By Jill Schlesinger
Happiness is morning and evening,
Daytime and nighttime too.
For happiness is anyone and anything at all
That’s loved by you.
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– “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”, music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, 1967
I am about to go on vacation, which means that my stress level is at maximum levels. I need to get organized, pack, finish all of my work and of course, I probably have to arrange to get to the airport 12 hours early to clear security.
Sometimes I fall into that terrible trap of thinking that going away is just not worth it – the pre-departure anxiety and planning combined with the post-arrival headache of answering hundreds of e-mails, voice mails and opening snail mail makes me think twice about leaving at all. For a while, I answered e-mail while I was away, but I realized that was not exactly a good way to “get away from it all.” And then I recall the research that points to increases in employee productivity when they take time off. The flip side is that if you go long stretches without a break, your productivity decreases.
I was thinking about all of this when I pulled out an Aug. 16 Wall Street Journal article that I had stuffed in my bag, titled “Money and happiness: Here’s why you won’t laugh all the way to the bank.” Jonathan Clements writes not just about money, but about the intersection of finances and life. And like any professional who can forget to apply the basics of what she does in her own life, I can use a nudge from time to time.
Why do any of us work so hard? Hopefully because we gain satisfaction from what we do, but the reality is that most of us want to live a rich, happy life, however each of us defines it. It may not surprise anyone to learn that while being broke surely is not going to lead to happiness, having a lot more does not necessarily make you much happier.
In his article, Clements provides readers with an interpretation of recent happiness research when he comments that “Money alone, it seems, just doesn’t buy a whole lot of happiness.” Oh sure, your mom told you this a long time ago, but now there is proof!
Clements cites research by David Schkade, professor of management at the University of California at San Diego, that underscores what many of us already know: not having money stinks.
“But once you’re safe and warm and fed, it makes surprisingly little difference,” how much more money you have, Schkade notes. “Once you get to the lower-middle class, then it takes a lot of income to make a difference. Income does matter, just not as much as people think.”
Further research indicates that “people with higher incomes tend to spend more time working, commuting and engaging in obligatory non-work activities. … People who are richer aren’t having a better time.”
OK, so maybe I really do not want to check my e-mail while I am away, nor do I really want to call in to check my voice mail. I know that curtailing some of my work hours might help to alleviate my overall stress level.
Sure, these are concepts that we all know, but it is difficult to remember them as we bury ourselves in the daily grind. So you know what? I am going to take this vacation and enjoy it. After all, Clements says, “surveys show that leisure is better for your happiness than work.”
Jill Schlesinger, CFP, is chief investment officer at StrategicPoint Investment Advisors in Providence.
