Hacker News | Stanford Research on Happiness and Meaning
By Daniel Miessler on March 14th, 2010: Tagged as Psychology
Researchers postulate that each individual has a “set point” for happiness, which is largely determined by birth and genes. Deviations from that point tend to be short-lived.
How does money affect happiness? Once people are free from deprivation, the tie between money and happiness begins to fray. There’s generally positive correlation but money yields diminishing returns.
Middle-class and affluent people are often stuck on a “hedonic treadmill” as they sacrifice personal relationships for diminishing returns.
They why do people pursue wealth? Psychologists argue that they are seeking “positional advantage.” Most people are happy with less money on one condition – “everyone else is also making less.”
An interesting piece of reading…