"Money Won't Buy Happiness...

Whoever said that is a blessed liar." France Gall, in her cult song—for those of us who still remember—didn't get it wrong. While the saying may not be true, it certainly isn't false. Otherwise, what explanation could there be for the Relative Happiness Index being directly proportional to people's incomes?

A gap of more than 10 points separates those with the lowest incomes and those with the highest. Moreover, of all the sociodemographic strata and subgroups analyzed, people earning over $80,000 and young adults aged 18 to 24 years constitute the only groups with an RHI over 80: 81.70.

What's more, money is a variable that almost systematically positively influences people in their responses to the various questions and statements. In fact, this is so consistently the case that it is rather difficult not to draw a direct relationship between money and people's happiness.