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by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.
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Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

For the Pursuit of Happiness, A Wellness Seeker Will Choose Sex Over Money--Here's Why

Sunday July 25, 2004

Most folks are happy to have either money OR sex, although the two are NOT mutually exclusive. Many poets, critics and others have speculated about what WOMEN want, as have more than a few women. Dorothy Parker, for example, said she required only three things of a man: "He must be handsome, ruthless and stupid." Dorothy surely was an exception--most women require that men have money, as well, and more than a few women will tolerate a man if he's not handsome, ruthless OR stupid. Come to think of it, I suspect most women, unlike Dorothy, prefer that he not have a few of these qualities. By money, I mean not desperately poor and with prospects, but not necessarily rich, like that hotel guy with the bad hair and awful TV show who plasters his name all over buildings. He's rich, he's ruthless but he's definitely not handsome or stupid. He has enjoyed the company of some serious babes over the years, though most eventually tell him, "You're fired." 
 
I mention this business about sex and money because findings from a scholarly research project suggest that sex does more for happiness than money. Researchers at Dartmouth in the US and the University of Warwick in England claim their data indicate "More Money Doesn't Mean More Sex, But More Sex Can Make You Feel Richer." (WebMD Medical News, July 16, 2004). One medical writer's (Sid Kirchheimer) interpretation of the study is that this is "good news for folks whose bedrooms have more activity than their bank accounts." I personally think it's also good news for wellness seekers who need one more reason to enjoy sex besides the usual motivation (in other words, it feels good). 
 
The sex/money/happiness study involved 16,000 people who self-reported their levels of sexual activity and happiness. The data led economists David Blachflower and Andrew Oswald to a bold conclusion. The study authors claimed that sex "enters so strongly (and) positively in happiness equations" that increasing intercourse from once a month to once a week is equivalent to the amount of happiness generated by getting an additional $50,000 in income for the average American. 
 
I may be unscientific about this, but despite such claims, I think most happiness seekers would go for the additional 50 grand, given the choice. Don't you agree? Can you think of anyone you would want to have sex with rather than get a 50 thousand dollar bonus? Maybe I'm missing something here. 
 
A summary of the major findings might clarify matters:

• "Money brings some amounts of happiness, but not as much as what economists might have thought" -- Blanchflower. I don't know what economists are thinking, but I suspect they have a strange notion about the monetary value of sex if they thought 16,000 subjects were going to value sex as high as $50,000. Dr. Blanchflower: "We had to look to psychologists and realize that other things really matter." What kind of person needs to look to psychologists to realize such a thing? What kind of world do these folks inhabit?
  
  
• Not content with publishing in a medical journal, the researchers produced a booklet entitled "Money, Sex, and Happiness: An Empirical Study." In it, they have the nerve to place estimated dollar amounts on "the happiness level resulting from sex and its trappings." This sounds like great material for an appearance on Ophrah, but how accurate can these projections be?
   
  
• More money, the study leaders suggest, does not mean you can get more sex! This will not come as a breakthrough discovery to lots of retired folks in Miami and elsewhere. I have not perused the original findings myself, but I suspect that the economists might have also discovered that more money is not as important as good hearing, vision, memory and teeth, either, for purposes of finding someone willing to have sex with you, and for gaining the happiness that usually ensues from such activity.  
   
  
•  No differences were discovered between the frequency of sex and income levels, but sex matters more in a happiness sense when it is enjoyed by folks who are "highly educated." Maybe education has given people a better chance to appreciate the value of gratitude for good fortune and pleasant circumstances in their lives. 
   
  
• The happiest of all people are those who get the most sex, who turn out to be married couples. The latter reported 30 percent more sex than single folks--yet another reason to give same-sex couples equal opportunity to the pursuit of happiness as heterosexual partners enjoy. The economist researchers put a $100,000 value tag on "a lasting marriage," though they also assign a $66,000 happiness penalty equivalent to divorce!

What's going on here? What might account for the sex and happiness links found by the two economist researchers? What are the variables that explain these results? 
 
It's likely that those who consider themselves happy are more satisfied with their sex lives, their bodies, their jobs, their relatives, their material possessions and everything else. It's not about sex; it's about living richer lives, and thus enjoying greater sexual satisfaction. The latter, like everything else, is better for them. That's one possible explanation. 
 
Another might be that the 16,000 subjects thought of happiness as the opposite of being depressed. If that were the case, it stands to reason that there would be a happiness/sex linkage, though it seems jejune to attach a dollar amount to such differences. However, economists tend to do that sort of thing. 
 
One writer (Kirchheimer) implies that "happy people are just more likely to lead each other to the bedroom" and I think that is the not so amazing finding associated with this scholarly research. Oh well, it's always fun to have some science support common sense. 
 
Be well, enjoy as much (safe as possible) sex and money as you can manage while living a joyful wellness lifestyle. Do try to remember to look on the bright side of life. The latter is worth at least an added $50 thou.

Domain: mental
Subdomain: stress management

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