Rich people are happier than the poor

[Cal166]

Text

PHILADELPHIA: Physical health is the best single predictor of happiness and is followed by income, education and marital status, says a study that concludes that rich people are happier than the poor.

Sociological researcher Glenn Firebaugh of the Pennsylvania State University and graduate student Laura Tach from Harvard University measured the age, total family income and general happiness of 20-to-64-year-olds using analysis from the 1972-2002 General Social Survey, reports science portal eurekAlert.

They checked for health, education, effects of getting older, race and marital status. Happiness was measured using a self-report response of "very happy", "pretty happy", or "not too happy".

The researchers found a relative income effect -- the richer you are relative to your age peers, the happier you will tend to be.

Said Firebaugh: "We find with and without controls for age, physical health, education and other correlates of happiness that the higher the income of others in one's age group, the lower one's happiness.

"Families whose income earners are in jobs with flat income trajectories are likely to become less happy over time. Thus the relative income effect observed here implies adverse effects for some individuals over the working years of their life cycles."

 

[akubi]

lol... gg

 

[DurocShark]

Whew. I was worried about those unhappy rich people.

 

[franksta]

So it's true, money = happiness.

 

[Mo0o]

show me teh monies

 

[cKGunslinger]

Originally posted by: franksta
So it's true, money = happiness.

I think health = happiness, and money = extra spoo on top of original happiness

 

[ShotgunSteven]

Those people "studied" apparently filled out a their own responses to questions instead of being psychoanalyzed. A similar study where they actually studied the people instead of giving them a quiz turned up more happy people among those of middling income.

 

[NatePo717]

:shocked: No way... Money DOES buy happiness!!

 

[rh71]

well some rich people had to work their @$$es off day and in day out... and there are also a lot of people who hoarde money and never use it... they're considered rich too.