💵  The new cost of happiness

THE BIG IDEA

How much money does happiness cost in 2026?

Sixteen years ago, two researchers stumbled upon a surprising discovery: you could, in fact, put a price on happiness. Their finding — that happiness levels plateau after you earn $75k — made international news. The middle class was jazzed.

But that was then. This is now: inflation is up nearly 50%, the markets are steering toward a correction, and it’s never been more expensive to be alive. So how much does happiness cost today?

Hundred-thousand-dollar smile

A straight, inflation-based calculation puts 2010’s happiness at ~$112k in today’s dollars.

But since then, other researchers have tried to attach an updated price tag to life satisfaction.

The ideal income point, as determined by research from Purdue University, varies depending on where in the world you live:

• $125k in Australia
• $105k in North America
• $70k in Southeast Asia
• $45k in Eastern Europe

According to Matt Killingsworth, a senior fellow at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the guy who keeps the world’s most robust happiness data, there isn’t a ceiling after all.

“As far as I can tell, more is more,” he tells The Hustle.

Academics have long argued that once you earn over a certain amount, your happiness gains are negligible or even turn into losses. But Killingsworth says the data doesn’t bear that out, even with the longer hours more income generally requires.

“I’ve already gone way past the threshold where they argue that occurs and that’s not what I’m seeing,” he says.

Control freaks

One noteworthy data point that does stand out to him, though, is that while people who make more are happier outside of work, they’re certainly not any happier 9-to-5 than their fellow office drones.

“Money seems to matter where we can spend it,” he says. “Money buys you freedom over the things you want to do.”

Killingsworth suggests thinking about income in terms of agency. Control, it turns out, is one of the most important mechanisms linking money and happiness.

“Is higher income giving you freedom,” he asks, “or taking it away?”

Still, it’s possible there is a plateau and he just hasn’t found it yet. His next study will seek to answer: Is there such a thing as too rich?

We’re going to go out on a limb and guess no.

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HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Who is still buying tandem bikes? Matter of fact, who is still making them? We went to find out. 

NEWSWORTHY NUMBER

Miles between Boston Logan International Airport and its new remote terminal, where travelers can now go through check-in and security screening, then be shuttled straight to their gate. The first-of-its-kind terminal, which opened on Monday, aims to ease airport congestion by allowing passengers to bypass arrivals traffic and long security lines. But is it actually efficient?

The service, which is currently only available to Delta and JetBlue passengers between 5:30am and 4pm, requires a reservation and recommends coming close to three hours early for domestic flights. Plus, there are no liquids allowed on the 30-minute-plus bus ride.

Kinda sounds like just another stressful step to a day of travel, minus your morning car ride coffee.

HOW YOU HUSTLE

We don’t need to tell you — our readers are amazing. We wanted to dedicate some real estate to a Hustler building something big.

Who: Madison Neri

What: Valoré

The elevator pitch: “Valoré is a social discovery app that surfaces hotel recommendations from communities you actually trust. Your friends, your favorite online groups, people with your taste. No paid placements, no gamed reviews. Just hotels worth staying at, found through people worth listening to."

The problem they’re solving: “Hotel discovery is broken. Review sites are flooded with fake reviews, search results are gamed, and influencer content is sponsored. There's no reliable method for finding a hotel you can trust, unless you happen to know the right people to ask. Valoré makes those people findable.”

Origin story: “My boyfriend and I both work full-time in fintech and travel whenever we can. But every trip started the same way: hours of me crowdsourcing, texting friends, scrolling influencer feeds, falling down travel blog rabbit holes, trying to figure out where to actually stay.”

One truly innovative thing they’re doing: “Instead of aggregating reviews from anonymous strangers, Valoré pulls recommendations from the specific communities you already belong to and trust.”

What are you working on? Tell us here.

AROUND THE WEB

📅  On this day: In 1943, the “Zoot Suit Riots” — a violent clash between US sailors and anyone wearing the “zoot suits” that had become popular with young men of color — began in downtown Los Angeles.

⚾  That’s interesting: The Guardian examines how the Savannah Bananas have grown from a small, strange baseball team to something bigger.

📰  Newsletter: Stacked Marketer brings you the latest marketing news and insights.

⛏️  Game: Mine for ore.

🐈  Aww: Zoomies.

SHOWER THOUGHT

Each person celebrates a new year twice a year if they also celebrate their birthday.  SOURCE

Today's email was brought to you by Juliet Bennett Rylah, Katherine Laidlaw, and Singdhi Sokpo.

Editing by: Sara "In pursuit of happiness and $112k" Friedman.

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