They say money can't buy happiness but at this point in life, I'd sure be willing to put that saying to the test.
A recent study in the UK suggests, as important as a big pay raise, employees may benefit just as much from the addition of certain activities into their lives. In fact, the study puts an actual dollar value on life's 'little pleasures' from attending a sporting event, to dancing, to taking a trip to the local library. While I understand that down time is valuable and that we all need to enjoy a little recreation time to balance out our lives and to get a real sense of well being, is equating a dollar value to the activities we undertake really accurate or a consolation when it comes to adding a couple more zeros to the old pay cheque? Show me the money and I'LL decide what makes me happy.
Visiting the library, dancing and going swimming can make people as happy as a $9,300/year pay rise, according to the official British government study. Hmmm...
Researchers from the London School of Economics say that sports, culture and the arts have a significant impact on people's happiness. They then assessed how much money it would take to give people a similar boost in their level of well being. They concluded that playing sport on a weekly basis is equivalent to being given an extra $2,100 a year on average. Involvement in the arts through enjoying music, dance or plays is worth about $2,000 a year. The most beneficial activity, apparently, is taking part in dancing, worth $3,100 a year, closely followed by swimming which is worth $3,000 a year. Visiting libraries on a regular basis is worth $2,500 a year... I like reading as much as the next guy. I like swimming and dancing too, but do I like them to the tune of giving up a $10,000 a year pay raise? That's debatable.
"Anyone who likes to take part in sport or the arts will often say that it has an intrinsic benefit that they can't always put into words," says Sajid Javid, the new U.K. Culture Secretary. I can agree with that. "This research has some interesting findings that begin to show a wide variety of social benefits too, in education, health and general wellbeing. Through free access to museums and our continued funding of the arts, sport and culture the Government wants as many people as possible to reap the benefits of taking part."
NOW we may be onto something... FREE fun funded by the government! Seriously though, however you look at it, life is about affording and making time for the things that make us feel whole... whether that's a walk in the park or a trip to the Dominican, it doesn't take a costly study to rationalize that.
