If we were told to choose between a pay rise or a reduction in the workload, what would we choose?The answer depends in part on our state of happiness. A study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science found that happy people tend to choose time over money.
According to a Princeton University study, money well spent up to a maximum of 58,000 euros per year can influence our subjective level of happiness, but apart from that, can we be happy accumulating money or is it more important to have time to dedicate it?With our loved ones or with ourselves? We’ll dig deeper into that.
- Daniel Kahneman.
- A psychologist and Nobel Prize winner in Economics 2002.
- And Angus Deaton.
- Winner of the same award in 2015.
- Analyzed more than 450.
- 000 responses and found that life appreciation increases as our economic incomes increase.
However, the opinion on the quality of daily emotional experiences stabilizes after a certain level of income, which means that there is a time when no matter how much we make more money, we will not be happier, i. e. the relationship between money happiness stagnates from an income of about $75,000 per year (about 240,000 reais).
With these results we can say that money can buy happiness, but this is not possible in all circumstances because there is a limit and when that limit is exceeded, satisfaction levels no longer increase or decrease.
“My dream is the same as Picasso’s, having a lot of money to live in peace like the poor?-Fernando Savater-
Various research suggests that money does not bring happiness, but spikes of euphoria that last a short time, from the point of view of psychology this is explained by the concept of getting used to it, so at first, earning a lot of money Is cute, but in the long run, that feeling decreases because we get used to it and go back to the levels of happiness that we had at first.
As we see, global happiness depends not only on what we do, but also on how we interpret it and, ultimately, on our particular conception of this concept.
On the other hand, is success associated with having more of everything: more things, more recognition, a higher salary?And it makes sense: we’ve already talked about how money can bring happiness when used correctly, but what about the weather?The stereotype of a successful person is often accompanied by that of a busy worker who barely has time to enjoy his or her friends, friendships and family.
What’s the point of success, money, or recognition if we can’t take advantage of these things?If the goal in this life is to be happy people, why don’t we spend more time on what really makes us live?Does it have to do with the fact that we don’t know or why maybe we didn’t even ask ourselves the question?
“Anyone who believes money can do anything is right to suspect that they can do anything for money. “Benjamin Franklin.
In a recent study published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, nearly 4,500 people were asked if they valued money or time to happiness more. 64% of these people said they would rather have money, but the survey also explained that those who valued time the most were happier. 25% of participants who chose the money, when asked again a year later, changed their minds and opted for time.
The results of this research showed that if we had two people in the same circumstances, one that decided that time is more important than money would be happier than the one that preferred money, but this is not the only study of its kind.
A survey conducted by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, found that valuing time on money is associated with higher levels of happiness, especially when it takes many hours of work to get that money.
As age increases, time begins to gain importance in people’s priority scale, a fact that has its logic, as every passing second becomes an additional good.
Today, younger people seem to have taken note of what older people said could be happy people, specifically the millennial generation, born between 1980 and 1995. According to a 2013 study by consulting firm Price Waterhouse Coopers, this generation would rather have more time to balance their professional and personal lives than have a big salary.
Generation Y believes that work is a means of stability and well-being, but it is not the only one.
As we can see, if we start from these researches, money helps us to be happy people to some extent, that is, that this relationship has its limits, but knowing how to make the most of time is always important, especially for our well-being. Therefore, rather than seeking money, we must not forget to enjoy our time.