between money and happiness
You may have heard that the money could not buy happiness or love, or friends. Of course, the snappy return is that you can buy a better class of sadness, sycophants and enemies. But what is the actual link between money and happiness? Is it true that the rich are unhappy? We will check.
According to the Happy Planet Index (http://www.happyplanetindex.org/list.htm) the happiest country in the world is Vanuatu. According to the CIA Factbook (https: / / www.cia.gov / cia / public cations/factbook/rankorder/200 4rank.html), Vanuatu is the 163rd richest country with only $ 2900 per capita GDP (compared with $ 43,500 USA) Other countries in the list of the ten countries are happy to Columbia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Panama, Cuba (!), Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Just a list of the rich and famous. How the U.S. happy? The 10th richest country in the world ranked 150th of 178 countries. United Arab Emirates, the 5th richest country with per capita GDP of $ 49,700 is ranked 154th in the Happy Planet Index. There may be some truth in this idea that the relationship between money and happiness is an inverse relationship. That the more money you have, the less happy you are. Well, the U.A.E. and the U.S. not the most unfortunate countries.
A right at the bottom in the Happy Planet Index is Zimbabwe. The GDP per capita is $ 2,000. Just above Zimbabwe Happiness is in Swaziland, with $ 5500, and Burundi and Congo with only $ 700 each in GDP per capita. Well, this puts a damper on this theory! Or not? We all have basic needs. It is difficult to be happy when you’re hungry. More difficult when their children are hungry. Therefore, when you’re too poor to afford food, every dollar you can get more increases your happiness. So when you have enough mac and cheese every night, so be happy if once a week you can afford a Big Mac when you can afford a Big Mac once a week, would be happier if I could have some KFC chicken once a week. And when you have to, would not it be good to go to a nice restaurant once in a while where they have cloth napkins and cutlery not plastic.
So yes, when you’re at the bottom of the socioeconomic strata, a little more than money can buy greater satisfaction. But at some point (I do not know about you, but I’m not there yet) to make money leaves happy. Why? Well, you see the poor have enough money for the Mac and cheese, or a Big Mac for lunch. But you do not get more time. The rich and the poor kid boy, both have 24 hours a day, and they need to eat 3 meals a day. The complaint, "I have nothing to wear!" not the complaint of the poor but the rich. "There’s nothing on TV!" is what we hear of people with cable or satellite. "But there is nothing to do!" Ear damage is most likely surrounded by rich brats DVD, computers, Sega, XBox, Nintendo, toys, pets, and home entertainment system. These complaints do not come from nothing to wear, watch or do, but to be spoiled by choice. So what is the link between money and happiness? Well, money and anything of value is added to their satisfaction (utility marginal in economic theory) initially. Less than that you have, the more satisfaction you get from each dollar. But as you have more of it, every dollar or hundreds of dollars less satisfactory until finally, it does not matter anymore. Then the money simply becomes a way of keeping score, and has to find another way to be satisfied. But you may have forgotten how.
The Guy Rico could have a Black Angus Steak or sushi, or truffle, or Kobe beef, caviar, or or an endless list of gastronomic delights for their lunch. If the poor man decides to Mac and Cheese, just give the rich man Big Mac, if you choose the meat, is the abandonment of sushi, and truffles and caviar and everything else! Yes, with money, you get more options.
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There’s limits to what you really need but without the basics you can really get miserable, great analysis.
Sheri