Whether you subscribe to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s assertion that “Money often costs too much,” or prefer Notorious B.I.G.’s more succinct summation – “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems” – most of us understand that, despite our urgings, material wealth isn’t the answer to our problems.
But… why??
After all, nearly all the things that really do make us happy and fulfilled – a loving family, a rewarding career, a higher purpose, etc. – are made easier with money.
So why is it that winning the lottery can often be the single worse thing that ever happens to a person, while coming down with a terrible disease can sometimes be considered “a gift”?
In an episode of her podcast The Happiness Lab, Yale psychology professor Dr Laurie Santos speaks with Harvard’s Dr. Dan Gilbert to find out why human happiness isn’t exactly what you’d expect.
