Best Things Still Free

Facts of Life

An increase in material wealth does not equate to an increase in happiness, according to a study conducted by Richard Easterlin, an economist at the University of Southern California. Study subjects' income doubled over 25 years, “but people were not saying they were happier,” Easterlin told the Daily Trojan, USC's student newspaper. Meanwhile the study showed that non-monetary attainments such as good health, marriage and education are strong determinants of overall well-being.

Register Illustration by Tim Rauch