What Makes You Happiest, Time Or Money?

What do you think makes you happiest, time or money? The author Marc Levy answers this question in his novel If Only it Were True (“if only it were true” in Norwegian), in an interesting way. In this book, the author suggests an interesting thought experiment. Imagine that you had a bank account that gave you 86,400 kroner every morning when you wake up. What you do not use during the day, the bank takes back. Question: What would you do with the money? 

At some point, the account will stop receiving refills. You do not know when it will happen, there will be no warning. So what are you doing? Do you want to spend the money every day? I’m sure everyone would take advantage of this wonderful opportunity if it presented itself.  

Well, it turns out that everyone on earth has an account like that. We are all customers of a bank from the moment we are born. The bank is called life and the savings account is your time. In the first seconds of the day, the bank transfers 86,400 seconds to your account, which you can use for the next 24 hours. Every night, what is left over is deleted. Your balance returns to zero.

You can not transfer the balance to the next day. You can not go back in time. You can invest your time in what makes you happiest : family, success, friends, hobbies, etc. But remember that you only have one life. The most important thing is not how much time you have, but how you spend it.

What makes you happiest, time or money?

If you could choose between a shorter working day and more free time or a long working day with a higher salary, which would you choose? Do you want more time with family and friends, or do you prefer to be financially stable?

This question was the inspiration behind a study published by the academic newspaper Social Psychological and Personality Science. Researchers asked 4,500 people in the United States what was most important for their happiness of time or money. 64% answered that they preferred to have more money. Nevertheless, the survey showed that those who valued time instead of money tended to be more satisfied with my life, which translated into greater happiness.

Spending your free time doing things you enjoy gives you a much higher level of satisfaction over a long period of time. Data shows that investing in experiences makes you much happier than investing in material things. 

Humans are social beings. You live for and get energy from relationships, social life, laughter with friends, time with your better half and family, and do what you enjoy most. It’s easy to forget that your time is running out. The day when you have nothing left will come, and unfortunately you can not know when it will happen. You convince yourself that you will be present forever, and you miss opportunities to invest those seconds. Time goes by, life happens. Make sure you live it! 

The older you get, the more you value time

In a study conducted by the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, researchers discovered that valuing time over money is associated with a higher level of happiness. This is especially true when getting more money means working longer. The survey also showed that as you get older, time becomes a higher priority.

As time goes on, you become more aware of how valuable it is. Money, on the other hand, is becoming less and less valuable. Time is something you cannot get back. It belongs to you and you are the only one who can decide how to invest it. Do not let others decide how to use it, and do not let it slip between your fingers. Live life in a way that keeps you from looking back with regret. If you want to be happier, use your time wisely and make the most of the 86,400 seconds you have each day.