Is Happiness Worth a Pay Cut?
Dennis Hernandez posted Dec 21, 2019 3:20 PM
As the article by Kristen Wile mentioned regarding happiness in your job, I would have to agree that sometimes a pay cut is worth it. It is true that we all need to work to make a living, to provide for the needs of the family and put food on our table. However, we also need to take care of our mental health and that means if possible, we should do the things we enjoy even if it means taking a pay cut. Of course, every situation is different for everyone. If I didn’t have a choice, I would certainly do what it takes to work the jobs available to take care of my family. But if I had a choice to work a job I didn’t enjoy that pays higher versus a job I enjoy (with lower pay) but still be able to take care of my family, then I would choose the job I enjoy. I believe that being over-stressed can lead to major health issues. There is a term in Japan called “karoshi” which means “death by overwork” and is caused by “stress-induced physiological changes that usually lead to either sudden cardiac death or stroke…” (Scott, 2019). There was another study done at the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing which concluded that people live longer the happier they are. The study stated “Of the 924 people who reported the least positive feelings, 7.3%, or 67, died within 5 years. For people with the most positive feelings, the rate fell in half, to 3.6%, or 50 of 1399 people.” (Fields, 2011).
My wife currently works for the VA from home and she loves it. The pay grade is lower than what she could be making if she ever went back to working at a physical VA facility. However, she enjoys working from home for the convenience and being able to take care of the house and kids while working at the same time. Currently we are in a good place financially at the moment and I would not ask my wife to seek a higher paying job just to make a little bit more in income.
Scott. (2019, May 7). Surprising Science: Medical Proof that Doing Work You Love Could Save Your Life. Retrieved from https://liveyourlegend.net/wake-up-call-doing-work-you-love-could-save-your-life/
Fields, H. (2011, October 31). Happiness Associated With Longer Life. Retrieved from https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2011/10/happiness-associated-longer-life
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