People who are highly sensitive to losses, threats, unmet expectations and negative emotions tend to show an outsized enjoyment of income if they are poor, but as they become rich they are more and more likely than others to become dissatisfied with their lives, according to a study of British and German data by Eugenio Proto of the University of Warwick in the U.K. and Aldo Rustichini of the University of Minnesota. These individuals perceive any gap between their aspirations and their actual financial situations to be a negative outcome. These personality traits, collectively labeled ‘neuroticism’ by psychologists, are also associated with a $4,100 lower annual household income, the researchers say.

(Source: Journal of Economic Psychology)

Published in Dawn, Economic & Business, June 29th, 2015

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