Lower, Middle & Upper Class People Have Completely Different Ideas Of What Happiness Looks Like
PeopleImages | Shutterstock Ask someone from lower, middle, and upper-class backgrounds if money can buy happiness, and they'll likely all have different responses.
Years of research have shown that people who make more money tend to rate their well-being higher than those who make less. Even though you can’t buy emotions, you can buy things that influence them, including peace of mind. This has left each social class with a different idea of happiness based on the resources they have access to.
Lower, middle, and upper-class people have different goals, which is why they don’t agree on one universal idea of happiness.
Someone’s socioeconomic status determines a lot about their life. Each class is used to a different lifestyle that others would have a hard time understanding. For example, the upper class might be used to luxury vacations adding to their happiness, while the lower class feels satisfied when they’re able to pay their bills.
Upper-class people have a level of autonomy that allows them to write their own story.
It’s easy to get caught up in day-to-day life and operate on autopilot while losing sight of your purpose. This doesn’t happen to the richest folks as often because they control their own lives in a way that the less fortunate can’t. Their lives aren’t ruled by showing up at work on time to earn a paycheck.
Jacob Lund via Canva
The people in this income bracket frequently amass their wealth through entrepreneurship, which means there’s a good chance they’re doing work they enjoy. It’s fulfilling for them instead of something they have to put up with. At the same time, they also have the ability to create their own schedules and prioritize self-care.
Not everyone in the upper class is automatically happy, but it’s like they have a better chance of achieving happiness. All of the finer things in life that most people can only dream of are actually available to them. Their happiness stems from their freedom and independence. They’re truly living instead of just getting by, and anything less would be unimaginable to them.
Middle-class people think happiness is the same thing as stability and not having to try too hard.
The middle class isn’t struggling financially, but they also don’t enjoy the same level of freedom that the upper class has. They’re more dependent on their jobs. Instead of feeling like they’re controlled by them, though, they’re able to leverage them to create the happy lives they want.
Rido via Canva
In a 2023 study, researchers examined what financial stability really means to people. They concluded it can be described as “the perceived ability to keep the current lifestyle … This entails making ends meet without stress and feeling secure about one’s personal or household finances.” This is what people in the middle class strive for.
This group would love to have what the upper class does, but they know it’s not attainable for them. When they think about their realistic idea of happiness, it looks like being able to support themselves and a comfortable lifestyle without working constantly. They want a healthy balance that allows them to enjoy their time without a lot of stress.
Lower-class people don’t have the luxury of basing their happiness on money, so they find it in the things they value instead.
Having a certain amount of money saved up doesn’t magically make someone happy, but it does play a role. More money means access to better healthcare and childcare, the ability to pay for cleaning services and assistants, and never worrying about having enough. It provides peace of mind and replaces time.
VioletaStoimenova from Getty Images Signature via Canva
The lower class, also commonly called the working class, can’t relate. They find fulfillment elsewhere. Jennifer Aaker, a Stanford professor who studied the link between happiness and income, explained, “Among low-income people, having a sense of meaning in one’s life is more closely associated with overall happiness.”
These folks can’t go on shopping sprees or build their dream house, so they find happiness in something a bit deeper. They love their families and friends and spend the limited free time they do have engaging in hobbies they enjoy or getting involved in causes they care about. This group has learned to appreciate the little things in a way that many others haven’t.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
