How many people are rich

[innerSpaceman]

I've studied this phenomena a bit ... and there's a p.h.-sort of balance to it.

People in poverty are generally not happy. Really rich people are generally not happy. Without adjusting for thousands of other imponderables, the happiest people tend be those that are pretty much just getting by.


I've seen nothing pointing to a cause and effect on the rich side. That is, are rich people unhappy because of the complications that come with lots of money, or are only miserable, miserly, greedy, coldhearted people the kind who tend to get filthy rich? Some evidence points to the former, in that lottery winners tend to become very unhappy after the first couple of years.

With poor people, the correlation is a little easier to fathom. It seems to make lots of sense that if you're constantly hungry or in a perpetual struggle to survive, happiness is not your lot in life.



Since i'm the camp of just getting by, and at a pretty satisfactory level of personal luxury and free time, I count myself almost fortunate to not be stinking rich - - I value my happiness very much. More than money.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Economic happiness is a relative thing. If the people around you have about the same level of stuff as you do, you're more likely to be happy with your situation. If the people around you seem to have more than you do, you're likely to be unhappy.

No matter what level of the socio-economic spectrum you're in, it mostly holds.

[Cynthia]

I have always felt that the rich are people I have rarely seen, they have the power to be anonymous. That said, I feel very fortunate, we are not in debt (save our mortgage) and have always lived in our means, so when we want something we have it. Of course the things we want are rather simple when viewed with a mind to the materialistic society that we live in. So rich? Don't really know what it is.

[alphabassettgrrl]

I'm with you, Cynthia, in living within our means. Looking around, my wants are really pretty small. I think most of the materialism in society is unnecessary.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

It's so funny to me that any time people discuss what being "rich" means, a bunch of people say "I have wonderful friends/family/etc and so even though I'm broke, I feel rich."

Uh, yeah, everyone says that, we all feel that way, it's a given. I myself am very happy and lucky and thankful. If the discussion is about perceptions of relative monetary wealth, to walk in and say "oh yeah, well I'm "rich" without money" is not only obvious, trite, and beside the point, but it also stops the conversation dead, the inference being "I don't care about perceptions of relative monetary wealth."

My two cents - and only because it happens every single time this sort of thing comes up.

[Kevy Baby]

I would disagree. I've known people who would not have the "rich without money" view. Sad but true. not people I spend time with.

And I do not call this view trite at all. On the contrary, I find it a very healthy and positive perspective.

And it hasn't stopped this conversation dead at all. There have been many comments which answered Alex's question directly and pointedly.

[scaeagles]

I think in America rich is anyone who has more stuff you want than you do.

[LSPoorEeyorick]

Yeah. I find far too much emphasis placed on the concept of "rich" not to say something about all of the other riches are that important to me. I don't think it's trite. I think it's important never to forget that the true joys of life come from things that aren't "things," as long as the basics are covered.

One one income, as is the case right now, we are solid middle-class. We pay our bills. We do not accrue further debt, and are able to regularly pay off the small debt that we have. We can travel on a limited basis (mostly to see family.) We have an entertainment fund, which involves making choices and not doing all of the fun things we'd like to do, but prioritizing and doing the ones we most want to do. On two incomes, we've discovered we'd probably be able to sock away nearly 100% of the second income. Our goal isn't wealth. It's what was considered basic in my parents' day and age. We'd like to buy a house. We'd like to start a family. And in that sense, we don't want to do it until we're - I guess - part of that top 10% rich. All we need is "twice the money we're making right now," can you believe it?

[Alex]

I wouldn't necessarily say trite as for those personal definitions of "rich" as so subjective as to be relatively meaningless. And completely irrelevant to the question I'd initially asked which was specifically focused on the financial perception of wealth (we can debate whether a mom making $12,000/year is rich because every day she sees the smiling face of her baby; but I think we'll all agree that no matter how socially and emotionally isolated he is, Larry Ellison is rich).

But the glass house I live in hardly allows me to throw rocks over thread derailment so I wasn't worried about it.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Alex

But the glass house I live in hardly allows me to throw rocks over thread derailment so I wasn't worried about it.

You can afford to live in a glass house and you're wondering if you're considered rich? Your windex budget alone is probably higher than 20% of US salaries.