Science says: Household income affects key components of our happiness

In an article published in the journal Emotion, University of California researchers Paul K. Piff and Jake P. Moskowitz, asked the following question:

"Higher social class has many benefits, including improved health and life satisfaction, but is it associated with greater happiness?"

They tested the relationship between social class (in terms of household income) and seven positive emotions that are key components of our happiness: amusement, awe, compassion, contentment, enthusiasm, love, and pride. As the researchers describe in their published article, "we found that upper class individuals exhibited greater self-oriented feelings of pride and contentment, as well as greater amusement, whereas lower class individuals exhibited more other-oriented feelings of compassion and love, as well as awe."

But why is social class associated with experiences of particular positive self-oriented versus other-oriented emotions?

The authors speculate that "whereas pride and contentment may reflect upper class individuals’ desire for independence and self-sufficiency, increased love and compassion may help lower class individuals form more harmonious, interdependent bonds to help cope with their more threatening environments — an intriguing avenue for future research."

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