Well-Being: Does More Money Really Bring Happiness?

Americans anticipated they would feel twice as happy if their salaries more than doubled. But when researchers polled participants at two different income levels, they found that people making more than twice as much were only 9% happier than those making the original amount.

The "price of happiness" has made news before—-it's how much people need to make per year to feel happy and fulfilled. According to a recent Marist poll, that magic number falls somewhere between $50,000 and $75,000.

Respondents to the poll who made more than $50,000 were more satisfied with their lives when it came to factors ranging from friends, to health, to how they spent their time. More than general lifts in salary (like getting a raise from $35,000 to $40,000, or even $60,000 to $65,000), that specific number was the happiness tipping point: "$50,000 is the mark where you start to see significant differences," researcher Susan McCulloch told LearnVest.

For more, see Does More Money Really Bring Happiness?, July 19, 2012 at Fox Business.