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Therapy > Money

Ever hear the phrase: "Money can't buy you love?" Well, it also can't buy you happiness. Researchers from the Universities of Warwick and Manchester have found that a decent round of therapy can increase your happiness 32 fold more than just winning the lottery.

This conclusion comes from the reports of 1000s of people surveyed on their general well-being, along with other factors such as therapy courses or pay raises. They found that a mere four month session of therapy largely increased a person's well-being; whereas a person would need to receive a pay-raise the equivalent of $41,000 in order to receive the same effect.

Further research shows that despite increases in the money bags of developed countries, there have not been any significant, corresponding increases in happiness. However, mental health has taken a hard-nosed plummet; a fact most can attest to, given the wanton over-prescriptions of anti-anxiety and anti-depression medications that are given out every year. Researchers argue that governments should be concerned about increasing access to mental health care facilities for the populace, instead of being overly concerned about income growth.

Researchers also suggest that instead of financial compensation for "pain and suffering" cases in courts, the victims should also be rewarded with access to therapy in order to overcome traumatizing life events.

According to researcher Chris Boyce, "Often the importance of money for improving our well-being and bringing greater happiness is vastly over-valued in our societies. The benefits of having good mental health, on the other hand, are often not fully appreciated and people do not realise the powerful effect that psychological therapy, such as non-directive counselling, can have on improving our well-being."

Source:Science Daily

Lauren Admire wonders when she will be able to purchase a Smart Rat.

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