What is a good salary?
This is how much you should have to earn to be happy
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Is there a perfect salary? According to experts, yes – and they have also figured out how much you have to earn to be satisfied.
Money can not buy happiness. But no money can make you unhappy. Because let's be honest: the salary often has something to do with the quality of life. At least a certain standard is good and necessary in order to be able to enjoy, not to be affected by money worries in everyday life and to let go of something instead.
At the same time, everyone who has ever received significantly too little salary knows that it's not just about money, but also about appreciation. The formulation of how much someone "earns" is no coincidence. And with a reasonable salary, you often not only have a warm home, but also a good portion of self-esteem and motivation.
Let us state: A lot of money does not necessarily make you happy, but neither does a little. Is there a golden mean? How much money makes you happy or at least satisfied? A Spanish author from GQ Spain got to the bottom of this by summarizing several studies. Belén Alfonso not only looked at what scientists have identified as the "perfect salary" over time, but also how happy people are in the countries with which average salary.
The perfect salary – but does it also make you happy?
First: The perfect salary is probably individual depending on the person and position, but according to studies it moves in a range between 49,000 and 61,000 euros per year when it comes to the feeling of well-being. This is the result of an American study by Purdue and Virginia University, for which test subjects from 164 countries were interviewed.
The highest "life satisfaction" would have been with 77,000 euros. The first was primarily about the test subjects' emotional value, i.e. how happy they were in their everyday life. The second value should describe the person's overall situation. Also exciting: According to researchers, however, a limit will be reached at some point at which the obligations and costs that develop with a high salary would have a negative impact.
Second: the so-called happiness index is measured annually. According to Alfonso, the average salary in the happiest countries worldwide is 70,000 euros. That would match the results of the first study.
Salary alone doesn't make you happy
But: If you look at the World Happiness Report at the moment, a slightly different picture emerges: According to Statista, the average gross annual income in Germany is currently 48,000 euros. According to the report, we are currently in 17th place. Finland is currently in 1st place – but only with an average salary of around 38,000 euros. Denmark is in second place – with a salary of 60,000 euros, and Switzerland takes third place with an annual salary of around 70,000 euros.
What do we learn from it? Happiness depends on so many factors that it is difficult to sum it up. Still, it's important to get paid appropriately. And that's why we should all talk more about our salaries.
Sources used: World Happiness Report, GQ Spain, Purdue University, Virginia University, Statista