HOW MUCH DOES HAPPINESS COST?

Can money buy happiness? We naturally recoil at the suggestion but a very large survey (450,000 people) conducted a few years back concluded that, up to a certain point, it does. That point, according to the survey report was $75,000 a year.

Princeton researchers Kahneman and Deaton analyzed data collected in 2008 and 2009 for the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. They found that: “the effects of income on the emotional dimension of well-being satiate fully at an annual income of ∼$75,000.”

In other words, below that figure, people tended to experience emotional stress, anxiety and anger. Above the $75,000, the emotional factors levelled out.

Bruce Kasanoff, a ghostwriter for business and social innovators, comments: ” This makes intuitive sense; if you can't afford a decent place to live or enough food to feed your family, more money substantively improves your situation. But few would agree with the statement that the happiest moments of their life was when they had the most money.”

My own experience certainly backs this up. My wife and I have never been rich but there was a moment in time when our level of income increased to a comfortable level. (Nowhere near $75,000, I hasten to add!) The bills were all paid, there was a little bit of money in the bank, and we could enjoy a few little luxuries here and there,

The culture we live in pushes or defines our expectations of life. Some people expect to participate in  a culture that necessitates expensive club memberships, hobbies and travel. I believe that the Christian culture encourages modest living, offset by the knowledge that there is something infinitely better waiting for us in eternity.

When Christians, in community, outwork a culture of moderation and frugality, they can experience a contentment that significantly lowers the financial cost of happiness.