How much money does it take for an American to be happy?
About 60k per year doesn’t guarantee happiness, but it guarantees the possibility.
Will more than that buy more happiness? No.
Will less than that buy misery? Yes.
Will less and less money buy more and more misery? Yes.
This — according to behavioral economist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman.
Most of Kahneman fascinating Ted Talk deals with the “experiencing self†vs. the “remembering self.†The discussion of money comes only at the very end, during the Q & A.
Here’s Mattieu Ricard, a Frenchman and Buddhist monk, on happiness.
Dan Gilbert: Why are we happy? Why aren’t we happy?
Will Smith: Basketball scene from The Pursuit of Happyness:
Want to experience a moment of joy right now?