Firstly,
Apologies for this having taken so long. I have been overseas working on my knowledge, connection to people and connection to nature.
A couple of weeks ago I posted the following Quiz:
Which of the following were scientifically proven to correlate with happiness*?
-wealth
-physical health
-education
-socio-political climate (ie your system of government)
-age
-gender
-religion
-race
climate (weather)
-number of friends
-marriage
I asked you to take a guess about what the findings may have been be from large randomized controlled surveys conducted across thousands of people (mainly in the Americas ) from a mix of different backgrounds on what happy people have in common.
So here are the trends suggested by recent research:
Wealth
A cross-national survey involving thousands of adults indicated that once gross national product exceeds $8,000 per person, added wealth brings no further life satisfaction. in summary, being poor seems to have a negative effect on happiness, and being rich does not have a significant effect on happiness overall. In very poor nations, where poverty threatens life itself, being rich does predict greater well-being. In wealthier nations, where basic needs are generally met, even the fabulously rich are not substantially happier.
-physical health
-education
-sociopolitical climate (ie your system of government)
-age
-gender
-religion
-race
climate (weather)
-number of friends
-marriage