The price of happiness

Finally, there's a number associated with one of life's all-time questions. It's $75,000.

A recent study, which collected information from 450,000 people surveyed by Gallup, says people who earn $75,000 a year experienced a lot of enjoyment, laughter, smiling and presumably less anger, stress and worry.

When well-being was determined by asking a series of questions about the previous day - whether people had experienced a lot of enjoyment, laughter, smiling, anger, stress or worry, income matters.

In other words, money can buy happiness, but there’s a ceiling. After $75,000, more money didn't seem to buy more - or less - happiness. Of course, poor people might say, 'Give me a winning lottery ticket and see if I'm sad.'

Relationships and health have long been established as elements of life that are priceless. This study's authors have said those are two things to be concerned with after reaching that income level.

While more money helps ease pains such as divorce, poor health and loneliness, simple pleasures are less likely to be appreciated as your income builds.

These surveys always remind me of the billionaires who drive used cars, live in the same house for 40 years, and never moved out of their hometown.

Something that might skew the study is the older you are, the more likely you are to make that kind of cash. And older people are generally happier, according to studies.

The survey also found that:

• Extroverts are happier than introverts.

• Happiness increases as people get older, though happiness takes a dip between the ages of 35 and 44, when demands of career and parenting may be greatest. 

• Empty-nesters tend to be particularly happy, with seven out of 10 indicating that they were somewhat or very happy.
• Democrats and Republicans are equally happy. Green Party types? Not so much. Only 52 percent reported being somewhat or very happy.