We heard complaints about Margaret Thatcher, but never about being underpaid or unable to afford wants. With less money there was no less satisfaction with living, no less warmth of spirit, no less pleasure in one another's company. In poor countries, such as Bangladesh and India, being relatively well off does make for somewhat greater well-being. We humans need food, rest, warmth, and social contact. But in affluent countries, where nearly everyone can afford life's necessities, increasing affluence matters surprisingly little.
Happiness is lower among the very poor.
But once comfortable, more money provides diminishing returns. So far as happiness is concerned, it hardly matters whether one drives a BMW or, like so many of the Scots, walks or rides a bus. And some were indeed unhappy. One fabulously wealthy man said he could never remember being happy. One woman reported that money could not undo misery caused by her children's problems.