Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Money does not buy happiness, she proves it 5 million times

Gilda · 06-13-2005, 12:03 PM

5 million invested to live off of the interest gives you, conservatively, 200-300 grand for life. Compulsive spending itself is not a psychological disorder, but it is a symptom of bipolar personality disorder, or manic-depression, as is the weight fluctuation and eating/starving cycle.

In any case, it's not as if she's out on the streets. She has a house worth a couple of million dollars she can sell, and still not have to work ever again in her life. The interest off of 2 million will give her an income probably similar to what my wife and I make together each year..

Money can't buy happiness, it's true, but it can remove some of the obstacles to happiness. I read a study once that showed that beyond a certain income level, having more money bears no correlation to how happy someone is, and that income level is quite a bit lower than one would expect. At the time, the reported income for a family of 4 that provided the cutoff level was at $29,000 (this was some 11 or 12 years ago, though).

Other factors were much more important to happiness. Having a stable source of income, and a satisfying job were much higher on the list, as were being physically and mentally healthy and having stable rewarding social relationships.

The reason is that we adjust our expectations to meet our abilities. Buying a Brave and the Bold #28 last year brought me a lot of pleasure. Someone with a seven figure income probably would need something like an Amazing Fantasy #15 to get the same level of pleasure.

We adjust expectations going both ways, but the trasition is easier and quicker going up. If you suddenly found yourself making twice the money you do now, it would take a relatively short period of time to adjust what it takes to make you happy to your new income level. It would take longer if you were making half, but you'd adjust going down so long as you didn't dip below the level at which providing for all basic needs and a minimum of luxuries was possible.

06-13-2005, 12:03 PM	#10 (permalink)
Gilda 32 flavors and then some Location: Out on a wire.	5 million invested to live off of the interest gives you, conservatively, 200-300 grand for life. Compulsive spending itself is not a psychological disorder, but it is a symptom of bipolar personality disorder, or manic-depression, as is the weight fluctuation and eating/starving cycle. In any case, it's not as if she's out on the streets. She has a house worth a couple of million dollars she can sell, and still not have to work ever again in her life. The interest off of 2 million will give her an income probably similar to what my wife and I make together each year.. Money can't buy happiness, it's true, but it can remove some of the obstacles to happiness. I read a study once that showed that beyond a certain income level, having more money bears no correlation to how happy someone is, and that income level is quite a bit lower than one would expect. At the time, the reported income for a family of 4 that provided the cutoff level was at $29,000 (this was some 11 or 12 years ago, though). Other factors were much more important to happiness. Having a stable source of income, and a satisfying job were much higher on the list, as were being physically and mentally healthy and having stable rewarding social relationships. The reason is that we adjust our expectations to meet our abilities. Buying a Brave and the Bold #28 last year brought me a lot of pleasure. Someone with a seven figure income probably would need something like an Amazing Fantasy #15 to get the same level of pleasure. We adjust expectations going both ways, but the trasition is easier and quicker going up. If you suddenly found yourself making twice the money you do now, it would take a relatively short period of time to adjust what it takes to make you happy to your new income level. It would take longer if you were making half, but you'd adjust going down so long as you didn't dip below the level at which providing for all basic needs and a minimum of luxuries was possible. __________________ I'm against ending blackness. I believe that everyone has a right to be black, it's a choice, and I support that. ~Steven Colbert