Money ‘can’t buy you total happiness’

London: Money really can by you happiness – or at least one form of it, according to a new study.A worldwide survey more than 100,000 people revealed that money can buy security but not excitement.

The study showed that there is a link between feelings of security and income but not between money and fun, reports the Telegraph. According to the study, life satisfaction increases with personal and national income while positive feelings, like having fun and enjoyment, are much more strongly linked to other factors, such as feeling respected, being independent, having friends and working at a fulfilling job. "The public always wonders: Does money make you happy?" said Professor Ed Diener, a psychologist at the University of Illinois. "This study shows that it all depends on how you define happiness, because if you look at life satisfaction, how you evaluate your life as a whole, you see a pretty strong correlation around the world between income and happiness. "On the other hand it’s pretty shocking how small the correlation is with positive feelings and enjoying yourself," Diener added. The findings, from an analysis of data gathered in the first Gallup World Poll, appear in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. ANI