> It could be that people with higher paying jobs find more satisfaction from their work So you should expect that happiness levels would remain constant desp

> It could be that people with higher paying jobs find more satisfaction from their work So you should expect that happiness levels would remain constant despite paying lower wages for the same job. They don't. So your hypothesis is bunk. Imagine living on $15k a year total. I don't care how much you like your job, you probably wouldn't even be able to live in your city without working a second job at that rate. Now you're working two jobs just to make ends meet... Do you really think you'd be as happy just from the intrinsic joy of sitting at a desk?