3 ms·

Let's be honest, no matter where you live $75K isn't much. Even if you live in cheaper areas, it may not be poverty but it's certainly not happiness inducing we

Let's be honest, no matter where you live $75K isn't much. Even if you live in cheaper areas, it may not be poverty but it's certainly not happiness inducing wealth. Let's be serious.

jonknee 14y ago
You could live like a king on $75k in many places in the US. Pretty much anywhere far enough outside of a big city and that's not close to the water.
Evbn 14y ago
In Iowa it is plenty.
rprospero 14y ago
I completely disagree. I'm making $27k and that's more than enough to keep me happy. Sure, there's some niceties that that I could pick up with a $48k salary that would ease some stress, but I'm certainly not living like a miser. I'm seeing Joshua Bell in concert next week, my fiancee and I have two cars, and the we go out to eat regularly. Honestly, if someone can't be happy with $75k, I can't imagine that $75M would fix it. To prevent anyone from asking, yes, I'm living in the US.
- dinkumthinkum 14y ago
  I don't want to upset anyone or anything but $27K is in the ball part of poverty. I'm glad you are happy that's fine -- everyone is familiar with the idea that money is not the only way to happiness. Simply because you are happy is not really much an indicator, let's be honest. I don't want to call you out, it's not my intention. Some people are perfectly happy to live an acetic lifestyle with no money in a mountain in Nepal. Perhaps you are similar in mindset, that's perfectly OK. But that's neither here nor there; it's anomaly. Because you both have cars doesn't speak to much; we don't know how they were paid, how old they are what happens if their's transmission, whatever. To compare $75K with $75M is almost hard to take seriously.
dasil003 14y ago
I think the point is wealth does not induce happiness. If you are unhappy when making $75k and think you will be happy when you become a millionaire you are most likely wrong.
freyr 14y ago
Before admonishing everybody to be serious, did you bother to even skim the article? The study didn't claim that $75k is a lot of money, or that it will pay for all the yachts and hookers and coke a man's heart could ever desire. The study claimed that money only correlates with happiness up to around $75k. Beyond that point, the correlation between additional money and additional happiness dwindles. In other words, if the study is to be believed, your notion of "happiness inducing wealth" is entirely backwards. The true happiness-inducing wealth is that first $75k that lets you provide the basics for yourself and your family. The money beyond that point, which affords you a fancy car or the luxury of living comfortably in SF, apparently does not make most people happier. At least, not to the same extent as that first $75k. I think the point is, if you're not happy with $75k, there's a good chance you won't be happy with $150k, or $300k, since the source of your unhappiness is probably not money related.
goodcanadian 14y ago
Wow. I am always blown away by these sentiments. Ten years ago, in school, I lived, quite comfortably, on $1000 per month. That is $12K per year (you don't really pay taxes when your income is that low). I did not have a lot of spare cash, and I would not have wanted stay on that level forever, but I was comfortable. I never worried about paying for food or rent, and I could go out occasionally. When I got my first job at 40K, I felt wealthy. I am now living on 80K in a city that is more expensive than New York, and I feel almost filthy rich: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/economic-refugees-flee-sydney-for-nyc-20120625-20yh2.html http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/economic-r... Seriously, what do you people spend your money on that requires so damn much of it?
mamcx 14y ago
I live in colombia. $75K/year make you RICH. P.D: Despite what some can think, in Colombia the middle-class live well, no starvation or stuff like that. More or less US 14K/Year and you can live with other 3 persons in a very good place. If move to a town, then we are talking about be one of the "rich" guys around! P.D. "Rich" is something like upper-class in USA. Obscene-Rich (jets, las vegas condo, etc) are very few....
malyk 14y ago
Median household income in the US is $52,762. $75,000 is roughly the 70th percentile. $75,000 is A LOT of money. It amazes me how skewed peoples views of income are here at HN. Most of us live in a fantasy land of $100+k jobs, stock options, acquisitions, etc. We are UNBELIEVABLY lucky to be in the position we are in. But the vast majority of the country is in a completely different climate.

Let's be honest, no matter where you live $75K isn't much. Even if you live in cheaper areas, it may not be poverty but it's certainly not happiness inducing wealth. Let's be serious.

jonknee 14y ago

You could live like a king on $75k in many places in the US. Pretty much anywhere far enough outside of a big city and that's not close to the water.

Evbn 14y ago

In Iowa it is plenty.

rprospero 14y ago

I completely disagree. I'm making $27k and that's more than enough to keep me happy. Sure, there's some niceties that that I could pick up with a $48k salary that would ease some stress, but I'm certainly not living like a miser. I'm seeing Joshua Bell in concert next week, my fiancee and I have two cars, and the we go out to eat regularly. Honestly, if someone can't be happy with $75k, I can't imagine that $75M would fix it. To prevent anyone from asking, yes, I'm living in the US.

dinkumthinkum 14y ago
I don't want to upset anyone or anything but $27K is in the ball part of poverty. I'm glad you are happy that's fine -- everyone is familiar with the idea that money is not the only way to happiness. Simply because you are happy is not really much an indicator, let's be honest. I don't want to call you out, it's not my intention. Some people are perfectly happy to live an acetic lifestyle with no money in a mountain in Nepal. Perhaps you are similar in mindset, that's perfectly OK. But that's neither here nor there; it's anomaly. Because you both have cars doesn't speak to much; we don't know how they were paid, how old they are what happens if their's transmission, whatever. To compare $75K with $75M is almost hard to take seriously.

dasil003 14y ago

I think the point is wealth does not induce happiness. If you are unhappy when making $75k and think you will be happy when you become a millionaire you are most likely wrong.

freyr 14y ago

Before admonishing everybody to be serious, did you bother to even skim the article? The study didn't claim that $75k is a lot of money, or that it will pay for all the yachts and hookers and coke a man's heart could ever desire. The study claimed that money only correlates with happiness up to around $75k. Beyond that point, the correlation between additional money and additional happiness dwindles. In other words, if the study is to be believed, your notion of "happiness inducing wealth" is entirely backwards. The true happiness-inducing wealth is that first $75k that lets you provide the basics for yourself and your family. The money beyond that point, which affords you a fancy car or the luxury of living comfortably in SF, apparently does not make most people happier. At least, not to the same extent as that first $75k. I think the point is, if you're not happy with $75k, there's a good chance you won't be happy with $150k, or $300k, since the source of your unhappiness is probably not money related.

goodcanadian 14y ago

Wow. I am always blown away by these sentiments. Ten years ago, in school, I lived, quite comfortably, on $1000 per month. That is $12K per year (you don't really pay taxes when your income is that low). I did not have a lot of spare cash, and I would not have wanted stay on that level forever, but I was comfortable. I never worried about paying for food or rent, and I could go out occasionally. When I got my first job at 40K, I felt wealthy. I am now living on 80K in a city that is more expensive than New York, and I feel almost filthy rich: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/economic-refugees-flee-sydney-for-nyc-20120625-20yh2.html http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/economic-r... Seriously, what do you people spend your money on that requires so damn much of it?

mamcx 14y ago

I live in colombia. $75K/year make you RICH. P.D: Despite what some can think, in Colombia the middle-class live well, no starvation or stuff like that. More or less US 14K/Year and you can live with other 3 persons in a very good place. If move to a town, then we are talking about be one of the "rich" guys around! P.D. "Rich" is something like upper-class in USA. Obscene-Rich (jets, las vegas condo, etc) are very few....

malyk 14y ago

Median household income in the US is $52,762. $75,000 is roughly the 70th percentile. $75,000 is A LOT of money. It amazes me how skewed peoples views of income are here at HN. Most of us live in a fantasy land of $100+k jobs, stock options, acquisitions, etc. We are UNBELIEVABLY lucky to be in the position we are in. But the vast majority of the country is in a completely different climate.