Majority of American respondents in a survey were found to prefer money over time, as revealed by a research conducted in the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California. Amusingly, those who preferred time were discovered happier than those who preferred money.
A team of researchers from the University of California and the University of Pennsylvania, led by Psychologist Ha Hershfield from Anderson School of Management in the University of California, conducted a research which collected data from above 4,000 Americans, as per a report by Sage Journals. The people involved in the research were asked a common question: "What would you prefer, more money or more time?" Questions connected to their personal happiness were also asked.
After thorough investigation, the researchers discovered that 64 percent of the respondents preferred more money over time, the Guardian reported. People who chose more time were discovered, however, to be happier than those who chose more money.
"But maybe this result simply shows that the people who chose money are more financially constrained and therefore less happy," Hal Hershfield and Cassie Mogilner Holmes, co-researcher and associate professor at the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, shared via the New York Times. "To check this, we also asked respondents to report their annual household income along with the number of hours they work each week," they added.
The result, however, is still the same. Hershfield and Holmes noted they discovered that even though they held constant the amount of money and leisure time participants had, the participants who preferred time over money were still happier.
The research has not indicated, though, that getting more of either the choices is worse or better for one's happiness. "Our research does show that the value individuals place on these resources relative to each other is predictive of happiness," the researchers noted.
If you will be asked the same question, what will be your answer? Maybe a statement from the researchers can serve to enlighten: "The likelihood of choosing more time over more money -- despite the widespread tendency to do the opposite -- is a good sign you'll enjoy the happiness you seek."
