Money and Happiness Are Positively Correlated People in countries with higher GDP per capita tend to have happier, more satisfied lives. Within a country, people with higher incomes also tend to be a little bit happier.

Source: Betsey Stevensen and Justin Wolfers, Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, as found in the New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/04/16/business/20080416_LEONHARDT_GRAPHIC.html on 2/21/2014.