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BEST OF SITE, HAPPY AT WORK

FIVE REASONS TO FORGET ABOUT

MONEY AND FOCUS ON WHAT
MAKES YOU HAPPY AT WORK
FEBRUARY 28, 2007 | ALEXANDER | 44 COMMENTS

The constant hunt for more money, eternally chasing the next raise, measuring
yourself against the number on your pay check is no way to run a career, and no
way to live a work life.

Using money as your yardstick is seductive because its one of the few objective
measures of progress in a career. If you made 100,000 last year and 150,000
this year you must be doing better, right?

Wrong. Your salary, no matter how large, can never make you happy at work.
Sacrificing happiness at work for more money is a terrible trade one that you
will end up regretting.

Heres five reasons why.

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1: More money does not make you happier

Most people think that having a higher income would make them happier.
Theyre wrong!

That is the conclusion of a study by Two Princeton professors, economist Alan

B. Krueger and psychologist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, who say
that:

The belief that high income is associated with good mood is widespread
but mostly illusory. People with above-average income are relatively
satisfied with their lives but are barely happier than others in moment-
to-moment experience, tend to be more tense, and do not spend more
time in particularly enjoyable activities.

The problem is that people still act on their mistaken belief that making more
money makes them happier:

Despite the weak relationship between income and global life satisfaction
or experienced happiness, many people are highly motivated to increase
their income. In some cases, this focusing illusion may lead to a
misallocation of time, from accepting lengthy commutes (which are
among the worst moments of the day) to sacrificing time spent socializing
(which are among the best moments of the day).

Which is just a fancy way of saying that you may think that switching jobs to get
a 25% raise in return for a 2-hour commute or a 70-hour work week or ten days
a month of business travel is a good deal. Youre wrong. Youd be happier with a
lower salary, a more fun job and more time with your friends and family.

2: Always thinking of money is bad for you

Money pushes people into a state where they become focused on achieving
their own goals without help of others, says researcher Kathleen Vohs, assis-
tant marketing professor at the Carlson School of Management, University of
Minnesota.

They performed a series of experiments where subjects were asked to solve a

difficult puzzle and told they could ask for help. Some of the subjects were sub-
liminally primed to think of money, eg. by placing a pile of monopoly money in

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their field of vision or by giving them a warm-up exercise where they had to
de-scramble sentences related to money. (source)

The experiment showed that thinking of money had a significant, negative ef-
fect on the subjects:

They became less likely to ask for help

They became more reluctant to help others
They became less generous
They isolated themselves more from others

So if your success depends on you working well with others, on being able to
help others and ask for help, thinking of money (even in a subtle and subcon-
scious way) makes you less effective. On the other hand, if your success depends
on you being selfish and isolated go right ahead, make money your only goal
:o)

One group of people who are particularly at risk are those who think that time
is money. Bob Sutton, author of the excellent book The No Asshole Rule, has a
great post on how the billable hour affects people. This constant focus on
money even means that lawyers watching their kids play soccer admitted to
mentally ticking away lost income for each minute they stood on the side-
lines.? Ouch.

3: The actual amount doesnt matter fairness does

Try this experiment: Get a bunch of Capuchin monkeys, and train them to give
you a small, polished granite rock in exchange for a slice of cucumber. Ca-
puchins are pretty clever, and soon the monkeys learn that when they hand
over the rock, they get their treat.

Then try something new: Get two of these monkeys together, and give one of
them a better treat. Capuchin monkeys like cucumber fine, but they like grapes
even better because theyre sweeter. When one capuchin sees you paying an-
other one in grapes, it refuses to cooperate, and will no longer hand over the
rock in exchange for cucumber. Listen, buster,? it seems to say, youre pay-
ing that guy in grapes and my work is at least as good. I want grapes too, or Im
going on strike. (source)

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In another experiment using brain-scanning equipment, this time on humans,

researchers found a center in our brains that lights up whenever we believe
were being treated unfairly. It seems that fairness is not just a nice ideal to
strive forwe have a biological need to be treated fairly (source).

So we humans have a built-in desire for fairness that even seems to be present
in other species close to us. If you feel that your salary is unfair, this will make
you unhappy!

4: Its not getting what you want its wanting what you
get
Stephen Shapiro, author of the excellent book Goal Free Living, writes about a
German study that shows that what really matters is the gap between your cur-
rent income and your desired income. When people wish for more money than
they have, they tend to be unhappy.

There are of course two ways to close this gap, the traditional one being to
make more money. The downside of this approach is, that very often, more isnt
enough and the more people have, the more they want.

The other approach is much more sustainable, and it is to want what you have.
To realize that once your most basic needs are met, more money, a bigger
house, a larger car and flat-screen TVs in every room will not make you any hap-
pier than you are today!

But being happy with what you have, will.

5: Your salary can make you unhappy but not happy

Herzbergs motivational theory divides motivational factors in two categories:
Hygiene and motivational.

The hygiene factors can make us unhappy when theyre not present, but their
presence cant make us happy. The motivational factors can actually make us
happy. Salary falls squarely in the hygiene category, meaning that getting paid
well can remove dissatisfaction but it cant create satisfaction.

What to do instead: cultivate a healthy attitude towards

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money
I want to make this very clear: Im not against money. I looooooove money.
Money is fun. There is nothing wrong with making tons of it.

And Im not saying you should ignore money completely and just accept what-
ever your workplace is willing to pay you.

Im also not saying that you have to choose that it can only ever be money or
happiness. You can have both. But the way to get it is to cultivate a healthy atti-
tude towards money. Which is this:

Your salary makes it possible for you to come to work. Its not what motivates
you or makes you happy. Its a means, not an end.

An unfair salary has the power to make you unhappy a fair one cant make
you happy.

Never sacrifice your happiness at work for money.

If you make all your career decisions based on money you will always be chasing
the next, larger paycheck, never stopping to think if you like what you do in pur-
suit of that next raise.

If you instead decide based on what will make you happy at work, theres a
much bigger chance that you will be. You will probably also make more money.

You should make an effort to be paid what youre worth to get what is fair
considering how much value you create and what other people in the company
and in similar positions elsewhere are getting. Then forget about money and fo-
cus on enjoying your job.

And you know what: This is pretty hard. Im doing well financially, and I still
dream of all the great stuff more money could by me. Its damn hard to let go of.
But I know that the main reason Im happy today is not that I make more money
than before its that I enjoy what I have and that I live squarely within my
means.

THAT is true wealth, and Im not exactly the first to say so (by a long shot):

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Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty?

Socrates

We tend to forget that happiness doesnt come as a result of getting

something we dont have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what
we do have.
Frederic Koenig

There is no end of craving. Hence contentment alone is the best way to

happiness. Therefore, acquire contentment.
Swami Sivananda

And what about you? How important is your salary to you? What matters the
most to you money or happiness at work? How have you chosen in your ca-
reer? Write a comment, Id really like to know.

Related posts:

The top 10 advantages of low-rent living

Why motivation by pizza doesnt work
Why secret salaries are a bad idea

Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list
of my 10 most popular articles.

And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our news-
letter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)

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44 THOUGHTS ON FIVE REASONS TO FORGET ABOUT MONEY AND

FOCUS ON WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY AT WORK

Pamela
FEBRUARY 28, 2007 AT 3:47 PM

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If having an unfair salary means that it can support you in a tight budget, Ill
choose to live my life working what I like even with an unfair salary. It may
not be sufficient, but at least you do what you like.

Ask M
FEBRUARY 28, 2007 AT 5:21 PM

There is no point making a huge salary if youre too tired to enjoy it. Been
there, done that, and bought the T-shirt.

Pingback: Not to make a fortune at Ask M

John Wesley
FEBRUARY 28, 2007 AT 7:38 PM

Yes, a higher salary might not make me happy, but money will. Enough
money that I dont have to work any job at all! Now that would be happi-
ness.

Alexander
FEBRUARY 28, 2007 AT 10:19 PM

Pamela: Exactly. If you have trouble meeting your basic needs, more money
does make you happier, and even an unfair salary is better than no salary.

Ask M: Me too!

John: Are you sure? If the goal is to make enough money to not have to
work, then why do Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Richard Branson and many
other really, really rich people work?

You dont even have to be a billionaire. Check out this article about South-
west employees who are millionaires from their stock options and still
work as pilots or cabin crew!

What if the goal is to find work that is so much fun, that no matter how rich

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you were, youd still want to do it?

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Eliezer Gonzalez
FEBRUARY 28, 2007 AT 10:55 PM

Wow! What a great article, Alexander! So true!

I am passionately interested in customer retention, and what you say is

fundamental for businesses to keep their customers.

Just like people, businesses can be focussed solely on money, and that
makes businesses themselves unhappy. And it drives customers away.

I thought you article was so good that I have reviewed it in my own blog!

Bryan D
MARCH 1, 2007 AT 12:23 AM

Money never made a man happy yet, nor will it. The more a man has, the
more he wants. Instead of filling a vacuum, it makes one. -Benjamin
Franklin

I have money, and I am not happier than when I didnt. I still have a car, a
roof over my head and food, they are just faster, bigger and more preten-
tious. What makes me happy is feeling useful and having a purpose. Many
people say they would retire if they won the lottery, but find depression
soon after because they suddenly do not have a purpose. They spend more
money to try and beat the depression, but unless you have a purpose for
getting up that day, nothing you buy can help. Bill Gates could retire com-
pletely from everything, but he recognizes the need for purpose and so he
will focus on helping children around the world and making peoples lives
better. I fear retirement because I need a good reason to wake up early ev-
ery day and my golf game just isnt worth that.

There was the recent story of the Los Angeles transit worker, Arthur Win-
ston in who retired at the age of 100. He had only missed one day of work

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in his 76 year tenure, and that was to attend his wifes funeral. A few weeks
after retiring he died in his sleep. Here is a man who was happy in his work
and had a purpose. I hope I can fully understand the importance of focusing
on purpose in my life and not make money the center of it.

Theo Tonca
MARCH 1, 2007 AT 12:48 AM

Nice post! I say just focus on genuinely helping as many people as you can
and making the world a better place. If you do that then everything that
you want will manifest into your life rather effortlessly.

jason jarvis
MARCH 1, 2007 AT 12:51 AM

Old hat !! Yesterdays news, and yesterdays news done badly. Im sick of this
ill considered rubbish

We see some poor guy with nothing, happy as a sandboy.

We see a millionaire who is miserable

We conclude : money doesnt make you happy

Does anyone see anything wrong with that ? Its a falsehood.

What if they switched places ? We give the poor guy the millions and leave
the rich guy with nothing ?

In fact, both people are likely to keep the same disposition. The ex-million-
aire is still sad, the guy who had nothing is still a happy soul albeit putting
on a few pounds.

What can we conclude from this ? That we are unable to determine the
level of happiness using money as measure.

Bryan D
MARCH 1, 2007 AT 1:29 AM

I agree that money is not a measure of happiness, but I think the point of

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the post was that the pursuit and eventually acquiring of money will not
bring the happiness that people expect. The studies mentioned showed
that people with money were no happier than people without, and yet
many have the continual goal to have more money because they think they
will be happier.

I know people who are constantly trying to move up the financial ladder
and they are some of my most miserable friends because their lives didnt
suddenly become happier. I have a friend who won millions in the lottery
10 years ago and within 2 years her life was ruined. This does not mean
that money makes you miserable, but for these people I know, they ex-
pected it to make them happy and when it didnt, they found themselves
unhappier than ever.

You can be rich and be happy and you can be poor and be happy. I think the
danger is when you think more money is all you need to be happy.

jason jarvis
MARCH 1, 2007 AT 10:54 AM

If it helps reset that expectation, (that the pursuit and eventual acquisition
of money will not bring happiness) then its useful.

..but then, isnt that greed that we should warn against rather than money
itself ?

Alexander
MARCH 1, 2007 AT 11:33 AM

Eliezer: I read your post, and I agree 100% there are obvious parallels be-
tween happiness at work and customer relations and how money affects
both. Great point!

Bryan D. You got it! But its a hard belief to shake. I love the story of Arthur
Winston sounds like he got it too.

Jason: Youre right, and as I write in the post I have nothing against money.
Money is fun. What Im against is putting the pursuit of money first. You
can pursue money out of greed, out of a belief that more money will bring

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you a better life or simply because everyone else does it.

But the fact remains that unless youre poor, getting more money will make
you no happier.

Sean Johnson
MARCH 1, 2007 AT 2:09 PM

More money DOES make you happier this is pure drivel anyone who
thinks otherwise is severely disillusioned! This would imply that less
money will make you happier ? MO MONEY IS GOOD.

jason jarvis
MARCH 1, 2007 AT 2:52 PM

> Money is Fun

I think youve made your fortunate position quite clear.

Be grateful for your privilege and think carefully before preaching to oth-
ers for which money is not so well aligned with fun

Peter
MARCH 1, 2007 AT 3:09 PM

Rabindranath Tagore said:

I slept and dreamt that life was Joy.
I woke and saw that life was Duty.
I acted, and behold, Duty was Joy.

When one surrenders to his passion, to his true Duty work becomes Joy.
If you love what you do it matters less what you are paid as long as it is
fair for your region, what truly matters is that you work with joy, you work
as if you play.

Alexander
MARCH 1, 2007 AT 5:13 PM

Sean: Actually, the research shows that lots of people think, as you do, that

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having more money would make them happier and that theyre wrong.
Look under heading 1 in the blog post for just one study that confirms this.

Also, the fact that more money does not make you happier, does not logi-
cally mean that less money would.

Jason: I have to agree I am a very lucky person :o)

Peter: Yes! Focus more on what you do, how well you do it and how much
fun you have doing it, than on what you get paid for it, and youre sure to be
a lot happier.

Pingback: Michael's Thoughts

Pingback: Customer Retention Article FIVE REASONS TO FORGET ABOUT

MONEY - REVIEW

Gerardo Amaya
MARCH 2, 2007 AT 3:44 AM

Definitely, Just working for money is not enough. If you think of your work
only as a source of money then you have only one or two days a month that
you are actually happy(payday). Its not a matter of hating money, as
Alexander said Money is Fun but Money is not life. You rely your com-
plete happiness on something so volatile, so intangible. My happiness is
completely tangible I can see it everyday I wake up and look at the mirror,
smile that think No regrets.
Thats why every person in the world have experienced ups and downs re-
garding money, Why? Why life, God take something from me when Im so
happy? Remember that Life and God does not take money from you, make
you poor or rich, why? Because they know that Money is not the source of
happiness so for them is not important if you have money or not, They only
care that you are Happy with yourself

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concentreren op plezier in het werk

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Pingback: The soul of personal finance Removing Complexity

Shanti Braford
MARCH 6, 2007 AT 10:02 PM

Most people think that having a higher income would make them happier.
Theyre wrong!

Alexander Im a big fan. Surprised why you would print such a known in-
accuracy on your blog. Im 100% sure youve read many of

Perhaps its just that you did not qualify the statement enough.

More money makes people happier up until *at least* the point where their
basic needs are being net.

Seeing how the average American with at least 1 credit card has over $8-9k
in credit card debt, shows that clearly we are a nation that has ever ex-
panding basic needs, or cannot live within our means (or both in many
cases).

I was raised in the ghetto but have always had plenty of educational oppor-
tunities, and went through a rough patch a few years ago where I loaded up
on credit card debt just to pay the bills. So it always annoys me when peo-
ple say without qualification that more money does not equal more happi-
ness (especially when they are now sitting on the other side of the fence).

But now bizs gross over $4.5k per month (passively) so Im happy =)

Peter
MARCH 6, 2007 AT 10:36 PM

Shanti,
I think you misread the quote the keyword is think their thinking is
wrong seeing money as a solution to get to happiness is wrong. You will
not get happiness maybe some relief but not happiness.

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Test
MARCH 8, 2007 AT 2:31 PM

If you consider money so cheaply, can you pls. trnsfr. some money you have
made by writing this book. Or why dont you give this book for free of cost
to those who are intrested

Logically, it doesnt make any sense to ignore money.. doesnt mean if you
get less money you will be happy.

Peter
MARCH 8, 2007 AT 2:53 PM

Test,
the book is available for free online: just click the link from the top left and
then Read it free on line ;)

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Positivity Blog

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best and money will come later

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Matt
MARCH 14, 2008 AT 7:41 AM

I think either some people here are missing the point, or I am.

What is being suggested here is not a scale of 0 100 for happiness

its a scale of -100 to 100, where zero is as happy as you should be.

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Having enough money to afford to live brings you from -whatever towards
zero, and enjoying your life takes you from that zero into the positive num-
bers.

Thats what I am getting out of it.

yohannes
DECEMBER 30, 2008 AT 9:37 PM

Due to some reason i feel as i cant get what i need and start wishing lot of
money since i think that is the only solution but
right now i understand the way to get it is to cultivate a healthy attitude to-
wards money.

dinesh agarwal
FEBRUARY 17, 2009 AT 3:59 AM

I suggest that everyone should read this great article. It is an eye opener. A
cobweb cleaner. A universal ageold wisdom, revisited. The article has made
me feel so much better and happy. I am rearing to free myself from the
bondage called more money. This is somehting which cna never happen
and hence you can never be happy.

So just live within your means and be happy with what you have. Start lov-
ing and wanting what you have and what you are getting.

dinesh agarwal
OCTOBER 25, 2009 AT 8:21 AM

Dear Chief Happiness Officer:

I have another paradox emerging. I have given up need for More money.
This has made me comparatively at peace. But now I have another problem.
I do not know what to do with the excessive spare time that I have. Earlier
it was spent earning more. Now I am bored with my life.

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Ernesto Moreno
JULY 8, 2010 AT 6:42 PM

It is clear that money is not happiness, but is a piece of mine

Hayley
OCTOBER 30, 2011 AT 3:57 PM

Wow, for some reason this article triggered my reaction to my parents

growing up. They always focused on money. But I didnt know how great an
impact it had until last night. I had a dream that led me to believe I am
struggling with money to avoid the pain of having parents that focused on
money to avoid their own pain. It is hard to stop focusing on money now
because it really does release a lot of pain. This should help since aware-
ness is necessary for change. Thanks!

Jeffrey
APRIL 3, 2012 AT 5:02 AM

Yes to make money and and be happy is in my opinion considered success.

Ahmed
JUNE 27, 2012 AT 10:00 AM

continuing what i wrote, my boss is great person and i want to do anything,

instead of doing nothing. he deserve productivity.
what should i do??????????????????????????

Danest
OCTOBER 25, 2013 AT 3:18 AM

Right now Id take an unfair salary if one was offered, because neither an
unfair nor fair salary seems to have come my way. And if I could get that un-
fair salary, my life would improve. Im not going to stop worrying about
money. Only people who already have money can afford to talk about not
worrying about it and just doing what they like.

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Wilson
OCTOBER 13, 2015 AT 6:36 PM

We as human being will be happier when we have everything in life. Money

may make you happy in some point better than not having it. Even a poor
person receive money from his friends, family or stranger they might be in
a good mood, maybe for a while. So money does makes a difference in life
versus the one who does not have it. I bet those millionaires and billion-
aires were more happier than those who just make ends meet.

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