> Perhaps the higher reported rates of happiness simply reflect the fact that faster places have more robust economies. But the relationship between income and

> Perhaps the higher reported rates of happiness simply reflect the fact that faster places have more robust economies. But the relationship between income and reported happiness is far from obvious. According to the “Easterlin paradox” (named after economist Richard Easterlin), once people have enough money to meet their basic needs, having more money is not necessarily correlated with higher self-reported happiness. This is pretty thoroughly debunked. I don't think there is any debate on this. Even lighter interpretations that it taps out at quite high figures ($80,000+) I'm pretty sure are also found incorrect. Last I saw happiness slows a fair bit around $80,000 but still continues to increase with wage. Places that are faster also allow more experiences. Experiences are known to be linked to happiness. Throw in better economies I think this is more logical.