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Money vs Health – When Do They Start to Get in Each Other’s Way?

stress versus relaxation

“Money doesn’t buy happiness”, some people say. Others immediately retort with saying that if that is what you think, you simply don’t know where to shop. It is true that money doesn’t buy happiness, but it goes a long way towards taking away certain stresses of life. There is no need to worry about how you are going to pay your mortgage or rent, no need to sit in the cold on a winter’s day because you can’t afford the heating and no need to eat the same stew three days a week because you can’t afford anything else.

But do some people go so far in trying to amass money that they actually damage their own health?

Proof that Money Is Bad for Your Health
A number of studies have now been conducted that prove having money is bad for your health. Whether it is a sudden windfall, or money that you have amassed over time, it can damage your mind, body and soul. Consumption the act of buying things leads to more strokes, heart attacks and even traffic accidents. Global statistics have proven that the day on which people receive money – be that their welfare payments, their wages or their lottery pay out – mortality rates are up.

The Science of Happiness
Happiness is now a true discipline in science. Happiness can be – and is being – measured by various professors across the world. It seems, in fact, that rather than money buying happiness, happiness can attract money. Trying to amass money leads to various psychosomatic illnesses. These include stress disorders, digestive disorders and headaches. Happy people, on the other hand, have lower rates of suicide and they tend to work harder, conclusive proof that being happy will allow you to get more wealth.

Happiness Statistics
A recent study has measured which countries have the biggest amount of happy people. The results may surprise you. The happiest country in the world is Nigeria, which is also one of the poorest countries in the world. Great Britain, on the other hand, ranks 24th, even though this is a relatively rich country, particularly compared to some of the poorer countries on our planet.

Stress and Money
Having money is a vicious cycle. The more money you have, the more money you spend, the more money you need. People on low incomes are stressed about how to pay their rent, but people on high incomes are stressed about how to pay their huge mortgages. Besides that, the people with more money than they can spend have other stresses as well. They have a certain social standing to maintain and have to keep up appearances at all time. Although the stress of being in financial difficulties should never be downplayed, the stress of having too much money is incredibly heavy too, particularly for those who try to earn even more money.

The 10 most common illnesses that are a direct result of stress for those who have money, or at the very least have work to try to amass more money include:
1. Heart disease
2. Asthma
3. Obesity
4. Diabetes
5. Headaches
6. Depression and/or anxiety
7. Gastrointestinal illnesses
8. Alzheimer’s disease
9. Accelerated ageing
10. Premature death

It has also been proven that wealthy people die differently to those who have little to no money. Although many poorer people have heart disease and diabetes, this is generally caused due to a poor lifestyle, leading to obesity and all the associated problems. Wealthier people are more likely to die of the same illnesses but caused by stress rather than an unhealthy lifestyle. Furthermore, they are more likely to be affected by these illnesses earlier on in life. Indeed, they often have the finances to access improved medical treatment and live longer, but their quality of life is reduced for a longer period of time. Furthermore, rates of suicide are higher among those who have more money as well.

The choice is yours – do you choose to be happy and hope for some money, or do you choose to be rich and hope for some happiness?

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