Jonathan Clements’ recent article about money and happiness (“Money and Happiness: Here’s Why You Won’t Laugh All the Way to the Bank“) raised several crucial points deserving of wide-spread publication.
First, this notion: “…once you’re safe and warm and fed, it [money] makes surprisingly little difference” in improving a person’s level of happiness. This would seem to be contradicted by the interesting 2004 survey that reports that those making $90,000 annually are roughly twice as happy as those making $20,000 or less. But as the article makes clear, the upper income folks only think they’re happier. When surveyed throughout the workday, “those with higher incomes didn’t report being any happier, but they were more likely to say they were anxious or angry.”
The solutions section of the article also made for compelling reading. Four suggestions:
1. Keep your commute short
2. Choose time over money
3. Think carefully about how you spend your dollars
4. Use your leisure time wisely
Points to ponder!