Financial Resources Impact the Relationship between Meaning and Happiness

Do financial resources relate to how important meaning is for one’s happiness? Across three large-scale datasets spanning over 500,000 individuals across 123 countries, we examined the relationship between meaning and happiness for individuals who vary in financial resources. Whether based on actual income level (Studies 1 and 2) or subjective assessments of socio-economic status (Study 3), the results reveal that meaning is a weaker predictor of happiness for individuals with greater (vs. lesser) financial resources. Collectively, these studies suggest that having greater financial resources weakens the link between meaning and happiness.