How much money is needed for happiness - psychology, research, polls

Most conscious people wonder: how much money does a person need to be happy and how much does it take to become happy in Russia? In fact, trying to find an answer to it, financially literate people learn to set goals and achieve them.

❕ However, it is important to remember: excessive thirst for wealth can make people will become unhappy. Therefore, it is important to be aware of how happiness is measured and how much money is enough to be satisfied with your life.

About how much money is needed for happiness and on what human happiness generally depends on - read in this article

1. Wealth for wealth

Unfortunately for many modern people money are the core value of life. They make every effort to accumulate them as much as possible. Moreover, such people don’t think, will they become happy from this.

If a person’s goal is wealth for wealth, absolutely, no money is enough for him to become happy. Finance cannot be regarded as true happiness. In fact, money is only a tool that helps to get what you want. If a person sets a specific goal, it is easier for him to understand how much money he will need to become happy.

In order to get satisfaction from finances, first of all it is necessary exclude cumulative behavior. Accumulating just for the sake of wealth is almost always meaningless.

Money will bring happiness only when it is invested and used to fulfill desires. We also recommend reading our article - "How to save and save money."

Ultimately, it depends on how the money is used, whether the person will be able to become happy.

2. Thirst for consumption

Today, not all purchases of a person are able to bring him practical benefits. Not everything that is acquired is used in life. Most things simply litter countless closets. It looks like this mindless thirst for consumption. Many people senselessly fulfill all their desires. However, they do not even try to understand how much they need it.

At the same time, only a few decades ago, the attitude to money was completely different. They were not the one without which it was impossible to achieve happiness. People felt quite comfortable, even if they received enough wages only for the most necessary.
For more information about the history, functions and types of money, read our last article - "What is money."

In modern society, the worldview has completely changed. Producers and sellers of various goods by all means try to foster buyers' interest in continuous consumption. They lure customers advertising, beautiful packagingas well as all kinds of marketing promotions.

3. Does the amount of money available affect the feeling of happiness?

The question of how much a person’s happiness depends on the amount of money he has is asked not only ordinary citizens, but also scientists.

A researcher called Tang, a survey was conducted. His goal was to understand how people relate to money.

He eventually found out that rich people are not happy because they have a lot of money. They get moral pleasure from the process of achieving financial well-being. At the same time, those who have enough money to provide for their minimum needs want to get rich exclusively to achieve comfort and safety. Read more about how to become rich and successful in the article.

Tang realized that a direct connection between happiness and the amount of financial resources absent. When the survey was conducted, it became clear that people's happiness depends on a large number of factors. The main ones are presented in the table below.

Table: “Percentage of various components of human happiness”

Factor	The proportion of respondents who consider it important for happiness
Leisure, hobby and creativity	44 %
Relatives	41 %
High quality of life	39 %
Work is related to your favorite pastime.	37 %
Friends	35 %
Mutual love	34 %
Health	25 %

But don't think that the absence of a direct relationship between money and happiness means that a person’s mood does not depend on financial well-being.

4. Why does a person value financial well-being?

In most cases, people tend to earn money as much as possible, as they have other needs that remain unsatisfied. In fact, the attitude towards financial wealth is formed at an early age. Those who in childhood are forced to live in poverty when they grow up are more dependent on money.

First of all, people's opinions on financial well-being are influenced by:

parental opinion;
the desire to be better than others, which arises from the competition between wealthy and poor people;
ethical as well as religious worldviews.

There is a certain pattern: the higher the level of personal dissatisfaction, the more attention a person pays to money. However, having obtained the desired amount, often such people feel disappointed.

The desire to possess financial resources without a specific goal is a sign of the existence of a number of problems. That is why, in order to achieve a feeling of happiness, one will first have to understand oneself and solve existing problems.

In most cases, the excessive desire for wealth is explained by the following desires:

gaining independence and self-confidence;
achievement of love and care;
sense of security;
access to power.

5. How to achieve happiness by changing the attitude towards money

Being obsessed with money, a person can never be happy. That is why, in order to feel satisfied, you must first change your own thinking. This will help to achieve harmony both with oneself and with the outside world.

But it is important to carefully consider the social factor. In other words, one cannot completely copy the behavior of other people, and moreover, think like them. Each in his own way sees his own happiness. In the process of striving for wealth, there is a possibility of not noticing really important things.

Of course, many will argue, arguing: without money, it is impossible to live. Of course it's true, but should remember what financial means are not happiness, they are only a way to achieve it.

6. What research says about the amount of money needed for happiness

A person is constantly trying to measure the level of his happiness, correlating it with the amount of financial resources. Scientists are also interested in this issue. However, they do not reason from scratch, but try to operate on facts. That is why a huge amount of modern research is devoted to the question: how much money does a person need to become happy.

Among recent studies, one can distinguish that which was carried out by the site Superjob. This resource is intended for job search. The purpose of the survey was to understand how people themselves consider how much money they need.

The study involved 2 500 people who live in different regions of Russia. As a result, the average amount of income that citizens consider sufficient was 184 000 rubles. And for the last 2 year, the indicator grew by 9 000 rubles.

Moreover, the amount of money needed for happiness in different regions is significantly different. So, in Moscow, the amount is almost 20, and in St. Petersburg - almost 30 thousand above average.

The study showed that residents of megacities require more money for moral satisfaction. This is due primarily to the fact that in large cities the cost of housing is higher, and the possibilities are wider.

With regard to poverty, its boundaries were determined by survey participants at the level of 20 000 rubles per month.
The rich people, most consider those who receive more than 400,000 monthly.

In the process of the survey, it also became clear that other factors influence the amount of money necessary for happiness, in addition to the place of residence:

Floor. Men usually need more money than women. The difference can be quite large and reach 40 000 rubles.
Age. For young people, for happiness, usually an amount within 150 000 rubles per month. The older generation needs a lot more money. Those whose age is more 45 years, at least 190 000 rubles.
Salary amount. Surprisingly, the lower the person’s monthly income, the less money he needs to feel happy.

It is logical that with an increase in the level of monthly income, human needs increase. This raises the question: Is there any maximum amount that a person needs to be happy?

7. Amount of money = amount of happiness?

Among the richest and most influential people in the world can be distinguished Nelson Rockefeller. Interestingly, when his condition was about 3 billion dollarsHe participated in an interview. When asked how much money he needed to be completely happy, Rockefeller replied that there was still enough 4 billions.

The above facts from the biography of a billionaire make it possible to understand: than more financial condition more I still want money.

However, do not forget that with revenue growth reduced free time, and substantially the level of responsibility increases. Often the consequences of this becomes stress and depression.
As a result, wealth cannot make everyone happy. Therefore, experts recommend setting goals. It is important that they match the specific capabilities.

However, the amount of desired income is constantly growing, not only because of greed. A number of factors can reduce the cost of capital or lead to its complete loss. The main ones are inflation and economic crises. All of these reasons lead to the fact that many people refuse to save and tend to spend as much as possible.

8. The Golden Triangle of Achieving Happiness

To date, a huge number of theories have been created on how to achieve happiness. One of the most popular created Robert Cumminsliving in Australia. He called his formula for happiness golden triangle.

The sides of the figure are:

love;
participation in social life;
amount of income.

Cummins believes that a person becomes happy already when he manages to achieve the amount of interest to him. Theory does not put money at the forefront. They are only a reliable cover. Happiness is based on love and social activity.

However, in the absence of 2- the factors underlying happiness, financial means may come first. As a result, having received the desired level of income, a person pretends that he is completely happy.

9. How to understand how much money is needed for happiness for a particular person

If a person has a desire to achieve a certain amount, which will allow him to become happy, first of all it is necessary to analyze his own needs. In this case, one of two tasks can be posed:

Achieve a certain level of monthly income. Such a task is suitable for those who need to ensure a decent existence in the present. When calculating the level of income required, you should consider obligatory expenses for food, utilities, clothing and vacation. Someone may additionally include entertainment or sports in this amount. In any case, you should describe in detail all your desires and indicate the amount necessary for their implementation.
Accumulate a specific amount. It should be based on why savings are needed. If money is required for a large purchase, then the amount will be determined by its value.

In this way, You can become happy even with the minimum amount of money. The main source of happiness is the beloved people, as well as harmony with oneself.

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