Money Can't Buy Happiness, But Respect Can Make You Happier
To be happy, you need respect, not money!
That’s the gist of a new study from the Berkeley Haas School of Business. It’s based on surveys conducted with former MBA students. Surprisingly, researchers found that the graduates who were making the most money were not always the happiest! In fact, in survey after survey, people rarely equated their financial status with their happiness. Instead, the happiest people tended to say they got their satisfaction from the respect and admiration of friends and co-workers.
Why does respect matter so much? Cameron Anderson is a business professor who led the new study. He says it’s because the joy we get from earning more money is temporary, because it usually leads to a lifestyle that requires paying more bills! However, the joy we get from having a good reputation can last a lifetime, because it gives us a sense of influence and control, and boosts our sense of belonging and acceptance.
Anderson says that would explain why people like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg continued to sleep on the floor, and wear tattered jeans, even after his company was worth billions. The thinking is that he gets his happiness not from his bank account, but from the respect he gets for his accomplishments.
That’s the gist of a new study from the Berkeley Haas School of Business. It’s based on surveys conducted with former MBA students. Surprisingly, researchers found that the graduates who were making the most money were not always the happiest! In fact, in survey after survey, people rarely equated their financial status with their happiness. Instead, the happiest people tended to say they got their satisfaction from the respect and admiration of friends and co-workers.
Why does respect matter so much? Cameron Anderson is a business professor who led the new study. He says it’s because the joy we get from earning more money is temporary, because it usually leads to a lifestyle that requires paying more bills! However, the joy we get from having a good reputation can last a lifetime, because it gives us a sense of influence and control, and boosts our sense of belonging and acceptance.
Anderson says that would explain why people like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg continued to sleep on the floor, and wear tattered jeans, even after his company was worth billions. The thinking is that he gets his happiness not from his bank account, but from the respect he gets for his accomplishments.
