“Money can’t buy happiness.” We’ve all heard this cliché at one point or another. While we usually mutter the typical apathetic “yeah, yeah” after hearing this saying, it seems that Americans are unable to grasp this concept, which demonstrates that the country’s values are completely backwards, jeopardizing our health and our happiness. 

Using data from The World Bank, a USA Today article published in July ranked the world’s richest countries by gross national income, a statistic that “captures all economic activity within a nation’s borders in addition to the wealth created by nationally-owned entities operating in other countries,” making it a more accurate measurement than the more commonly used GDP. According to this study, the U.S. ranks as the 12th richest country in the world. 

Clearly, money is one of the United States’ central values, drastically affecting how we live our lives. Americans are plagued by an extremely fast-paced, competitive, go-go-go mentality, increasing our income, sure, but decreasing our time to, I don’t know, enjoy life!

As Americans, we tend to pack our days as tightly as possible so that we can do everything except tasks that are actually essential, like eating and sleeping. 

I didn’t realize how unnatural this type of schedule was until studying abroad last semester in Spain, where the pace of life is less intense and more manageable. I am sure many of you have heard about the famous siestas, or naps, after lunch time. Although this practice does not occur everywhere in Spain, I experienced it while living in Tarragona, a small town in the northern region of Catalonia.

For many Americans, the siesta is something fun and silly to fantasize about; however, I believe it is an important statement about the Spanish culture. 

The siesta normally occurs between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Most governmental bodies, such as banks, close at 1 p.m. Many small businesses close during this time and return to work later in the evening, and some schools have followed suit. While recharging your body is important, the siesta is much more than just a nap; it is a time for families and friends to come together and share a meal.

Within Spanish culture, there is a built-in space for rest and community — two things that are not highly valued in American culture.

Why does the idea of a siesta seem so foreign to us? I would argue that it is because we see these hours as “wasted time” — time that could be spent making money in order to pursue our warped ideal of the American Dream, whatever that means nowadays. 

Of course, I realize that we need money to buy the basic necessities: food, water, shelter, clothing and so on. Our society cannot function without money. However, at what point is the amount of wealth that we accumulate excessive? At what point does sacrificing our health and time for our work become worthless? 

USA Today published another study in February 2018, which revealed that there is a wealth-happiness threshold. Researchers found that $105,000 is the ideal income for life satisfaction in North America, meaning that any earnings past this point correlate with lower levels of happiness.

Lead researcher Andrew T. Jebb commented, “There’s a certain point where money seems to bring no more benefits to well-being in terms of both feelings and your evaluation.”

USA Today reporter Josh Hafner elaborated on Jebb’s point: “Once enough money is earned to cover basic needs, everyday purchases and loans, people may be driven to increase earnings by comparison to others or a desire for material gains. And that … could prove a tipping point where more money results in lower well-being.”

It is obvious that we need money to survive, but the pursuit of wealth beyond our immediate needs is questionable, as this time could be spent doing what actually makes people happy, whether that’s playing sports, walking the dog or simply spending time with loved ones. 

In a Freakonomics podcast titled “How to Be Happy,” Jeff Sachs, a professor at Columbia University, commented on this threshold of wealth: “Only aiming for wealth … is certainly no way to happiness and after a certain point of income [you should] work on other things — work on your friendship, work on your mental health, work on your physical health. Work on good governance, work on your charitableness.

“Because in this kind of world, a good life is a balanced and a virtuous life. Not a single-minded pursuit of income.”

We can look to the Nordic countries as examples of this alternative lifestyle. These countries have repeatedly been classified as “the happiest,” according to the World Happiness Report, which is an annual study completed by the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network. For two years in a row, Finland has been classified as the happiest country. 

Looking specifically at Denmark, the podcast highlights the country’s widespread social safety net that includes universal healthcare, free education, and more, which Sachs believes plays a significant role in people’s happiness. Danish people also shockingly work an average of 27.6 hours per week compared to 34.4 hours in the U.S. 

In addition to these more policy-driven initiatives, most Danish people belong to clubs or community groups, spend time on physical exercise and do not emphasize material possessions. Meik Wiking, the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, stated: “Yes, it’s frowned upon to flash your wealth, to flash your success. That is quite uncommon in the Nordic countries.

“So it … puts a lid on conspicuous consumption. There’s so many studies out there that show that inequality is bad for health, for crime rates, for murder rates and all sorts of things.”

The same 2018 study in USA Today revealed that, of the 25 richest countries, the U.S. has the highest level of income inequality. Therefore, the wealth being hoarded by the top 1% — which, according to the study examined previously, is not substantially contributing to people’s happiness — is also prohibiting a majority of the population from enjoying the basic necessities of life. A radical change is needed. 

Now, I know that the U.S. is not Denmark and that we can’t just institute universal health care tomorrow and boom — all of our problems are fixed. While we can work toward these types of social safety net initiatives, the first step is to look at the principles behind them.

Rather than focusing primarily on wealth, the Nordic countries emphasize the importance of community, generosity and support, providing them with a completely different outlook on life. If we, as a country, held these values, I highly doubt that professional athletes would be making hundreds of millions of dollars while other people are left to sleep on the streets. 

Our rich people aren’t happy, and our poor people aren’t happy. We may be the 12th richest country in the world, but if no one is happy, what’s the point?