thoughtnot

I was reading an article the other day about a recent AP Poll which presented that “People Link Income to Happiness“. According to the article “People who make more than $75,000 a year are far more likely than those who make $25,000 or less to say are “very satisfied” with their lives � 56 percent of the higher-income group compared with 24 percent of the lower-income group…”

Really!? You think?!

There’s nothing like stating the obvious. In today’s society, $25,000 a year is near poverty. Although the government says there isn’t much inflation, it exists. I pay more for gas, more for food, more for utilities, and more for insurance than I did two years ago. That’s inflation. I suppose if you have little or no debt, live simply, and afford few luxuries you can make a pretty decent go of it. But I think it’s obvious to say that if you made $50k more than $25k, you would be happier almost by virtue of not having to think about money so much.

As the Beatles used to sing, it’s true that “money can’t buy you love”. But it certainly can make you more COMFORTABLE. And in the end, doesn’t comfort equate (or at least contribute majorly) to happiness? If you had little debt, owned your home, had a decent job, and could afford nice vacations, wouldn’t you be happier?

It’s true that there’s a delicate balance. Odds are, the closer you get to that $75k mark, the more “high profile” your job is and thus there would be increased levels of stress. But then, that’s where the ability to afford vacations comes in to play. And I think it’s safe to say that not everyone has the same goals. Expectations play a big role in happiness. While I personally would rather make more money, I also tend to have high expectations. Someone who lives in a mobile home and works at Denney’s for $6.50 an hour might be equally as happy with their station in life, as long as they had no ambition to move beyond that point.

Personally, I don’t require much. I don’t need a fancy Mercedes to drive around town (although a 2004 Acura TL would be awesome!). I don’t need a 12-bedroom country club estate with a private boat slip at the local marina to give me something to do on the weekends. I don’t require weekly lawn and landscape service and a personal housekeeper, or someone to prepare my meals and wash my cloths. Would those things all be nice? Sure!! But I am pretty happy living my “American Dream” right now. I’ve got a house in the ‘burbs, a wife, two kids, a cat, two cars, and a mortgage. What more could a guy need?

Of course, I can think of a few things. If I could somehow “stumble” across $50,000, I could really be set! That would pay off the van, the bills, allow for some investments, and put a decent down payment toward a slighly larger house (we could really use a basement). And then, if somehow I only made $25k per year, I could report to the AP that despite their findings, I am still happy.