The Cost of Happiness

It's the holiday season, and everyone is getting out the lights, setting up the tree, wrapping the gifts, and preparing for the one night out of the year that everyone wakes from with a feeling of complete, unadulterated joy.  Sorry Hanukkah, you've got eight nights, so I'm naturally talking about Christmas.  As people are out shopping for the perfect gift, one thing permeates every thought they have: is this gift going to make this person happy?  We try to associate money with happiness, whether it's through our jobs, through our education, and through the gifts we buy.  But does all of that spending really buy us a happy life?  Just one of a thousand questions I attempt to answer through this blog.  Read on and enjoy.

The Cost of Happiness

I was recently surfing around on the Internet, and came across an article on Yahoo! that caught my eye.  It revolved around a study that tried to determine the perfect income for happiness.  The article talked about the amount of income earned and it’s correlation to people’s perception of happiness.  Granted, the United States wasn’t in this particular sampling, but the other 13 countries that were part of the study ranged from Austria to Singapore to Peru to Hong Kong.  The average income for happiness went as low as 86K in Germany, all the way up to 276K for Dubai (as if we should expect anything less from them and their fancy shaped islands)

After reading that article, which you can check out here, it got me thinking about my own life and the correlation between what I make and how happy I am.  Growing up in Iowa, I was actually not very frugal (mom and dad, you can vouch for that).  I had a part time job, but I never really understood the concept of saving money.  OK, I understood the concept, but I never put it into practice.  As if the majority of teenagers really understand the practicality of saving money for the future.  Admit it, if you’re reading this blog, you know I am right because you went through that phase.  But it begs the question:  What is it that creates such a huge relationship between money and happiness?

Is it the perception of power?  The idea of success?  The ability to blatantly disregard responsibility because you can pay your bail after deciding to ‘borrow’ a cop car for a joy ride?  I have no idea.  But I do know that no amount of money can tangibly define happiness.

I’ve found that just because you have money doesn’t mean you are living a healthy and fulfilling life.  I work at a restaurant where my personality is what I sell.  I don’t have a fixed income, and what I make is entirely dependent on the business we get every night.  It sucks sometimes.  You can have a week where you make $1000, and turn around and maybe make $200 the next week.  This job fluctuates so much that I have no choice but to attempt to save what I think will be necessary.  Now, that doesn’t stop me from going out and doing stupid stuff with what I make.  I like to call those times ‘Risk-Assessed Impulse Decisions’, or RAIDs.  These decisions to say 'Yes' have led to some of the greatest adventures and memories in my life.  And even though I make less in a year what Albert Pujols makes in one game, I can honesty tell you that I am happy with my lifestyle and living situation.

It all comes down to the experiences and adventures that define how you have lived.  Granted, if you are well off, it makes it easier to go out and have those experiences that can create truly legendary memories.  But clothes wear out over time.  Vacations will always come to an end.  Your job can be taken away from you in a heartbeat.  But a person’s ability to appreciate what they have is what makes their life a truly happy one.

I was having this conversation with my roommate a few days ago about what amount we would need to make to feel happy and content.  Both him and I agreed that if it were in the range of 30K annually, it would be ideal.  Granted, we’re both single guys living in a cheap basement apartment in a new city where the price of everything is higher than what we grew up with.  But really, if you think about it, why is the idea of having so much more cash at hand a driving force behind the way society behaves?  You don’t need to have the newest car, the most technologically advanced phone, or even be on the VIP list at the Signature Room at the top of the Hancock Building to have a sense of self worth.  Granted, those are nice amenities to be able to afford, but they are not make or break experiences for life.

My friend Ryan is the embodiment of being happy with no money.  The guy has spent his time since graduating college living the stereotypical bohemian experience.  He has travelled to both coasts, has couch crashed for months on end, carries his possessions in 3 bags, plays guitar on the street to pay his bills, but I honestly have never seen the guy upset.  His blog is called $16 Dollars A Day for a reason; read that story here.  But he not only is never-endingly happy, but makes all those around him exponentially more cheerful.  It’s a quality that is completely intangible, and one that no amount of money can ever buy.

That ability to look past the superfluous need of having a large income is a rarity in today’s society.  We value progress and hard work, but usually at the cost of looking to increase our net worth in order to feel happy.  It’s not necessary, and not healthy.  Each person will have their own balance between the work they do to get paid, and the quality of life that allows them to feel happy.  So you have to ask yourself: how much are you willing to spend on your own happiness?

*What amount do you feel is the perfect amount to balance your income and your happiness?  Feel free to post in the comment section below*