Money matters.

AuthorPuterbaugh, Dolores T.
PositionHappiness price - American Thought

CAN YOU PUT a price on happiness? The point, of course, is not that money actually buys happiness. The expression is muddy. What do we mean by "happiness?" What is meant by "money?"

I cannot define happiness in one paragraph, but I can describe some attributes. If we consider happiness as a trait, rather than a transient state of being, then happiness is not "fun," or being entertained. The trait of happiness, perhaps, includes a sense of hopefulness; it is a kind of contentment mixed with both appreciation for the past and anticipation of the future. Happiness makes space for intense joy and quiet serenity. Being a happy person does not preclude sadness, or some anxiety, or anger. Those are natural, normal emotions and belong in the texture of life. For a happy person, though, those negative emotions are perceived not as the defining theme but rather as elements in a larger picture.

Money is easier to define. If we mean, a big heap of coins guarantees eternal bliss, then most sentient people do not believe this --at least, I hope not. Rather, as research has indicated, a certain amount of financial security and material comfort lends itself towards greater emotional fulfillment. Money is the means, in our culture, of obtaining material security.

We need look no further than Psychology 101 and everyone's first introduction to Abraham Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs." People who are preoccupied with survival do not have the luxury of sitting around thinking about their deeply gratifying connections with others or the soul-refreshing benefits of challenging their intellects and creativity in whatever way floats their boats. I spent nearly five years working with the indigent, severely mentally ill population. People who are sleeping in shifts under park benches with a buddy sitting guard to avoid being beaten to death or cut up for fun by marauding youths are not worried about happiness. They are hoping to see morning. Happiness will wait.

Of course, not everyone is directly preoccupied with literal survival needs. Research out of Princeton University indicates that about $75,000 a year seems to be the income correlated to maximal happiness. After that, people are not more emotionally happy but indicate they are more satisfied with the "direction" their life is going. I infer from this that they believe, somehow, their fives will be substantially better when they have the means to buy more, or better, stuff. Alternately, it is the comparison to...

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