Seeking an answer to the question of whether money can buy happiness, scientists convinced 2 wealthy donors to distribute $2 million.
The results are published in the Proceedings of the United States National Academy of Sciences, PNAS, a peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary scientific journal.
Can money buy happiness? It is a question that has been asked for years, and the answer undoubtedly changes according to the personality structure of the person. If you have some money, you can comfortably pay your rent and bills, and even take short vacations a few times a year. If there is none, at least life in big cities will be very difficult for you. The answer to the question depends on what makes you happy and even what you understand by happiness.
Based on this question, scientists distributed 10 thousand dollars to participants from different backgrounds and cultures and focused on their lives.
While there was no increase in the happiness of those who earn 123 thousand dollars or more per year among the participants, it was concluded that “money has an effect on the overall quality of life”.
DONATES ARE CONVINCED
According to the news in IFLScience, it is extremely difficult to find out whether money can really buy happiness. Because happiness is a spectrum, so it is difficult to measure accurately; It is almost impossible to compare people’s happiness.
To shed light on this phenomenon, scientists persuaded two wealthy donors to distribute $2 million to 200 participants from seven countries.
Respondents ranged from high-income countries like the United States to countries with low average GDPs like Kenya. The participants all spoke some English, were of different ages, and mostly had a bachelor’s degree or higher.
10 THOUSAND DOLLARS PAYMENT MADE
Participants were paid a one-time payment of $10,000 and were told to spend within three months, then were asked to complete a monthly survey for three months and then another six months after the payment.
The questionnaires included a five-item “Life Satisfaction Scale” and a one to five scoring system measuring positive and negative emotions. A control group of 100 people who received no money was also included in the study.
TOTAL LIFE SATISFACTION INCREASED
As a result of the study, it was found that participants who received money showed a significant increase in happiness compared to the group who did not receive money, and this effect was higher in low-income countries. There was no significant increase in the happiness of people who earn an annual salary of around 123,000 dollars.
Among the 200 participants who received the money, their overall life satisfaction increased by an average of 0.36 points per capita. Wealthy donors’ satisfaction declined by an estimated 0.16 points for each.