Does money buy happiness？

 

Does money buy happiness？Not.Ah，but would a little more money make us a little happier？Many of us smirk1) and nod．There is，we believe，some connection between fiscal2) fitness and feeling fantastic．Most of us would say that，yes，we would like to be rich．Three in four American collegians now consider it “very important” or “essential” that they become “very well off financially．” Money matters．

 

Well，are rich people happier？Researchers have found that in poor countries，such as Bangladesh，being relatively well off does make for greater well－being．We need food，rest，shelter and social contact．

 

But a surprising fact of life is that in countries where nearly everyone can afford life’s necessities，increasing affluence matters surprisingly little．The correlation between income and happiness is “surprisingly weak，” observed University of Michigan researcher Ronald Inglehart in one １６－nation study of １７０，０００people．Once comfortable，more money provides diminishing returns．The second piece of pie，or the second ＄１００，０００，never tastes as good as the first．

 

Even lottery3 winners and the Forbes’ １００wealthiest Americans have expressed only slightly greater happiness than the average American．Making it big4) brings temporary joy．But in the long run wealth is like health：its utter absence can breed misery，but having it doesn’t guarantee happiness．Happiness seems less a matter of getting what we want than of wanting what we have．

 

Has our happiness floated upward with the rising economic tide？Are we happier today than in １９４０，when two out of five homes lacked a shower or tub？When heat often meant feeding wood or coal into a furnace？When ３５percent of homes had no toilet？

 

Actually，we are not．Since １９５７，the number of Americans who say they are “very happy” has declined from ３５to ３２percent．Meanwhile，the divorce rate has doubled，the teen suicide rate has nearly tripled5)，the violent crime rate has nearly quadrupled6)（even after the recent decline），and more people than ever（especially teens and young adults）are depressed．

 

I call this soaring wealth and shrinking spirit “the American paradox7)．”More than ever，we have big houses and broken homes，high incomes and low morale，secured rights and diminished civility．We excel at making a living but often fail at making a life．We celebrate our prosperity but yearn8) for purpose．We cherish our freedoms but long for connection．In an age of plenty，we feel spiritual hunger．