How Much Money Needed to Be Happy?

Money can not buy love, but this sheet of paper can bring happiness up to a point. Recent research finds no limit to how high the ideal income can make a person feel happy and prosperous.

Doctoral student at the Department of Osnology at Purdue University, Andrew Jebb said that so far people feel there is no limit when they talk about money that can bring happiness. However, Jebb and his colleagues say the money actually has a threshold.

Jebb and his colleagues used survey data from the Gallup World Poll of more than 1.7 million adults ages 15 and older in 164 countries. Participants are asked to answer questions relating to their satisfaction, life-welfare, and purchasing power.

Emotional well-being is also examined referring to the feelings of happiness, joy, sadness, and anger of a person in his daily life. The average of this study reveals the ideal amount of money in the form of money that can give a person's life satisfaction is 95 thousand US dollars or Rp 1.32 billion. That is the highest level, while the average level that makes a person emotionally prosperous is 60-75 thousand US dollars or equivalent to Rp 833 million to Rp 1.04 billion.

The above figure is a common number. In Australia and New Zealand happiness increased when the amount of money increased to 125 thousand US dollars or Rp 1.75 billion. Different and smaller figures are shown in Latin American and Caribbean countries, which is 35 thousand US dollars or Rp 486 million.

The threshold of financial happiness in North America reached 105 US dollars or Rp 1.45 billion. These data suggest that high income is very important for individuals living in rich countries.

"Again, this number is for the individual and the likelihood is greater when calculated in the family sphere," Jebb said, quoted by LIVE Science, Tuesday (24/4).

Researchers also investigated the effect of gender and education on individual optimal income. Overall, there is no significant evidence to show that income and happiness are stronger in women or men. However, the satisfaction of money differs perceived by individuals based on their level of education.

Individuals with higher education tend to be more positive and emotional wellbeing when high income. This may be because there is social comparison with their peers.

"Money is only part of the happiness factor.We learn more about the limits of money," Jebb said in a study published in the journal Nature Human Behavior earlier this year.