Why making a lot of money wont necessarily make you happy

Why making a lot of money wont necessarily make you happyA number that has been thrown around in recent years as the ideal salary to aim for is $75,000. EconomistAngus Deaton and psychologistDaniel Kahneman performed a study in 2010 where they determined that it doesnt matter now much mora than this magic salary number you earnyour happiness and satisfaction levels wont bedrngnisiceably increase. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Why wouldnt earning in the six figures make life absolutely fulfilling? Well, it turns out money isnt everything. There are plenty of other factors that affect your life satisfaction in any given job.Here are a few reasons why salary doesnt necessarily correlate with happiness.Career success doesnt always mean mora money.Very often what makes a person happy is the ability to do what they do well and to gain influence, recognition, and job security. Success can mean rising to manage teams or organizations, making a n impact, feeling valued in a crucial role for a company, or just knowing that the future is stable. None of these happiness factors necessarily require a high salary.Experiences matter.Its not all about earning and spending, either. Sometimes job satisfaction results from meeting daily challenges head on, or simply trying and learning new things. Jobs that are not satisfying beyond pay day will leave people who crave these more elusive factors feeling empty. Though money can help you buy things in your free time, you wont be able to enjoy those things without any free time. A career with a punishing schedule certainly wont allow you the time for many of the experiences outside of the office that constitute a fulfilling life.People often make the job.If you thrive on collaborative environments, client-based work, or sales teams, then a job that lacks human interaction can leave you feeling isolated no matter how much it pays. Interacting with other humans is one of those crucial thi ngs that help us to feel human, though some people require this more than others.You have to do what suits you.Similarly, if youre a traditional person, you wont be happy in a well paying gig that thrives on innovation and busting up the status quo. If youre into science, tech, or datahard facts and numbersyou wont do well in a creative gig. If you require the freedom to be creative, you should not languish in a job that requires stifling your most genius ideas.You might thrive on doing good, not making more.If youre an altruistic sort who really needs to make a positive difference in the world, youd probably hate a high-power, high-paying job that doesnt serve anything but a few corporate interests and your bank account. A job that allows you to make the world a better place will be infinitely more fulfilling than one that simply earns you a higher salary.Oversatisfaction isnt all that great.If you deny yourself nothing and give yourself all the best of everything all the timethe b est food, the finest clothes, the biggest house, the nicest travel perks, the fanciest carthen youll lose touch with the simpler pleasures in life. Stuff, especially nice stuff, can be a powerful addiction. But it wont necessarily make your life a happier one. Being realistic about what is really valuable to you will help you choose the career that best suits you.Constant chasing isnt fun.On a similar note, if your days are just spent trying to make more to be able to afford this or that,chances are you will feel empty in the long run. Ask yourself this tough question When will you be done and able to sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor? If the answer is something close to never, it might be time to consider a career change, even if you havent reached your goal yet. After all, pie-in-the-sky goals will never improve your life if you are miserable during the long process of fulfilling them. Be happy now in a career that truly satisfies you.