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

You may perceive the poors to be living a care free life but in reality they are struggling and many don't have the vision or drive to escape their situation and are hopeless. Here's another article about a study that measures unhappiness and correlates income with decreased unhappiness up to $200,000.
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Money may not buy you happiness but it sure can bring peace of mind and the conditions to focus on what does make you happy.

They can't afford to be unhappy. Eats up their budget.

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A large analysis published in the journal Nature Human Behavior used data from the Gallup World Poll, a survey of more than 1.7 million people from 164 countries, to put a price on optimal emotional well-being: between $60,000 and $75,000 a year. That aligns with past research on the topic, which found that people are happiest when they make about $75,000 a year.

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But while that may be the sweet spot for feeling positive emotions on a day-to-day basis, the researchers found that a higher figure — $95,000 — is ideal for “life evaluation,” which takes into account long-term goals, peer comparisons and other macro-level metrics.

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The researchers, from Purdue University, also found that it may be possible to make too much money, as far as happiness is concerned. They observed declines in emotional well-being and life satisfaction after the $95,000 mark, perhaps because being wealthy — past the point required for daily comfort and purchasing power, at least — can lead to unhealthy social comparisons and unfulfilling material pursuits.

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

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I think they are poor because they are already happy...I think people who are unhappy or more skeptical generally drive themselves harder and therefore make more money. Unfortunately, increasing wealth past a certain point doesn't increase happiness at all.

Reminds me of the story about the wealthy business owner on vacation in Mexico talking to the fisherman.

Long story short, poor people already are doing what rich people are saving up to do when they are 60 years old.

Experiences, relationships, music, food. Those are the things that make people happy and they don't cost near as much as private school or the latest SUV or a weekend cabin.

Is it true?

(no message)

With wealth comes lots of trappings. At 46ish I sold a few assets, not so much for the money but to live a simpler life. While I don’t struggle financially I do live a somewhat frugal existence. My only expense lies in self maintenance and that not only makes me feel good, it keeps me healthy, so it worth it expense IMO.

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They’re content with having zero assets, zero education, EBT and WIC, and on to the next scam. Poors believe they’re “living large” like this.

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Not all poor people are like this fwiw.


Money certainly can buy happiness...by buying peace of mind.