Some unanswered questions have lingered for as long as one can remember; did the chicken come first or the egg, and does money buy happiness? While we are still debating the former, the latter stands clarified. A new study supports the direct relationship between income and satisfaction but not without a few terms and conditions. It is true that money ultimately brings happiness, but only once the annual income reaches $500,000. Per a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the US, happiness rises steadily with income.
Inch towards $100,000 a year, and your happy emotions will accelerate even faster. The only way to cross-check the information is by asking people who have crossed the $500,000 mark and are still unhappy. Though someone wealthy said it is better to cry in a Mercedes than a taxi, and it made absolute sense. Harvard University psychology doctoral student and former software product manager Matthew Killingsworth stated, “For very poor people, money clearly helps a lot,” Killingsworth told New Scientist. “But if you have a decent income and you’re still miserable, the source of your misery probably isn’t something money can fix.”
Researchers also threw light on other circumstances in addition to doing well in life that make a person happy. Like something as simple as two days off at the end of a week may have an even better emotional effect than more money. All said and done, no matter the research, facts and numbers, this will forever remain debatable for a person who doesn’t wish to credit their credit score for their contentment.
