Is happiness more important than money?

Today on-line carried out a survey in Singapore. 1,500 people responded making it Asia’s most comprehensive psychographic study in terms of the number of respondents, geographical coverage and insights into 16 key topics: Beauty, communication, education, entertainment, fashion, food, health, kids, love, luxury, media, money, sports, technology, travel and vehicles.

One of the key findings in the study revealed that 75.4 per cent feel that happiness is more important than making money.

Ok, so would you rather be rich or happy?

I love surveys like this one because they go to re-prove that money doesn’t make you happy. Psychologically we all know this to be true, so why are so many of us obsessed with becoming rich? I have been doing a straw poll of those I have met today and my instant findings are that when people are talking about happiness they mean feeling secure with nothing to worry about. We seem to collectively have the belief that if we have money we will then be happy, because at a deeper level we feel that it would give us security, meaning that we would then have less to worry about.

Well, I have worked with many very rich and very unhappy people and very poor and very happy people. I know you can be poor and miserable and rich and happy. But try this for size…

In the present, in the here and now, at any given time or point, we are both safe and secure. Check it out as you read this. Are you safe, are you secure, do you have anything to worry about right now this minute?

If you keep worrying about the future you will forever have an anxiety syndrome. If you keep worrying about the past you will be in a depressive syndrome. If you do both you will be anxiously depressed. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, young or old, healthy or infirm if you live in the present you can find happiness.

Live in the present and be happy now

Take care

Sean x

photo credit