re: Why do poor or poorer people tend to be happier in life?

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Happier people tend to be happier in life, money isn’t the factor.

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I've come to this conclusion as well.

There's a family that I've met via our sons playing on the same basketball and baseball teams over the years. This family has gone through a lot due to medical issues with one of their younger children, both parents work and they are debt ridden as most typical middle classer's.

Yet they are some of the kindest, happiest people I've ever met. Both parents are very intelligent and they're not holy rollers or anything like that.

They're just good, happy people and so are their kids. They don't just ignore their problems. They just handle life as it comes and make the most of their time.

On paper, it would seem that I'm much more successful than people like this but I don't see it that way.

The greater the wealth the greater the insulation from the average man is part of it but the bigger part is it becomes the dog chasing its tail as folks come out of the woodwork to get a piece of the $$$$. If you are poor and your partner still loves you it is more real than one who may have doubts their value exceeds their wallet.

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What is your theory on this phenomenon?

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The studies are backwards. Happy people aren't as motivated to go get more because they're happy. Unhappy people try to find happiness with money.

I could be wrong, but I think happiness is proportional to intelligence. People with downs or who are otherwise mentally handicapped are alwys happy unless they are being abused. The more intelligent someone is, the more aware of the world around them they become. The more aware someone is, the more they see the need and opportunity for improvement in themselves and others. Trying to improve your station while fixing yourself and the world can be depressing.work.

Accepting things the way they are and living in the moment is much more condusive to happiness than always looking ahead at the next problem that needs fixing.

Most of the best things in life are free. They aren't worried about material things and keeping up with the Jones'. Most of their lives focus around family. I'm talking about 3rd world poverty like Peru.

Because they are too dumb to know better

I don’t believe studies back up your theory.
From what I have read, there is essentially a break even point. Being low income is directly correlated to unhappiness (struggling to pay bills, dealing with extra issues associated with poor areas etc), but after a certain point, then happiness and money are no longer correlated. This study says it is $105,000 in the US. LINK

it’s a dumb meme.

It’s not actually true that legitimately poor people are happier than wealthy people. It’s been debunked numerous times but we still keep hearing it.

Sitting around wondering if you have enough money to pay your electric bill or rent isn’t a path to happiness. Surprise surprise

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Yet, though the wealthy don’t appear to receive a joy bump from their income, the poor do suffer from greater daily sadness than the rich. Controlled for daily activities—from commuting, to socializing, to talking on the phone—researchers found that “poorer people feel sadder than wealthier people because income predicts greater sadness throughout the day regardless of what people are doing.”

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30 seconds of research could have kept you from passing off nonsense as a known truth

New Republic

“Poor” people, as you said, may be more content in some ways (as some research shows), but they also experience a great deal of sadness and daily struggles that are a result of their financial situation.

Poorer people also experience lower life expectancies, more health problems and a higher rate of suicide.

Money has nothing to do with happiness. Poor people appreciate the little things way more