Earning More Than Peer – The Secret Of Happiness

By Suparna Chakaraborthy

Friday, March 26, 2010, 14:23

Success is equivalent to money and the sense of success creep in only when one earns more than his peer. The secret to happiness lies in earning more money than your peers, suggests a study.

Christopher Boyce, from the Department of Psychology confirms that it does not matter how much wealth people make. All that matters is a better financial status than
fellow mates.

The finding apparently takes from the concept of "doing better than the Joneses," which is common among children. For example, a toy gets ditched as soon as a new toy in the hands of another child is spotted.

But Boyce insists that the same feeling is true for adults too. He added: "You might buy a new car. But if your neighbor has just bought the very same car, that new car doesn't seem as good as it once was if you were the only one to have that car."

The conclusion is based on the research done on more than 80,000 participants rated how dissatisfied or satisfied overall. When the reason for their satisfaction and dissatisfaction were examined it was revealed that it rested on the higher or lower income than friends.

The underlying thing is that of comparison. One compares oneself with people around and wants to be in an higher position.

Boyce said: "It's about having more than everyone else, which is why our nations are not increasing in happiness on average.Our study underlines concerns regarding the pursuit of economic growth. There are fixed amounts of rank in society - only one individual can be the highest earner. Thus, pursuing economic growth, although it remains a key political goal, might not make people any happier."