According to a new study, happiness and emotional well-being peaks for a family at a household income of $75,000. Economist Angus Deaton and Nobel prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman analyzed data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, and found that people reported becoming happier as their household income increased, but it plateaus at $75,000.
This study reminds me of a Radiolab segment about the effect different cages have on the brains of gorillas. Phsychologists looked at the brains of gorillas who lived in bare cages, cages with a few interactive elements and cages with lots of interactive elements. The gorillas who lived in the cages with a few interactive elements had much healthier brains than the ones who lived in bare cages, but brain health flat-lines in the moderately interactive cages.