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QUOTE : “Money may not make a person happy, but it keeps his creditors in a better frame of mind.
”— Unknown

The Relationship Between Happiness and Money
Over the ages wise ones have warned that Money does not = Happiness, but it seems easier to come by than happiness. There aren’t too many happy neurotics, but there are many rich ones. Unfortunately for us, many people in our Western culture have been brainwashed into believing that if we make more money & figure out how to become a millionaire – we’ll “have it all”.

Connecting happiness with having money – & lots of it – emotionally needy & greedy people zealously chase the ‘almighty dollar’ because of this absurd assumption. They hunger for inner contentment from an onside source, regardless of the required sacrifices.
While we all need money to survive, obsession with wealth can cost the person precious time, & more importantly, their independence. As an addiction – they become the slave.

NOTE – 2 fundamental truths that contribute to being happy :
a. we can’t buy what our heart truly desires
b. nor can money buy what we can’t see.
This can include peace of mind, love, job satisfaction, & spiritual fulfillment. And – health, although money can provide better quality care, especially in the US. Once our health is severely damaged or destroyed, we can’t buy it back. “Right-living” is key to great health.

So the $$= 💝 illusion needs severe correction. The evidence is overwhelming. Here are four examples:
1. One study compared the average —> life satisfaction with purchasing power <— of tens of thousands of people in 29 different countries.
In the poor ones, these 2 criteria — were clearly related. However, in countries even 1/2 as rich as the US – there was absolutely no relationship between money & happiness.

2. Another study confirmed that people in rich countries are not any happier than those in poorer ones. “During the 1980s, the West Germans had double the incomes of the poor Irish, who year after year reported more life satisfaction” claims David Myers, a sociologist at Hope College in Michigan, & author of “The Pursuit of Happiness” (Harper Paperbacks, 1993).

3. The Alfred P. Sloan foundation found – in the US – an inverse relationship between self-reported child happiness & parental income. Blue-collar & middle-class kids identified themself as happier than wealthy ones.

4. Two Canadian studies found that the unhappiest Canadians live in cities where income is the highest, whereas the happiest live in Atlantic Canada, the poorest regions.
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Top Things Uttered about Happiness & Money
🔆 Anybody who thinks money will make you happy, hasn’t got money.
— David Geffen
🔆 If you believe that money can buy happiness, then why don’t you try selling some of yours?
— Lazy Person’s Guide to Happiness
🔆 It is neither wealth nor splendor but tranquility & occupation, which give happiness 
— Thomas Jefferson
🔆 Money brings happiness to those who find happiness earning it
— Unknown
🔆 To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness.
— Bertrand Russell

🔻 BOOK  “How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free” – Ernie J. Zelinski
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NEXT : Money & Happiness #2