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On money and happiness

An article was published on Yahoo! Finance on March 3, 2020 and on MSN.com around the same time. It was written by Alexandria Bova and presented by Gobankingrates.com. The article was about the amount of money it takes to be happy in each state. Gobankingrates.com had analyzed the results of a 2018 study by Purdue University about money and happiness.

According to the article, the amount of money required in North America for life satisfaction is $105,000 a year. In Michigan, the number to be happy was found to be $94,290 annually. The amount for emotional well-being was stated at $53,880 to $67,350.

The article bothered me.

Yes, there are links between money and happiness. If you are stressed because you cannot make ends meet and don’t know where your next meal is going to come from, it can be difficult to focus on happiness. But to pitch an article that suggests there are levels of income that equal happiness, without considering other factors, is bothersome.

When I was hired for my first job outside of college, I was making considerably less than the happiness amount of $94,920 and much less than the lowest tier of the emotional well-being amount of $53,880. I was relatively happy. Any unhappiness I had at that time had little, if anything, to do with the amount of money I made, or didn’t make, and more to do with feelings I had about myself, internally. I loved the work I did. I felt fortunate to be working in a professional field, with significant opportunity for growth and professional development, and the ability to make an impact in ways that really mattered.

I won’t pretend that what money can buy doesn’t ever make me happy. It does. But money is not the only thing that determines my level of happiness. I’m also happy when I am feeling like I am helping others, and by knowing I am contributing to making a positive difference for people, and when I am laughing with friends and family. People are made happy by a variety of things, but I guarantee I am not the only person who is not solely made happy by money.

In the Purdue study, I don’t know how many people were surveyed or what questions they were asked, but are those dollar amounts truly what the majority of people believe would make them happy?

If yes, then to me, that’s sad.

To me, it seems that, if your basic needs are met (and by basic needs I mean food, water, shelter — not cell phones, manicures and new vehicles), then the rest of being happy doesn’t come from money.

To me, at the point where basic needs are met, happiness is all in our own minds. We create it by being grateful for what we have, and to be alive and capable of whatever it is we are capable of. We create it through being kind to others and generous with our talents. If we are connecting happiness, beyond the fulfillment of our basic needs, to money, then I suspect we are not taking time to be grateful for what we do have, we are likely putting too much value on physical things, and are likely relentlessly comparing ourselves with others.

I know and am friends with people who are all along the wage spectrum and who are happy. I prefer to surround myself with people who are happy. Of the people I know who are generally unhappy and negative, there is no consistency across their incomes. I don’t tend to spend time with them because, again, I prefer to be around happy people. There are some people who believe that if they just “made a little more money,” they would be happy. My guess is that, even when they make it to whatever that dollar amount is, they still won’t be happy.

Unless they know how to create their own happiness.

I really don’t like publications that tell us what we should have to be happy, or successful. But here I am, telling you what you should do to be happy. I see the irony.

Happiness should come from inside yourself. It shouldn’t be linked to stuff or money or comparisons you make of your life to the lives of others. Forget what articles tell you and learn to exist in your own life, pursuing happiness you create through gratefulness, appreciation, kindness, grace, and self-love.

Jackie Krawczak is president of Jackie Krawczak LLC. Her column runs every three weeks on Thursdays. Follow Jackie on Twitter @jkrawczak.

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