[thekid]

I've heard similar things from a number of sources. The idea basically being that above a certain "comfortable" threshold, more money does not necessarily increase your hapiness level.

I would tend to agree, otherwise you'd routinely have a happiness scale going down linearly in correlation to income / net worth.

That's not the case. After reaching a certain level below which you are wanting for necessities, other aspects of your life such as meaningful, loving relations with others, sense of engagement, feeling of gratitute, etc. have a deeper impact on hapiness than mo money (genetic predisposition also plays a key role).

Money is limited in the amount of hapiness it can bring, primarily because (1) we get used to more/better fast and then want more/better some more and (2) it's relative - if I have the biggest house in a poor 'hood, I'll feel much "happier" then if I have a bigger house that happens to be the smallest house in a rich 'hood. Pursuing more money is just blindly seeking to flatter your ego without realizing you have become like a hampster running in a wheel. It's important to have the good sense to step back and review why you do things.

Ultimately, I think being "happy" is just a state of mind. You have to just be happy, without conditionning it. Certainly concentrating on achieving financial security but also having deep, loving relationships and having a grateful positive outlook will go a much longer way towards being "happy", which is pretty much what we all want, than simply having more money.