The Power Of Unselfconscious Affluence

Do you believe that the more money one has, the greater likelihood they will be happy? Researchers went out of their way to prove this hypothesis wrong by looking at people who felt content with their lives, no matter what their economic status was. The results showed that there was no correlation between wealth and life satisfaction. Wealthy people did not feel any more satisfied than someone who had a lower income; furthermore, those determined to be happier actually had an average income or less.

In other words: happiness is not an expensive commodity.

In an article of the same name, The Power Of Unselfconscious Affluence , Michael Norton discusses the following study:

The study had participants make a list of ten things they wanted to have in order to increase their overall life satisfaction, such as expensive watches or houses. After making their list, they were told that they would have to wait a while before receiving them if they received them at all. They were then asked how happy they would feel if they received 5 out of those 10 items. The most interesting result came when participants were asked how happy they thought someone who had everything on the list (but not exactly what the participant had on their list) would feel. The people who didn't receive their items on time said that the other person would be happier than the participant. In fact, well over 50% of those surveyed thought another person who received their items on time would be happier than themselves.

Wealthy people mistakenly believed that if they had more money, they would have less money to spend. The study showed that money doesn't bring happiness; if anything, it makes people unhappy because they don't know how to handle it or how to make use of it in a way that benefits them or others.

The study goes on to show that the more we are exposed to money, the more it influences our attitudes towards it; as such, we start to view it as a good or bad thing and our perspective shifts accordingly – despite the fact that wealth doesn't bring happiness.

I state this not to bash people who have lots of money (which is obviously not meant to happen), but because I believe there's a difference between people who have less money and just don't know how to make it work for them, and people who really have an ideology where making lots of money is the most important thing in their life. It's these latter people that make me think highly of my own wealth.

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I grew up in poverty; my mom was basically a stay at home mom and my dad had multiple jobs. I was happy as a kid and didn't actually know any different. What I did know is that my family never had much money and having more seemed like the right idea. The funny thing is, once I accumulated a lot of money, accumulating even more never really crossed my mind again. Things like buying a certain car or living in an extravagant house didn't really matter to me. If anything, I felt that having more would just mean more expenses (and less time); as such, I decided to focus on things that brought me happiness rather than just material gain.

I believe that, in today's society, people have a different view about money and the things it can buy. Even for those who can only dream of being rich, there is always the chance to extend their reach.

How many people in this world have everything they've ever wanted? I can count on just one hand the number of people who would say no if offered a million dollars (and trust me, I have asked this question many times). This is quite telling as to how we view money and to be honest, I don't think it's entirely accurate. We all know that money can bring happiness and to have it doesn't have to make us happy.

I've been fortunate enough to travel the world, buy a new car every few years and be able to furnish my house whenever I want. I've done so many things I wouldn't have done if I wasn't financially stable, but at the same time, a lot of people are in my shoes. We all have our own version of "why we're happy" and there is no one wrong or right way to achieve it – that's what makes life interesting.

I've had wealthy friends who have fallen into the trap of thinking that money is a measure of happiness and many of them ended up falling in a rut. It's funny how they didn't realize it until they were already there.

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I think that in order to truly be happy, we have to learn how to understand our place in life and make the most of it. In my opinion, finding work that you enjoy is one of the best ways to increase your wealth, but first you have to figure out what you enjoy doing. Having the right mindset and a good attitude about life makes people a lot easier to deal with; these are two very important qualities when it comes to dealing with other people.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you find something that brings you happiness. If you work in an environment that makes you miserable, then it's hard to enjoy your work or even find ways to make yourself happy. In my mind, it doesn't matter what kind of job you have or even how much money you have if everything around you feels like a dead end – I personally know what that's like and wouldn't wish it on anyone else.

I'm not saying money can't bring happiness; if anything, the things I've mentioned in this post can bring a lot of deeper meaning and joy to life. However, finding the right happiness is what really matters because money doesn't make you happy; people do.

The bottom line is easy: If you're not happy with your life, then take steps to change it for the better. During your journey as a human being, you will inevitably meet many people who will help you reach your goals. It's important that you are open-minded to receive advice from all these people because they will have what it takes to make your dreams come true – that too is an essential element of true happiness.

Photo credit: "Money" by izzyman12. CC-BY-2.0 via Flickr.

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The Power Of Unselfconscious Affluence

The Power Of Unselfconscious Affluence

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