Dr. Laurie Santos

Yeah. So these effects of kind of resources on happiness are really interesting and they're nuanced, right? So if you look at the lower end of the kind of income spectrum, you would obviously say that money affects happiness, right? If you can't put food on the table, if you can't put a roof over your head, definitely getting a little bit more is going to affect your happiness in a positive way.

And the data sort of bear this out. There's a very famous study by the Nobel Prize winning economist Danny Kahneman, RIP. Back in 2010, he did this cool study where he looked at the correlation between income and happiness, as reported in how much stress you have, how much positive emotion you experience, and so on. And the low end of the income scales, it just goes up and up and up, right?

And the data sort of bear this out. There's a very famous study by the Nobel Prize winning economist Danny Kahneman, RIP. Back in 2010, he did this cool study where he looked at the correlation between income and happiness, as reported in how much stress you have, how much positive emotion you experience, and so on. And the low end of the income scales, it just goes up and up and up, right?

And the data sort of bear this out. There's a very famous study by the Nobel Prize winning economist Danny Kahneman, RIP. Back in 2010, he did this cool study where he looked at the correlation between income and happiness, as reported in how much stress you have, how much positive emotion you experience, and so on. And the low end of the income scales, it just goes up and up and up, right?

More money just almost linearly gives you more happiness. But what Danny found, and it's the second part of this nuanced picture, is that that slope kind of levels off. And it levels off in 2010 dollars at around $75,000. What does that mean? That means if you get more than $75,000, you're not going to feel any less stressed. You're not going to experience any more positive emotion.

More money just almost linearly gives you more happiness. But what Danny found, and it's the second part of this nuanced picture, is that that slope kind of levels off. And it levels off in 2010 dollars at around $75,000. What does that mean? That means if you get more than $75,000, you're not going to feel any less stressed. You're not going to experience any more positive emotion.

More money just almost linearly gives you more happiness. But what Danny found, and it's the second part of this nuanced picture, is that that slope kind of levels off. And it levels off in 2010 dollars at around $75,000. What does that mean? That means if you get more than $75,000, you're not going to feel any less stressed. You're not going to experience any more positive emotion.

Even if I double or triple or quadruple your income, on those metrics, you're not going to see any increase.

Even if I double or triple or quadruple your income, on those metrics, you're not going to see any increase.

Even if I double or triple or quadruple your income, on those metrics, you're not going to see any increase.

Yeah, they didn't get into like their real – because you're like, oh, my God, well, I live in California. Like if you live in Iowa, maybe it's not so bad. But like – and those numbers will change. But the upshot is there's probably some number in like 2025, 2024 numbers that might be like maybe $100,000, $120,000, whatever it is.

Yeah, they didn't get into like their real – because you're like, oh, my God, well, I live in California. Like if you live in Iowa, maybe it's not so bad. But like – and those numbers will change. But the upshot is there's probably some number in like 2025, 2024 numbers that might be like maybe $100,000, $120,000, whatever it is.

Yeah, they didn't get into like their real – because you're like, oh, my God, well, I live in California. Like if you live in Iowa, maybe it's not so bad. But like – and those numbers will change. But the upshot is there's probably some number in like 2025, 2024 numbers that might be like maybe $100,000, $120,000, whatever it is.

The point is that there's some number at which getting more is not going to increase your happiness at the same slope. Now, there's been nuanced fights about this, as there is a lot in kind of real research, about, well, is that really true? Does the slope really ever go up?

The point is that there's some number at which getting more is not going to increase your happiness at the same slope. Now, there's been nuanced fights about this, as there is a lot in kind of real research, about, well, is that really true? Does the slope really ever go up?

The point is that there's some number at which getting more is not going to increase your happiness at the same slope. Now, there's been nuanced fights about this, as there is a lot in kind of real research, about, well, is that really true? Does the slope really ever go up?

And now the picture seems to be, well, the slope might go up a teeny tiny, like negligible bit, but it doesn't go up as much as, say, getting an extra 10 minutes of exercise in or another 20 minutes of sleep or scribbling the things you're grateful for, all those things. will impact your happiness much more than like quintupling your income. And so do your resources affect happiness?

And now the picture seems to be, well, the slope might go up a teeny tiny, like negligible bit, but it doesn't go up as much as, say, getting an extra 10 minutes of exercise in or another 20 minutes of sleep or scribbling the things you're grateful for, all those things. will impact your happiness much more than like quintupling your income. And so do your resources affect happiness?

And now the picture seems to be, well, the slope might go up a teeny tiny, like negligible bit, but it doesn't go up as much as, say, getting an extra 10 minutes of exercise in or another 20 minutes of sleep or scribbling the things you're grateful for, all those things. will impact your happiness much more than like quintupling your income. And so do your resources affect happiness?

Yeah, if you ain't got any resources, you definitely will feel happier if you can get them. But if you have a lot, getting more really isn't going to help.