We’ve all been told at one point or another that money doesn’t buy happiness, but that’s not exactly accurate.
According to a study by Gallup and Sharecare, there is a magic number when it comes to reaching “peak happiness.” This number depends on where in the country you live.
All New Yorkers know that the city isn’t a particularly money-friendly place. Sure, if you know where and when places offer deals it can definitely be easier to spend less. But frankly, you’re still bound to spend more than you’d like to on any given day. Just in a monthly metro card you’re easily spending over $1,400. And then there’s rent…must we say more?
While the study claims that the average US income for happiness is $75,000 annually, the amount for NYC is slightly higher.
In the city, “the chances of experiencing three positive emotions or actions—happiness, enjoyment and smiling/laughter—on any given day” reaches its peak at an income of $105,000 a year.
The results of the study suggested “that cost of living may play a role in the relationship between different income levels and odds of experiencing positive emotions.”
However, this is only for day-to-day happiness. The study also found that your general satisfaction with life as a whole “consistently climbed with each successive income bracket in every region. Without exception, residents in the highest income bracket had the best overall life satisfaction ratings of residents in every region across the U.S.”
Results were gathered based on a mean score of answers after about 450,000 interviews with people across the country from Jan. 2014 through Dec. 2016.
Turns out money does buy happiness, and everyone has their price.
Featured image source [Unsplash]