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No, it is Not More Stressful Being Rich Than Being Poor.

slate.com — Now, it may be true that the bottom fifth is working fewer hours while the top fifth is working longer hours. The authors of the study in question claim no insight as to why this should be so and note that because the observed shift took place fully two decades ago, it "is not likely related to advances in communications technology...

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  • duhurhurrr, on 09/03/2008, -28/+1What is stressful is being kicked out of the medical community, as I was 20 years ago.
    • Chicken, on 09/03/2008, -1/+11Fail.
    • cygnus2112, on 09/03/2008, -1/+23"Omar (duhurhurrr) - A 25 year-old guy from Oxford, UK"

      Thank goodness. You were only 5 at the time and horrible at using the scalpel!
      • zerhynn, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1350% of his comments are talking about getting kicked out of the medical community 20 years ago. He's trying way too hard.
    • Meccabilly, on 09/03/2008, -0/+5What did you do? Did it involve inappropriate touching?
      • CedEx, on 09/03/2008, -0/+0Inappropriate touching indeed. Oh yeah... he's also a morgue technician.
  • Pusod, on 09/03/2008, -7/+37no ***** sherlock!
    • EBFoxbat, on 09/03/2008, -2/+7Eat or skip breakfast all week so I can fill my tank and get to work. I'll go hungry.
      vs.
      Another Bentley or a new Hybrid Lexus SUV. Yes, hybrids are so green. I'll go green.

      Slate is so insightful sometimes.



    • Mungo616, on 09/03/2008, -2/+1Curse you Pusod, I was going to make that exact same comment.
    • punkcat, on 09/03/2008, -1/+1poor people don't have to worry about becoming poor.




      • DangerMouse9, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1I'd rather worry about becoming poor than worry about having to making the decision to pay for food or pay to have a roof over my head.
      • mryar, on 09/03/2008, -0/+0Spare me your montre. NOBODY starves. What happens is half the country votes people into office to steal for them.

        Work for your own goddamn money. F'in leeches.
  • jmantra, on 09/03/2008, -4/+46I work long hours and yet I am still poor, stressed out, and depressed.
    • drizzlelicious, on 09/03/2008, -12/+6Have a cookie?
      . , _ ,
      ./ ' . . . '
      | . . . . . |
      .. ,_, . /
      • epadafunk, on 09/03/2008, -1/+4I thought it was a generous gesture.
    • jamesdew, on 09/03/2008, -2/+17you sir, need a new job
    • NJank, on 09/03/2008, -13/+3if you just applied yourself a little harder, capitalism would propel you to new heights...
      • DangerMouse9, on 09/03/2008, -1/+4Maybe he has a conscience and doesn't want to exploit others for his own financial gain.
      • NJank, on 09/05/2008, -0/+1once again, i forget the /sarcasm tag. gotta stop doing that.
    • AndrewMoyer, on 09/03/2008, -1/+3You're doing it wrong then!
    • X9001, on 09/03/2008, -4/+2Have you considered some form of murder suicide?
      • Eezyville, on 09/03/2008, -0/+2I don't support murder. I dream it sometimes but I don't support it.
  • Stevo23, on 09/03/2008, -10/+47Can all the rich people officially stop whining about their long hours now?
    • roddack, on 09/03/2008, -15/+9Can the poor people officially stop whining about how life is unfair?
      • Machismo, on 09/03/2008, -6/+8Not until society can give the rich and poor equal opportunity and that their only limits to what they achieve is their drive, inherent skill, and intellect.
      • LLLSecretChimp, on 09/03/2008, -7/+1Right on, Machismo. We'll know this has happened when we see things like rich people working longer hours than poor people.
      • roddack, on 09/03/2008, -4/+5Equal opportunity already exist. you have to go out and make the best that you can of yourself. Sure some kid may be born into a rich family but that is nothing more than a random factor like being born in America or Turkey is a random factor that can not be controlled.

        It has nothing to do with how many hours you work it matters on what skills you use to work a low skilled person will never be compensated as someone who has higher skills.
    • AndrewMoyer, on 09/03/2008, -2/+8Perhaps there is a correlation between working longer hours, thus earning more money, and being rich...?

      Spending and investing wisely, and making smart life-choices also are important factors.
      (i.e. Stop buying Elvis commemorative plates on your dishwasher salary!!!)
      • DangerMouse9, on 09/03/2008, -2/+4When you're salaried it doesn't matter how many hours you work, you're paid the same. Maybe those that work longer hours just suck at their job and can't get their ***** done.

        Wealth is passed from one generation to the next, when as many kids from the slums are able to attend an Ivy League school as those from wealthy families is when you can start running your mouth about how hard work will get you ahead.

        If hard work got people ahead, then the Mexicans would be running our country so shut the ***** up about ***** you know nothing about other than what your ignorant ass assumes because you saw it on the teevee.
      • roddack, on 09/03/2008, -3/+3DangerMouse9 when people say hard work they don't mean a low skilled job they are referring to jobs that require more skills than digging a a ditch or flipping a burger. Of course wealth will be passed down families and why shouldn't it? Are you saying that people have no right to gift their wealth to who ever they see fit? would you prefer the G-men just come in and take it all at the point of a gun a redistrubte it? Would that be "fair" to you?

      • DWalla, on 09/04/2008, -0/+1Wealth CAN be passed along from one generation to the next. But it's not always the case. I grew up in a family with 8 kids. My father had a very limited income (read: not raised with a silver spoon) and frequently had Ramen, etc. for dinners. Truth is, we were very happy and most of the time us kids didn't realize just how little money we actually had. However, I've learned to be careful with my money, only purchase very few unnecessary things, invest, etc. As such, I'm now making a very, very good living. It was a hard row to hoe for the first 15 years, but it paid off in the end. Hang around with a fat person and you'll soon learn why they are fat. Hang around a wealthy person and you'll learn why they are wealthy.... and it's not because they are careless demons living off the entrails of the poor. Most wealthy people have a healthy sense of self-discipline when it comes to spending money.
    • rotundo, on 09/03/2008, -2/+13Yes, the rich should stop whining. I'm rich by most standards. I'm more-or-less retired now (at age 35) but I worked long hours _because_I_could_ and _because_I_wanted_to_. The best part about being rich is the control you have over your life because you're not beholden to desperate money needs.

      I grew up relatively poor, and I often heard that if I was ever rich I'd change my tune. Well, I didn't. Being financially secure is wonderful and I don't even whine about the high taxes since even after those I still live better than I used to, better than my parents were able to pull off. And those taxes are what keep this country running smoothly enough for someone like me to be rich in the first place.

      Bunch of goddamn whiners the rich are, quite seriously.
      • mryar, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1Your hard work bought my Suzuki Z400!

        Thanks state of Vermont for offering renters rebate (aka welfare for the average person)
  • rmeddy, on 09/03/2008, -4/+15I'll switch lives with you Rich man Lemme take that money off your shoulders.
  • WebBlogger, on 09/03/2008, -2/+7I work long hours but pay ain't too bad you have to put in the hours to get extra money extra hours = stress
  • KenSPT, on 09/03/2008, -9/+31Hard work is for people who lack talent.

    Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna' go back to my cubicle ...
    • teamr, on 09/03/2008, -3/+9working in a cubicle. The truest sign of a person at the top of his field
      • vilago, on 09/03/2008, -0/+6i only half agree
      • KenSPT, on 09/03/2008, -0/+4Yeah, very true.

        By the way, you didn't ask me if I wanted fries with my Whopper; just so you know ...
    • robmcm, on 09/03/2008, -2/+22I sense there was some ironic sarcasm in that comment...
    • Jonsend, on 09/03/2008, -0/+9I can't believe anyone dugg you down for that.
      • KenSPT, on 09/03/2008, -0/+4Apparently my sarcasm and being able to poke fun at myself aren't worthy of being dugg ...
  • chkdg8, on 09/03/2008, -22/+6This article was written with no clue on what it is to be rich. I've been in the hospitality industry for over 17 years and I can honestly say that I worked for extremely wealthy (multi-millionaires) restaurant, lounge and club owners and they're stressed to hell. Mo money mo problems. End of story. That's just the nature of having money.
    • bjornski, on 09/03/2008, -4/+12Go cry into a glass of your $200 a bottle brandy.
    • mlvassallo, on 09/03/2008, -2/+3Then they should buy a day off or something.
    • LokitheComplex, on 09/03/2008, -2/+9Greedy is not the same category as rich.
    • Lythium, on 09/03/2008, -2/+3Can I have some of your problems, please?
  • diggafrica, on 09/03/2008, -9/+31When I hear westerners talking about stress, all I do is laugh... You have no ***** Idea. come to Africa & you will see real stress!. Its hot, no electricity, have to work miles to a friends to charge your laptop, no money, little food!, mosquitos biting your ass.. you homiez got no idea.. dnt get me started
    • jcfisher3rd, on 09/03/2008, -32/+6Sorry, westerners only care about three year old white girls who get murdered. Africans? They don't even qualify as *****.
    • ThePerkins, on 09/03/2008, -0/+21Are you one of those one-upper types that self-medicates his insecurity by boasting of some perceived superiority? Oh *****, my hotpocket is done in the microwave... brb.
      • Spuy767, on 09/03/2008, -5/+2Have one more for lunch, and you can be dead by dinner.
      • circusbred, on 09/03/2008, -1/+1Strange, I read that as "Oh, my ***** is done..."
      • Spuy767, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1Evidently we aren't terribly familiar with Jim Gaffigan.
    • LokitheComplex, on 09/03/2008, -2/+11I think you might have the wrong impression of what average Western life is like from the media.
    • Machismo, on 09/03/2008, -1/+3We have our issues. In most American cities, they are so spread out that you can't hope to have work and home within walking distance of eachother. Most Americans need to work well about 40 hours per week. People in my office average 50-60 per week. Quite a bit of that is outdoors in humid 100 degree F weather (38 C).
      Electricity is expensive. Homes are not designed to run without air conditioning so it HAS to be on or the temperature leaps well above the ambient.
      I do know that this is far better than a majority of the people in the world. Even still, it isn't all tea and crumpets. No peeled grapes fed to us under lazy fans. Working hard everyday, hoping to get some rest at the end of it and a hole in the ground at the end of the life. Just like everyone else.
      • shredswithpiks, on 09/03/2008, -0/+6Yeah... what you just described is about 10000000 times easier than living in most of Africa.
      • RetlawST, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1Indeed, Shred. Imagine no set hours (you work until the job is done), no guaranteed hours (you can't find work even if you're willing), and at the end of the day, you go home to a cement box with single pane windows, no AC, and if you're lucky running water in your residence (often water and restroom facilities are shared within a complex if you live in a city).
      • mryar, on 09/03/2008, -1/+0(in a whiny voice) " Homes are not designed to run without air conditioning so it HAS to be on or the temperature leaps well above the ambient." (steve urkle snort)

        I bet your heart would convulse if the temperature went .01Deg above 72.

        I bet your 300lbs and look like a ghost too.
    • DharmaDog, on 09/03/2008, -0/+5Hmmm...

      No money, little food, but they have laptops?

      You're doing it wrong!
  • LenBaird, on 09/03/2008, -7/+24This "rich guy stress" theory is ***** attempting to justify the actions of greedy people who spend their days trying to figure out how to take other people's productively earned money, rather than producing anything of value to anyone but themselves (money).
    I say, go out and produce something of value to society. Plans to layoff people and force the remaining ones to pick up the slack don't count.
    • toxicshok, on 09/03/2008, -6/+5I agree, clearly the rich have done nothing to deserve that money and its all some sort of cosmic miracle that they got it.
      • LenBaird, on 09/03/2008, -2/+11Clearly they have done something to get it, and in some cases they personally produced something of value in the process.
        What I am talking about is the corporate parasites who have been spreading like an infection through our society. They seem to think that they deserve the rewards, and everyone else deserves the work.
        They have to justify their parasitic greed, so that they don't get lynched, and so they can sleep at night. This "woe is me, it is stressful being a parasite on society" bit is an example of that. It probably is stressful in some ways, but the solution is to stop being a parasite feeding off of other people's work, not whining and justifying it.
    • theOster, on 09/03/2008, -3/+7the rich guys are typically the ones that have built businesses that employ the rest of us. you must be an arts student.
      • LenBaird, on 09/03/2008, -0/+3No, I go out and do productive work every day.
        Point 2, if an artist produces something that people are willing to pay for, then in my mind they are doing productive work as well.
        Bankers, corporate executives, wall street investors, stockholders, politicians=parasites adding nothing of value to society.. in fact they do the opposite. They suck off of the work of others, like a parasite.
        People like me build the businesses that employ us. Because we do the real work.
    • coustoe, on 09/03/2008, -0/+2ya you're right all those Engineers at google shouldn't get paid instead all the money should go to artsy students who sit on their assess making crap that only they can understand. Get real.
  • fataluber, on 09/03/2008, -7/+5Get The ***** Out Of Here.
    • vilago, on 09/03/2008, -1/+9All Caps Are Fun. It's Like A Title.
    • Narcism, on 09/03/2008, -1/+2Get the ***** Out of Here
      All Caps Are Fun
      It's Like a Title
    • DmtriPutin, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1great movie!
  • cygnus2112, on 09/03/2008, -2/+13I've been poor. I've been rich. I wouldn't state one is more worrisome than the other. There are different stresses.
    • smotpoker, on 09/03/2008, -3/+6Apparently the busyness of the rich people distracts them from their problems... and in general I would think part of the reason rich people manage to get rich, aside from inheritance, is ability to secure employment in their field of expertise.

      Poor people on the other hand were/are more often unable to follow their interests and instead have to settle for jobs they consider unfulfilling and that they have less aptitude with plus they tend to fill positions that provide fewer hrs and/or disallow them from working extra but still want them to be available so they have more time to worry

      The end result is that typically rich people are more often getting to do what they love, get more respect for doing it, have more stuff to prevent them worrying about any one thing too much and get paid more for it so the same number of hours are less taxing on them I think.
      • cygnus2112, on 09/03/2008, -1/+5Then again, you could also bring up how a lot of rich people followed the money/success instead of following their dreams - they settled. While many poor people "did what they wanted" but really never amounted to success.

        It's not a black and white situation. There are rich people who commit suicide. There are poor people who commit suicide.

        Happiness has more to do with lifestyle and choices for balance with the money that you do earn.
      • Spuy767, on 09/03/2008, -2/+3Do I detect a disgruntled liberal arts major?
      • smotpoker, on 09/03/2008, -2/+3@cygnus

        You may be right, I have not thoroughly researched the subject nor have I known all that many rich people. I do tend to perceive them by-and-large as living somewhat empty lives but the few I have known seemed to be relatively happy and were at least able to enjoy their free time and felt they were making a difference in the world. I probably only suspect many of their lives (the businessmen-type's and people who just live off inheritance) lives are empty because I cannot fathom it being fulfilling. (Especially if/when business transactions can adversely affect so many so often.)

        My conjecture is based primarily on those few rich people I've known, the fact most came from well-to-do families and my own predisposition to forget problems when I have stuff to keep busy and distract me.

        @Spuy

        I don't really know what "liberal arts" are... or were you asking if I am a liberal and an arts major? if the latter is the case, I am liberal but far from an arts major. I am an half-employed system admin+c/lamp developer. Dunno wtf you got the "disgruntled" part from...
    • vilago, on 09/03/2008, -2/+2hear hear
    • skyz, on 09/03/2008, -2/+2me too

      actually when i was richer i was more wrorried as i had more stuff to worry about

      but is cool to have had both sides of the experience

      only way to really now what is worth worrying about
    • Lythium, on 09/03/2008, -2/+2If you can even say that, you've never been truly poor. Worrying about having enough money for food at the end of the week - THAT is stress. I strongly suspect your definition of "poor" is more like middle-class than true poverty.
      • cygnus2112, on 09/03/2008, -3/+1You don't know me. You can't even claim to know what I've been through. So kindly go ***** a wall socket.
  • uselessexpert, on 09/03/2008, -0/+26To whom much is given, much is expected.....
    Or like Biggie said: "Mo' money, more problems."

    But at the end of the day, I would rather be rich and stressed out than poor and stressed out.
    • vilago, on 09/03/2008, -7/+1different kind of stress.
      • Chrysalii, on 09/03/2008, -0/+6I don't care if the stress is giving me random heart attacks, I'd rather be rich and stressed than poor and stressed.
    • zer0nix, on 09/03/2008, -1/+2precisely; everybody has to pay the piper. some people just see the sense in paying a lot now and getting a lot back later.

      everybody pays the piper. now how much are you gonna give?
    • Iztikeit, on 09/03/2008, -1/+2I swear to God, right before looking at your comment I went to Itunes and started playing "Mo money, mo problems".
  • Kyrgizion, on 09/03/2008, -0/+43I've always gone by this;
    "Money doesn't make you happy, but it sure is a comfortable way of being unhappy."
  • teotbote, on 09/03/2008, -2/+1It's absolutely hilarious that a story like this gets written.

    People clicking on headlines like this and the world's chaos go hand in hand.

    But that's just like.. my opinion, man.
    • RadicalEdward, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1clicking=chaos huh? Don't really see the connection there but whatever floats your boat.
      • teotbote, on 09/03/2008, -1/+1Yeah.. it's a crazy connection, but diggs carry a lot of weight here in the tubes. Sad as it may seem, and as unlikely as it may seem; your click is a vote. The more of these stories that get dugg, the more of them there will be.

        Personally, I think that's a bad thing. Then again, I didn't digg this story, so I suppose I'm in some sort of minority.
  • idreamwideyed, on 09/03/2008, -4/+19oh, the poor people making 200k salaries. i guess i make them feel a little bit better about themselves when they pass me buying a dirty water dog with pocket change on their lunch breaks.

    news flash guys: if you wanna make that kind of money, you're gonna have to give a little bit of yourself in return. people with high stress jobs know exactly what they're getting into when they start going to school for business or accounting or whatnot.

    as long as you can spend your weekend driving around town, showing off your new beemer, quit your bitching rich people.
  • jamesdew, on 09/03/2008, -2/+11Obviously this depends on what the job is. If you are paid very well specifically for a skill which you excel at it is probably not very stressfull.
    However many jobs are well paid simply because they are extremly stressfull and most people are incapable of functioning under that stress. I would imagine being CEO is stressfull as you have a huge amount of responsibility and if you don't perform you are out.

    If you own your own company I guess it's up to you how stressfull your day is. If you want more money do more work.
    • Iztikeit, on 09/03/2008, -1/+5You are out, but you get a pension sizable enough to retire on.
    • xdre, on 09/03/2008, -0/+3@jamesdew:

      I'm pretty sure that the stress of being CEO isn't nearly as high as the stress of knowing that if you lose your job (for *any* reason, particularly if you're in a right-to-work state), you can't pay your bills, you could lose your house--if you even have one--or worse still, your kids might not be able to eat. Different *kind* of stress, sure, but don't kid your self that it's more than most people could handle.
  • mlvassallo, on 09/03/2008, -5/+11Why the ***** are rich people complaining again? Next time they have to rummage through their car to find enough change to get a gallon of gas just so they can drive to work, then I'll listen to them complain about stress.
    • arjie, on 09/03/2008, -3/+5You have a car? Man, next time you have to scrounge around for change just to feed yourself you can complain about stress.

      Thank god I don't have to do either. What kind of a job do you do that you can't pay for petrol? I, as a student, could easily fund my petrol bills to travel around 50km a day by car on a part time job. The cost of petrol in India? More than $5 a gallon.

      If you have to do all that, you're not managing your finances properly. If you live in a suburb, get a ride from someone into the city and take public transport when you're there. If you live out in the country, then I feel sorry for you, but if you're in the city and you're still driving when your finances are that bad, then you have yourself to blame.
      • Lythium, on 09/03/2008, -1/+4"If you have to do all that, you're not managing your finances properly."

        Smug much? You're only 20, so a certain amount of arrogance is understandable. But at least make an effort to realize that you don't know everything.

        You're not even living in this country, so you have exactly zero knowledge of life here is really like - yes, even if you went to school here, or came her for vacation. I don't know what it's like in India, but in the States it's quite possible to manage your money well and still have trouble making ends meet.

        "If you live in a suburb, get a ride from someone into the city and take public transport when you're there." - Again, your ignorance is astounding. You don't even know suburbs enough to realize that suburbs on the coasts are completely different from what passes for suburbs in the mid-West. In the west, many cities don't even HAVE a public transportation network. Sad but true.

        Quite aside from that - for many people, your suggestion is completely bogus - people in the States are isolated; neighbors don't just "give each other rides." Different culture, mate. For many *others*, your suggestion would entail, quite literally, a 3-hour commute each way. I realize that it's very easy to say "you're doing it wrong," but try to understand that until you've lived our lives for a couple of years, you have no basis for your smugness.
      • mlvassallo, on 09/03/2008, -0/+3What's funny is I live next to an Indian family here in the states. A great family. Grandparents, parents and children all in one house. They have one mini-van. The father of the family was laid off in a Dell plant job cut recently. I wonder if our young Indian national would like to tell his proud hardworking Indian man that it is ridiculous and he should focus more on money management when he needs gas money for his mini-van to take his kids to school.
      • arjie, on 09/03/2008, -1/+2Sorry, I've never been to the U.S. I expected certain things about a developed nation and efficient public transport, a stable economy, reasonable job opportunities are just some of them. Guess I bought into the idea that it's actually the land of opportunity and all that and that you can get anything you want if you put your shoulder to the wheel.

        My knowledge of the U.S. is completely second-hand, and mostly from the Internet, where people are generally telling everyone how awesome the country is. To be frank, I believed it.

        However, cultures change as requirements arise, a few years ago few women would be working after 10PM in Madras. That bit is a poor excuse, but I can understand if you live very far away from your nearest neighbour.

        Good luck to you guys, and to the poor chap laid off. Sorry to hear about your troubles, hope things get better.

        PS: I'm quite astounded that the school's got no official minibus or that there are no schools nearby.
    • biogears, on 09/03/2008, -1/+1Could financial management be an issue?
  • DangerCollie, on 09/03/2008, -2/+3Life at the top is better. While you may work more hours overall, you have more control over your schedule. I don't punch a clock or set an alarm, but everyone who works for me turns in a time sheet. Having the freedom to set your own schedule is priceless. It's amazing how much stress people put themselves through trying to get places by a certain time.

    I'm working on getting rid of the time sheets and ridged schedules in the IT department. A lot of people were willing to trade salary for flexibility. So we save money and staff are more productive and less stressed out when they arrive. It's a win for everyone. Can't figure why more companies aren't doing more along those lines. And guess where the resistance is coming from? Not from management, they like the salary savings. The most resistance is coming from the departments that don't get flex schedules. Figures, doesn't it?
    • Matt2k, on 09/03/2008, -0/+2Having more control over your schedule is a big motivator. My wife worked for a manufacturing plant, and they didn't care if you came in an hour early, or skipped lunch. If you needed to leave at 4:30 for your kid's doctor's appointment, why, that's personal time and you'd better have some left.

      The 'management' there was a screwy crew; enjoyed firing people for this kind of stuff. They were happy to march people out the door, reliable people with multiple years with the company, good workers who really needed the job, but had a week of spotty car troubles. Out you go. I'm happy to say they went bankrupt. Then were bought out by an even nastier crew. And everyone quit. Then they went bankrupt again.
    • S1L3NTC, on 09/03/2008, -1/+1Your schedules have ridges? I'd get stressed out if I had to try to punch a Ruffles chip in a time clock.
      What if it breaks?
    • hlampert, on 09/03/2008, -1/+2I always love to read about flexible schedules taking the place of salary. Hate to tell you that a flexible schedule doesn't pay the rent, buy any heating oil, or put food in your belly - UNLESS you use your flexible schedule to accommodate the second job you need to make up for the loss in salary.
  • AchaIemoipas, on 09/03/2008, -3/+21People who work aren't rich.

    The whole point of being rich is to not work.

    Having big responsabilities is stressful.

    Having a ***** of money to do whatever you want in life isn't.
    • Matt2k, on 09/03/2008, -1/+2There's a lot of truth in that. Very few people are happy putting in 16 hour days and micromanaging everything for any length of time, but it's easy to get caught up in that trap. Balancing income with happiness can be tricky. Certainly if you invent some crazy contraption and become a billionaire sleeping on the beach while other people build your product, then more power to you, but it rarely works that way.
    • LokitheComplex, on 09/03/2008, -2/+4The greedy can be very stressful. They have millions and want more. That's generally why they've got it. They're not easy going people.
      • AchaIemoipas, on 09/03/2008, -2/+2Exactly.

        I don't even make 40k a year, I have everything I need and then some.

        Worst part is, I eat better food and have more leisure time than any rich person I know. Only difference is that my things don't cost as much.

        A couch is a couch, at 300$ or 30,000$, it's still a dumb couch.
    • biogears, on 09/03/2008, -1/+2The whole point of YOU being rich might be to quit work, but most of the rich who've earned it, love their work. You have cause and effect backwards.

      • AchaIemoipas, on 09/03/2008, -0/+3Cause and effect have nothing to do with what I said.

        What's the point of accumulating vast amounts of wealth if your life is about working like a common mill worker?
  • trendygamer, on 09/03/2008, -3/+11Quite frankly, this article is ignorant of one of the increasingly common methods of achieving wealth, that of becoming an attorney. The starting salary for many associate jobs in New York City (where you are the lowest rung on the totem pole, unlike this article assumes) can close in on $200,000 a year. Must be great, right?

    Wrong. You know what most firms expect for their six figures? 80 billable hours a week. This can mean 100 actual hours at the office a week. Many of these attorneys end up sleeping at the office. A friend of mine who worked at a large firm in the city this past summer was given the tour of the associate bunk beds and showers his very first day.

    These jobs are not easy hours either. Most times the work is mindless, grueling, and unrewarding. Many of the jobs involve something called document review, where you spend your entire day combing through endless boxes of documents determining if they're relevant to the litigation at hand. Many big firm attorneys will work 10 years before ever seeing the action associated with the inside of a courtroom. There is a damn good reason the burnout rate at these firms is astronomical.

    So are these people well off, financially? You betcha. But they are also stressed to levels many people will never experience. To make a blanket statement that those who are poor are more stressed than those who are "rich" is just silly.
    • scamper22, on 09/03/2008, -2/+6yeah. But you know, if I had the right mindset, I'd do it for a few years, and then retire and then live a simple life.

    • passedoutghost, on 09/03/2008, -0/+4I'm in the same boat. Except I'm in Australia. But the concept's the same. I'm doing law as well and apparently the suicide rate among lawyers is one of the highest in any profession. Especially with family lawyers. Great fun. But I'm not going to be bitching - if you don't like it get the ***** out of the job. Simple as that.
    • boneit, on 09/03/2008, -3/+1Maybe if they spent less time chasing ambulances people would have more sympathy for them? No, I think not. Not when it costs $400-$500/hour just to talk to these people. Oh, you're actually describing paralegal duties, not attorney tasks. Even worse. $200k for paralegals?!

      Had you used a doctor working in ER as an example, maybe we'd have some sympathy.
    • ahhell, on 09/03/2008, -1/+7Boo ***** hoo.

      We weep for your poor rich friend.
    • bitORlogic, on 09/04/2008, -1/+1"$200,000 a year" contradicts "unrewarding". If only my job was $200,000 a year worth of unrewarding!
  • halftank, on 09/03/2008, -8/+6Boo-*****-hoo I don't see any of these rich people giving their burdensome money back. Take your tax breaks and corporate welfare and go to hell.
  • aekdbbop, on 09/03/2008, -1/+9i believe that the poor have more stress, but in no way do most work harder..
  • toph2223, on 09/03/2008, -2/+9The focus is all wrong here, people.

    It's not about being rich or being poor, it's about being HAPPY.

    Happiness is not found in things, but in the relationships you forge over a lifetime, those with family and hopefully a few good friends you can trust and rely upon.
    • vilago, on 09/03/2008, -1/+3screw friends. i can afford my xbox and hdtv that's all i need.
    • dondara, on 09/03/2008, -1/+1It takes most people a lifetime to figure that out and some never do.
    • nicko68, on 09/03/2008, -2/+3He who dies with the most toys... is still dead.
  • VandyB, on 09/03/2008, -6/+1Duhurhurrr is trying to make a new meme :)
  • coffee200am, on 09/03/2008, -6/+8It's very bad to be rich. Just ask Obama and his wife. After they made they're million, it became very bad for other people to make money. Obama will show those nasty rich people who's boss though...TAXES!
  • whiteyMcBrown, on 09/03/2008, -1/+4The worry that goes along with being rich is different, though. Working longer hours, accomplishing things, having to manage directs, not being able to see enough of your family. Granted, these are choices that were made, but they can still be stressful. Despite the comments here, on Digg, there's nothing honorable about the stress that comes along with making poor choices or being lazy and just stressing about your situation, like the majority of poor people. There are situations where people are poor for things beyond their control, despite their every effort – and for them I feel badly – but I don't think most are actually making every effort to rectify their situations. The stress of achievement is the stress I'd rather have. This is coming from the child of poor immigrants who worked his ass off to get where he is and where he's going.
  • reisrocks, on 09/03/2008, -0/+2Speculation, countered by more speculation.
  • nycmac247, on 09/03/2008, -4/+3New version of "White Man's Burden" - i.e. complain how hard your life is while stating how others not so well off are there b/c of social darwinism
  • hypnotistess, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1It is not more stressful than being a Digger
  • connieLingus, on 09/03/2008, -0/+3exercise is nature's natural stress reliever, so you can argue that
    those working more physical jobs, albeit for less pay, and getting a
    natural high from the work.

    it is against man's evolved nature of being a hunter that he sits on his ass typing all day, so stress
    builds up..drinking a ton of coffee doesn't help matters much.
    • nycmac247, on 09/03/2008, -1/+3I do not think you have done manual labor...ever
      • connieLingus, on 09/03/2008, -0/+2well, you would be so wrong then...i worked on a prison chain gang for 13 months.

        is that "manual" enough for you?
  • cloudcity, on 09/03/2008, -0/+3I don't work long hours, I have 5 minute commute, one beater car and one new car that I paid $5k less than KBB value for - and zero car payments. I have a nice house, beautiful wife, healthy son, and I love my job.

    I am rich in the sense that money does not control my life. I may do things differently were money not a factor at ALL in my life, but my core philosophy on life would not change. Work less, spend less, invest your time in relationships, and treat people with kindness.
    • zer0nix, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1i wish i were as centered as you. thankfully, i'm not.

      /...irony?
      • cloudcity, on 09/03/2008, -0/+4No, I know what you are saying. The life I described above looks pretty staid on the surface, like I'm 27 going on 50...

        Having said that, I don't think of my life as boring. I'm involved in a few startup projects in my free time, we travel when we can, I build furniture, am interested in photography, still skateboard a little, and generally try to carve out a balance between responsibility, curiosity, and creativity.

        Are parts of a free-spirited bohemian lifestyle attractive? Sure! Traveling around, meeting people, no possessions, creating art, etc... If you can swing THAT do it!

        The lifestyle I hate to see people get caught up in is working a menial job they hate, to pay for an apt they won't ever own, with the hope of having enough money for beer on Friday and the bankrupt promise of emotional fulfillment from the whore they convince to go home with them after the bar closes.

        I guess what I am saying is, either embrace responsibility or abandon it completely!
  • oldhick, on 09/03/2008, -0/+3Commence whining on all sides... Why would anyone even read these comments, why would I even leave a comment???
    Boohoo I'm poor, boohoo I'm rich. Money has nothing to do with happiness nor stress. Case closed.
  • mups, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1Having money has never been the root cause of happiness nor unhappiness, nor stress. The only thing it's the root cause of is owning sh*t.
    • PurpleTentacle, on 09/03/2008, -1/+0So very right. I'd argue that business owners are the most wealthy, and business owners almost ALWAYS have more stress then workers, because they are the ones who carry the responsibility for the company. Workers like to think that they have as much stress, because stress is like pain in that you always think it's terrible until you experience more of it. I wouldn't imagine people on Digg are commonly business owners though, so I would expect people on Digg to disagree.
  • thatguy331, on 09/03/2008, -1/+5lol, appearently the writer of this article has never held a professional job.

    I worked in a machine shop during college, lots of manual labor & low pay, but I just did what I was told, not very stressful at all. The guy who owned the place, was in his 60's, was multi-million dollar rich, and was there before we all got there and was there after we left and on the weekends. He was always running around doing this or that, like he had 100 things to do.

    And now that I'm an engineer, oh hell yeah, when was the last time someone at Micky D's had to work 80+ hours / week getting stuff done before deadlines?

    And now that I make money, I pay more of my earnings as taxes! But the poor people on the street never thank me for paying their portion of taxes...
    • scamper22, on 09/03/2008, -1/+1here here.

      I used to work at warehouses during high school and college. Pay was *****, but I didn't have a care in the world. Just show up, joke around, pick/pack and off you go when the shift is done.

      I sometimes long for those days. Heck, part of me wishes I just went to a basic college, got my networking degree and sat around servicing some router. Seems braindead and well paid enough. Either that, or join the healthcare industry.

      Live and learn folks... live and learn.
  • emcea, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1It already is that way ya big dummy.
  • optimuscrime, on 09/03/2008, -1/+2I've been both, I was much happier when I was poor, and as a consequence less stressed. I'd say the key to happiness is staying in school forever and working at a pizza shop.
  • AndrewMoyer, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1I think the most stressful thing about having money (I'm not rich but I do alright) is how other people act towards you, talk about you, and search for every other reason to break you down.

    The strange thing about it is, they're usually chasing the same dreams. Sure, it's nice being able to pay the heating bills without too much worry, but the jealousy everybody always shows and the friendships that are lost over it can be painful and frustrating in a different way.
  • Pedestrian101, on 09/03/2008, -0/+5Welcome to Capitalism!

    Also, those top 5% completely support the bottom 5% through social programs.
    I saw a bumper sticker once that said "Work harder, millions on welfare depend on you."
    • ozborn, on 09/03/2008, -2/+1You don't understand how capitalism works.

      The people at the top OWN capital, like stock which pays dividends and/or hopefully goes up in value. If a capitalist owns enough of this they don't have to work unless they feel like it.

      The rest of the population (at least in the private sector) works for these people and they are the ones responsible for generating the profits to go to the capitalists described above. So actually the poor are supporting the rich, not the other way around.

      Now you point out that at the very bottom people receive welfare (which is mostly "workfare" these days since Clinton dismantled what welfare was left after the first Bush) or perhaps other social assistance. However this money comes from general tax revenue which is paid for not just by the top 5%, but everybody, especially the middle classes since they are more numerous. So the idea that the top 5% are paying for the bottom 5% is incorrect. A better way to look at the flow of money is to point out that inequality in the US has increased since the 70s so obviously the flow of cash is from poor to rich.
      • Pedestrian101, on 09/03/2008, -1/+2I don't understand how capitalism works?... right....

        More numerous doesnt mean more taxes paid.
        http://perotcharts.com/category/challenges/taxatio ...

        As show here, the top 5% are responsible for 60% of income tax revenue.

        It should also be mentioned that the top 5% is a huge buying force, which obviously creates jobs for middle/lower class workers.
      • bdbr, on 09/03/2008, -1/+3You overestimate what it takes to be in the top 5%. I'm in the bottom end of the top 5%. I own no business, and no one works for me. Literally half of my income goes to taxes, so I don't really make much more money than when I wasn't in the top 5%, but expectations at work are much higher and less clear. It is more stressful.

        Its more like the top 1% that you're thinking of. Their money comes from capital, which it taxed at a lower rate than my wages.
  • kookbutt, on 09/03/2008, -2/+2The rich don't have to worry about getting replaced by illegal aliens that get paid a quarter of what you got and with no benefits. The rich doesn't have to worry about the bills and the kids and everything else when they get home, they don't know what it is like living to paycheck to paycheck and wondering how to pay the bills if you get sick and looking at the medical bill that is more than your mortgage.
  • superfusion, on 09/03/2008, -0/+2It's not about being rich, it's about being higher up the food chain. A British study of civil servants -- who all earn a decent living -- found a massive increase in life expectancy and health among people at the very top of the civil service versus people just below that level. And so on down the food chain. The top people don't make $5 million a year ... just marginally more than their subordinates. But their stress-filled life is also a life of command (to some higher degree than others.)
  • danielf30, on 09/03/2008, -1/+280% of millionaires are first generation "rich" meaning they busted there butts to get there. Money management plays a huge part in this. Pay your self first it does not matter how much you make or where you live 99.99% of us buy things we do not need this is where you can cut that 10% to save. Once your doing this and it becomes habit then money will almost magically attract itself to you. If your poor what your doing now is not working so how can it hurt to give it a try.

    Spend less that what you make and invest in mutual funds.
  • toconnor, on 09/03/2008, -1/+1If one poor person's blood pressure increased more in a normal day than one rich person's did in a stressful day then it must be true. It doesn't get any more scientific than a test group of two people over one day almost 21 years ago.
  • Iztikeit, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1Existential happiness, of any kind, is the very definition of shallow happiness and, therefore, impermanent and mere illusion.

    Impermanence is not something the human mind likes to deal with, and no one ever claimed enlightenment was practical.
  • QDigg7, on 09/03/2008, -0/+0very interesting. i'd have to say that the more that i start to make, the more pressure i put on myself to make more.

    investment bankers are perfect examples of this theory in work. practically all of them are stressed out.
  • sndream, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1The so call "stress" experiment is ridiculous.

    Kids are annoying, the ratio of kids/(grands)parents is most likely to dictate the stress level after work. If she have no kids, her stress will be a lot less.

    I think the people who are in the middle are the one that's most stressful. You know, the majority of the people who are neither rich or poor but always get ignored by both side?
  • kyssk, on 09/03/2008, -0/+0Happiness is overrated.
    Money is overrated.
    Stress is overrated.

    We can move, so get the hell of any place that is bad.

  • armchairexpert, on 09/03/2008, -0/+0Money does not make you feel better. Friends do. Having fun does. Laughing and having a sense of adventure does.
    Go do some traveling. I think the point should be that more money beyond a certain level does not make you happier.

    Being well off is less stressful than being dirt poor but being filthy rich does not make that much of a difference than being simply really really rich. Both allow me to get my woodrow express massagie massagied real long time.
    so Im happy
  • URnotheonly1, on 09/03/2008, -0/+1Gave up my stress of never having any money for the stress of always worrying about my money. Is there a middle?
  • coustoe, on 09/03/2008, -0/+2With Great responsibility comes great reward and more stress.

    Let me relate it to digg users in WoW terms. You're a Raid Leader or a Guild leader, you work your ass off trying to manage people, resources and schedules its stressful. Sure you experience some stress just being in a guild or a raid member, but not as nearly as much as the persons whos managing everything.

    This article is BS if anything poor and rich people experience stress its just rich people get paid more for dealing with more stress.
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