Health and Well-Being

A wise man once said, "Money can't buy happiness". In a little-known codicil, he added, "But it can certainly rent it."

The Center for Health and Well-Being at Princeton University (And isn't Princeton the very center of health and well-being? Ask any Princetonian "How are you this fine day?" and the inevitable reply is "Very well, thank you." as opposed to Harvard or Yale where the reply is, "What's it to you?") surveyed 450,000 Americans on their day-to-day happiness and overall life satisfaction. The survey uncovered these shocking results:

1. Day-to-day happiness increases as income rises. So money CAN buy happiness? Warren Buffet has a bigger smile on his face than that guy dumpster-diving behind the McDonald's.

2. Happiness levels off at $75 K annual income. So the cubicle drone hauling down $75 K per year is just as happy as Derek Jeter who makes $75 K every day during baseball season? Evidently, that particular cubicle drone also dates Mischa Barton.

3. People are happier on weekends. Apparently, sleeping-in, avoiding a commute, and not having to put up with a domineering supervisor makes people happy. Who knew?

4. Someone actually makes a living conducting surveys that reveal obvious facts.

Having ignored the "health" portion of its title, The Center for Health and Well-Being will now determine at what level of "sickness" people become less happy than the un-sick. My guess is that it will turn out that lepers are less happy than folks with the sniffles who are probably equally happy as healthy people.

A wise man also said, "Health is wealth." Our friends at Princeton can combine these two surveys and see if Health, Wealth, and Happiness are transitive.