Thursday, December 01, 2005

Money Does Buy Happiness

SOURCE: Reuters

Japanese women are cheerier than men, people grow glummer as they age, and money can buy happiness -- up to a point.


Those were among the findings of a recent survey on what makes Japanese people happy, the researcher, Osaka University professor Yoshiro Tsutsui, said Friday.


A majority were pretty satisfied with their lot in life -- only 13 percent of the 4,224 respondents gave themselves a "happiness rating" of four or lower on a scale of zero to 10.


Men tended to be a bit less happy than women, perhaps because Japan's male-dominated society means they have bigger social responsibilities, Tsutsui said in a report on the survey.


Happiness rose along with per capita income until earners reached the highest bracket, at which point it dipped somewhat.


"It seems when people are satisfied with their income, other factors then matter more," Tsutsui told Reuters.

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