The Personal Happiness Handbook Part One: Money and Happiness

Personal Happiness Handbook Part One: Money and Happiness

The Happiness Alliance’ Happiness Index is a comprehensive survey.

It is a measurement of wellbeing that encompasses the complexity of what makes us happy.

Community Work

Culture

Time Balance

Economy

Happiness Satisfaction with Life & Affect

Index

Education

Psychological Well-being

Environment

Government

Health

Conventional Wisdom says:

More Money = More Happiness

Happiness Science tells us:

Money

≠Happiness

Common sense says: You need a certain amount of money to meet your needs.

Chart from: Layard, R. (2005). Happiness: Lessons from a New Science.

New York, NY: Penguin Books/Penguin Group

Creative activities, Achieving your full potential...

Selfimprovement activities, Having nice things..

Going out with loved ones, Gifts for loved ones, Classes and membership fees…

Healthcare, Education to get a job, Transportation to work, Buying a home…

Food, Shelter, Utilities & Power, Basic Clothing…

What does it all mean?

What are the happiness lessons?

Three things things you can do to be happy when it comes to money.

Give.

Never pass up an opportunity to give.

Giving makes you feel richer and happier, no matter how much money you have‌or don’t have.

Give your time.

Give your attention.

Give your money.

Give with kind acts.

Give thanks and kind words.

Give to the ones you love.

Give to strangers.

Give to causes you believe in.

Give to yourself.

Caveat: give to increase your sense of happiness. When giving leaves you feeling depleted, its time to give to yourself. – time, sleep, rest, and care

Save.

Regardless of the amount you save, over time, the act of saving contributes to your happiness.

If you have a lot of money or just a little, save enough to feel that you have a safety net.

If you have a little money, save a little every month for a rainy day.

Make less money.

*a lot of money will make you happier, but the returns on happiness are marginal, meaning small compared to the amount of money.

Happiness science tells us that after a certain level (between 35-75 thousand a year in the USA) more money does not make you happier. *

*Easterlin, R. (1995). Will raising the incomes of all increase the happiness of all?

Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, 27(1), 35-48. doi:10.1016/01672681(95)00003-B Easterlin, R. (2001). Income and happiness: towards a unified theory. The Economic Journal, 111(473), 465-484. doi:10.1111/1468-0297.00646

Your Happiness Matters.

You Deserve to Be Happy.

Your Happiness Counts.

Count Your Happiness.

Take the Happiness Index.

Our mission is to awaken happiness in all beings.

Attribution: Musikanski, L.. (2018). Personal Happiness Handbook Part One: Money and Happiness. Happiness Alliance happycounts.org Online attribution to: Happiness Alliance happycounts.org