This seventy-plus-year study found that there is no correlation between happiness and how much money you make, your social status, or other external measures of success (this assumes, of course, that you’re making a living and can sustain the basics—past that, the science says that money doesn’t matter much). What makes life meaningful and what maximizes your happiness and longevity are relationships—who you love and who loves you. And there is a strong correlation between doing something for the benefit of others and living a longer, healthier life.
