The ‘Happiness Plateau’ Doesn’t Exist

The idea that money can’t buy you happiness is one of the world’s most persistent tropes. King Midas is granted his wish that everything he touches will turn to gold only to starve to death. Jay Gatsby finds that money can’t buy him Daisy’s love. Succession proved to be so popular not just because it is so cleverly written but also because it dwells on the misery of the super-rich. The Roy children may live in a world of private planes, luxury yachts and subdued designer clothing, but their personal lives are marinated in toxicity. Better to be a happy peasant than Kendall Roy.

But is there any real evidence for this? Or is it just a story we tell ourselves out of either resentment of the rich or a sense of social justice? We can all produce examples of rich people whose lives were ruined by horrible divorces or poor people who spend their lives doing what they love. But anecdotes are not data — and vague sentiments about just desserts are not arguments.