Money and Contentment

Money and happiness

I'd rather focus on money than people...  Paul verbalized as he led a seminar for building savvy financial choices.  His words stuck and I couldn't let go of them. Interestingly, money - even the thought of it - reduces satisfaction from life's simple pleasures...  

Studies show that a person's ability to savor experiences predicts their degree of happiness.  Savoring leads to emotions of joy, excitement, wonder, contentment and gratitude.  You can develop an emotional attachment to money, as much as you might for relationships you hold most dear.  Your brain rewires for more of what you do and focus on. Because of the emotional pleasure connected to savoring money, it creates a strong pattern for more such pleasure.

The Rich Really Are Different  

"The rich really are different, and not in a good way," explains psychologist and social scientist, Dacher Keltner. "Their life experience makes them less empathetic, less altruistic, and generally more selfish."

In fact, he says, the philosophical battle over economics, taxes, debt ceilings and defaults that are now roiling the stock market is partly rooted in an upper class "ideology of self-interest."

Unlike the rich, lower class people have to depend on others for survival, Keltner argued. So they learn “prosocial behaviors.” They read people better, empathize more with others, and they give more to those in need.

In video recordings of conversations, rich people are more likely to appear distracted, checking cell phones, doodling, avoiding eye contact, while low-income people make eye contact and nod their heads more frequently signaling engagement.

Momentary Happiness

Higher income women have more momentary happiness and less overall life satisfaction, according to statistics.   To determine the level of contentment in lower versus higher income women, the two were compared in data from a Bureau of Labor Statistics survey.  Alan Kruger, an economist from Princeton and his research colleagues found that those with higher incomes had more chores and less fun.  For example, higher income women "devoted more time to working, commuting, childcare, and shopping and were under more stress and tension than those in lower income brackets."

Men making more than $100,000 a year spend about 20% of their time on passive leisure activities such as watching television and socializing.  Meanwhile, men whose annual income were less than $20,000 spent more than 34 percent of their time dedicated to passive leisure.

Contentment


What brings you real contentment anyway?

Gratitude Thankfulness is essential to achieving well-being.

Relationships Family and friends bring large measure of psychological wealth.

Creativity Exploration and discovery makes us feel open and alive and boosts resilience and satisfaction with life.

Faith Opens a window to the meaning of life and by embracing God we find inner contentment.

Nature Relaxes and refreshes mind and soul.

Learning Leaping to meet new intellectual challenges and using gifts and talents in new ways.

Laughter A lighthearted attitude often brings aha moments when you need them most.

Courage Inner strength to stand up for what is best for yourself and others.

Empathy Caring about and helping others.

What would you add to this list?