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Higher Income Is Associated With Less Daily Sadness but not More Daily Happiness
Abstract
Although extensive previous research has explored the relationship between income and happiness, no large-scale research has ever examined the relationship between income and sadness. Yet, happiness and sadness are distinct emotional states, rather than diametric opposites, and past research points to the possibility that wealth may have a greater impact on sadness than happiness. Using data from a diverse cross section of the U.S. population ( N = 12,291), we show that higher income is associated with experiencing less daily sadness, but has no bearing on daily happiness. This pattern of findings could not be explained by relevant demographics, stress, and people’s daily time use. Although causality cannot be inferred from this correlational data set, the present findings point to the possibility that money may be a more effective tool for reducing sadness than enhancing happiness.
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“By contrast, just a handful of studies have examined the relationship between income and experienced well-being (11–14), which is how good or bad a person feels during the moments of their life.”
From Experienced well-being rises with income, even above $75,000 per year (2021) · cites this paper as [13]
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Experienced well-being rises with income, even above $75,000 per year
Killingsworth, M. A. (2021) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2016976118 · Cited by 274
“…States measuring remembered feelings found that larger incomes were associated with lower levels of “ sadness ” but no difference in “ happiness ” (13), while a replication in a German sample measuring eight specific remembered feelings found the same result for sadness but mixed results overall…”
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Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Kushlev, K., Dunn, E. W., & Lucas, R. E.
- Affiliations
- University of British Columbia (CA)
- Michigan State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kushlev, Kostadin
- Venue
- Social Psychological and Personality Science
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2015-01-09
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 483-489
- ISSN
- 1948-5506 (ISSN-L)
- 1948-5514
- OpenAlex
- W2319126308
- Cited by
- 113
- References
- 46
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 4
- FWCI
- 15.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Social Psychological and Personality Science (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Employment and Welfare Studies
- Keywords
- income, happiness, sadness, daily emotions, wealth and well-being, positive and negative affect, time use, stress, causal inference
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