saying that money and material things are secondary

to family, love, and friends, people all round the world still pursue money as if it is

the only thing that can make them happy. Everyone seems to be working harder and harder for more money at the expense of spending time with their families.

People are spending more than ever before, and falling deeper and deeper into debt

each year. We want bigger homes in better places, the latest cars, and the bigger

wide-screen TVs. It’s ‘the good life’, and everyone is clamouring to get it.

But does having and spending a lot of money really make us happier?

Researchers have been interested for a long time in the link between income and compared to those happiness. Some conclude that once you have enough money to meet basic needs, such as food and shelter, having more money does little to help your happiness and general satisfaction with life. As a matter of fact, a recent study of 1,000 people in the United States found that those earning $1,000 or less a month were slightly happier than those whose monthly income was above $4,000.

Why do more money and more things fail to make us happier? The problem is

that we quickly get used to having more money and new things. Initially, we may feel euphonic when we get that bigger house or a new car, but we soon get used to it, and then it doesn’t seem so special any more. And when we hear that our friends or relatives now have bigger houses and newer case, we become dissatisfied with

what we have.

Indeed, money may be more effective in making us unhappy, rather than the other way around. As increase in salary may only produce temporary happiness, but getting a decrease in salary can adversely affect happiness in the long term. We become used to a certain level of living and, when that is taken away, it is difficult for us to be satisfied with less.

Sociological researcher Glenn Firebaugh claims that it is not just a question of having or not having a lot of money. The key factor is whether or not you have a lot of money compared to those around you. People can be quite satisfied with their salaries, for example, until they find out that their peers earn more. The desire to maintain equal and higher levels of income and purchasing habits as those around us (‘keeping up with Joneses’, as the common expression goes) turns life into a never-ending competition.

Sociologists also point out that to earn a large amount of money we often have to sacrifice the things that really make us happy. Strong relationships, such as a loving family, a strong marriage and good friends are among the most powerful predictors of happiness and satisfaction with life. In most cases, the amount of money you earn has little effect on these things and quite often requires us to actually spend less time doing what really makes us happy. High-paying jobs tend to be very demanding, and can leave people with little energy for loved ones and hobbies.

So, what place should money have in your life? This is entirely up to you, but

consider what you would like to say when you look back on your life in your retirement. “My marriage broke down, my children are strangers to me, and I

usually felt miserable and stressed due to my high-powered job, but I drove the

best car in the neighbourhood!’. Is that really what life is all about?

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16