Is money the key to happiness? Scientists provide information!

Is money the key to happiness? Scientists provide information!

Rhein-Pfalz-Kreis, Deutschland - Glück is a topic that people have always dealt with. Whether the lottery win, a new relationship or just a nice day in the park - the focus of our life is the search for happiness. An interesting study on the subject of luck comes from the American psychologists Philip Brickman, Dan Coates and Ronnie Janoff-Bulman, which was carried out in 1978. They compared the feeling of happiness of lottery winners with that of people who have been severely affected by accidents. Surprisingly, it turned out that the lottery winners were not happier than the control group after a year. [T-online] reports that this result shows how quickly happiness levels off to a normal level, regardless of whether you have won a lot of money or not.

The study left many in astonishment: How can it be that a lottery gain does not lead to permanent happiness? An essential aspect of research is the phenomenon of hedonistic adaptation. This means that people quickly get used to both positive and negative changes in their lives. Regardless of whether it is the loss of a loved person or the profit of a high amount of money, the feeling of happiness usually stabilizes again and again at a usual level. According to [Psychology of Happiness] Lotto winners have no less pleasure in everyday things than non-winners, which raises the question: What makes us really happy?

money and happiness

The discussion about money and happiness is far from over. While some studies, such as those of Kahneman and Deaton (2010), show that a high income improves the life assessment, it does not automatically lead to more emotional well -being. The question remains: does money actually make you happy? According to the examination by Brickman et al. the answer is rather reserved. Accordingly, exaggerated ideas about life as the lottery winner are widespread.

Another aspect is the perception of money in our society. There are many opinions that state that more money will lead to more luck, but this assumption is not always correct. A meta-analysis by Dittmar et al. (2014) proves that materialism is often associated with less personal well -being.

short -term joy vs. long -term satisfaction

It is easy to be euphoric at the moment of joy over a lottery win or a new car. But what does it look like in the long term? People tend to quickly adapt their satisfaction to their current circumstances. This is a central knowledge from numerous studies, including that of Jebb et al. (2018) that found: Income can increase happiness for a moment, but over time we get used to it and require more and more.

surrounded by the idea that happiness goes hand in hand with material goods, many forget that the real moments of happiness can be found in everyday life. A lottery win may bring short -term cheers, but in the end it is often the little things in life that really fulfill us. The search for happiness can be an option, but as I said, happiness often does not depend on money, as [Rheinpfalz] makes it clear.

What do you say? How do you define happiness and what makes you really satisfied? There are many approaches to discover in the multi -layered world of happiness, and it is worth finding your own way.