Does Winning the Lottery Make You Happier in the Long Term?

Question

I've heard mixed things about lottery winners' happiness. Does winning the lottery actually lead to long-term happiness?

Answer 1

The long-term impact of winning the lottery on happiness is debatable. A famous 1978 study found that lottery winners were not significantly happier than non-winners in the long term. In fact, they were found to be about as happy as people who had experienced significant trauma and become paraplegic one year prior. This suggests that a jackpot win may not lead to permanent increases in happiness.

Comments

Yes, please do a follow-up video on happiness (lottery winner being as happy as people that beacame paralized - what an interesting comparison!) on minute 0:49! Thank you for another high quality and easy-going analysis video, Francis!