Filed under: News, The Economy
Living vicariously through someone else's success makes many people happy. We cheer for our favorite teams and celebrate when they come through with a win in the clutch. We take pride as a race in watching other black people rise to the top of professions like academics, science and entertainment. I've even seen two brothers come to blows over whether Jay-Z or 50 Cent made more money in a 2008. Again, by-proxy success is a very real thing.
Still, I wonder if watching someone else succeed from a distance really has any lasting psychological effect on our overall happiness. A new study seems to suggest it does -- especially considering noted gains in happiness for African Americans over recent decades. The New York Times reports:
Set aside some prominent success stories, like the current occupant of the White House, and the last few decades have not been great ones for African-American progress.Read the rest on The New York Times: For Blacks, Progress in Happiness
But now a new study has found that there is one big realm in which black Americans have made major progress: happiness. The happiness gains for black women have been a bit bigger than for black men, who are still more satisfied than they were in the 1970s, but less so than a decade ago.
The share of blacks saying they are not too happy has dropped noticeably, to about 20 percent in surveys over the last decade, from 24 percent in the 1970s. [Researchers] call the changes to blacks' answers, "one of the most dramatic gains in the happiness data that you'll see."
The new study is part of a deluge of happiness research by economists, who are discovering what the rest of us have long known: money isn't everything.
This "study" doesn't draw any solid conclusions for these "all-time high" happiness ratings for black folks, but just below the surface is the assertion that the election of a black President is a contributing factor -- otherwise, why bring Obama up? With black unemployment in the high teens, and a President who's increasingly squeamish about any issue related to race (just as Shirley Sherrod), you sorta wonder if this perceived bump in happiness is really because of who's occupying 1600 Penn. Ave., or is merely a media creation.
Related:
+Black Woman Tells Obama, 'I'm Exhausted of Defending You & Disappointed': Should We All Be?
+Studies on Gender, Wealth & Happiness Don't Scratch the Surface of Economic Impact on Blacks
On the other hand, increased salaries and wealth (because of increased opportunities) certainly would be contributing factors in the perceived increase in black happiness, but I wonder just how much. Study after study over the years has proven that once you eclipse the $75,000 a year mark your overall happiness is a wash. Simply put, money doesn't seem to make your life any better once it's no longer really a factor.
I personally don't know what to make of all this. While November 4th, 2008 was a great day in the annals of black history, Obama's election hasn't necessarily made my life dramatically better or worse and a well-paying corporate gig sure didn't signal the end of my money woes. Happiness is ultimately about being around folks whom you love and who love you back, money or President aside.
Then again, that's just me. What do you think?
Questions: How do you explain the results of this study? Did the election of President Obama make you happier overall? What salary would make you content? Are YOU 'happier'?