Happy?

This news report considers the results of a UMR Research poll and tells us that

Believe it or not, people who earn more are happier than those who earn less and people who own a home are happier than those who don't.

and

Those who earned more than $75,000 were the happiest (37 percent), but those earning $40,001-$50,000 were less happy (27.5 percent) than any other income group. "Retired" was the happiest occupational group (42.8 percent) ahead of self-employed, with unemployed the least happy. Widows were happier than widowers, but both groups were more inclined to smile than their genders of another marital status.

Should these income related result surprise us? As I pointed out here, Angus Deaton's work showed that life satisfaction is higher in countries with higher GDP per head, so a similar in-country finding doesn't seem that odd. Money may not buy happiness but it does make the unhappiness easier to live with.

(HT: Not PC)