Money Can Buy You Happiness?

Materialism is a fact of life in many countries. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a plea for some altruistic society where are we all satisfied with the very basics of life. Materialism is a cornerstone of capitalism and society in general. After all, if people did not want more and better things, many of the jobs in the world would not exist. Well, enough of that, there are a few ways that money can buy you happiness and here they are.

Your Paycheck

Believe it or not, a study has been done to prove that size does matter. When it comes to your paycheck anyway. A study conducted by Princeton University researchers seems to indicate that people who make around $75,000 a year have enough money to pay all of their bills and have enough left over to enjoy life. The study also shows that making more than 75k doesn’t add to a person’s level of happiness.

Gym Membership

What, how is a gym membership going to affect your money in a positive way? A report coming out of Cleveland State University shows that exercising three times a week can lead to 6 percent higher pay for men and 10 percent higher pay for women. Not because you look better, but because improved physical health leads to improved mental health, increased energy, and lower stress levels. All of these improvements to your health lead to higher productivity, often a key to promotions.

Indulge Your Passion

Are you stuck in a job that will never pay 75k? One way to get there is to invest in a business of your own. The key is do something that you are passionate about. What it is does not matter nor do you have to quit your full time job to do it.

A Blow To Materialism

A paper published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology in 2011 was able to show that 57 percent of the people studied experienced the greatest happiness from spending money on an experience, compared to the 34 percent who were made happiest when buying material items. The secret seems to be the memories created by experience, since the newness of a car or other items wears off fairly soon after the purchase.

Charity

Another study, this one from the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School was able to show that people who volunteer or spend as little as $5 helping someone else were happier that those who did neither. In fact, spending $5 to someone else improved a person’s level of happiness while spending that same $5 on themselves did nothing for them at all.