Who have I made happy lately?

[likethebeer]

Happiness is being well-off with poor friends
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
(Filed: 15/08/2005)

Money can indeed buy you happiness, but if you want to stay happy it is a good idea to have relatively poor friends, according to new research.

Prof Glenn Firebaugh, a sociologist of Pennsylvania State University and graduate student Laura Tach of Harvard University studied a representative sample of nearly 20,000 Americans from 1972 to 2002.

They found that in working out how rich they are, people tend to compare themselves to their peers of the same age. Their happiness, therefore, depends on the relative success of that group. This meant "keeping up with the Joneses" and the need to continually increase one's own income.

One alternative strategy would be to "hang out" with poor people, according to the findings.

I think, actually, that among all (or most) of my friends, we probably engage in a round-robin style trading of happiness vs. poverty. It all works out in the end.

I feel like I have a purpose in life!

Comments

[huckfinn.livejournal.com]

I was looking at my circle of friends this weekend. Before the tornado hit, we were all pretty equal -- none of us was substantially better off than anyone else.

Post-tornado, though, Amy & I are the poor people. Our insurance company gave us just enough. Everyone else received a surplus.

Damn me for looking for the cheapest premium.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

well, damn, that's no fair. Everyone deserves a big pay-out from ins. companies (hence, my car).

[huckfinn.livejournal.com]

Nah, I don't mind too much. Our premium jumped from $336 to $351 after the storm.

I'll bet the folks with $150,000 payouts will have more than a $5 jump.

In the end, we win.

[huckfinn.livejournal.com]

Oops. It jumped from $346 to $351.

And that's an annual number.

all works out in the end.

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

hehe well if you ever need a poor friend to balance things , you can count on me,..:)
but i'm only poor financially,..;D

Re: all works out in the end.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

I was describing your financials to mda the other night. Of course he was impressed. All of us could wish to be so "poor" :)

wish to be so "poor"

[erisreg.livejournal.com]

hehe yeah, i wouldn't feel so poor if i could play with the flow before it went by,..:)

dear aunt keiran

[(Anonymous)]

your far farfar away so i can't see you but i love you quinn. can i get a tape of the swiss miss music and come to my birthday when i'm 4 and have a batman strawberry cake. love quinn

Re: dear aunt keiran

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

HI QUINN!!! How are you? It's so great to hear from you. I don't know if we have a music tape of Swiss Miss music. I would love to see you.

You just made me sooo happy!! I love you.

[low-delta.livejournal.com]

And you can always give some of your money to your poor friends, making you even happier.

[likethebeer.livejournal.com]

In this case, we barter things like beer or skills.