In general, needs are defined as so much important that they are essential for life sustainability on various levels: water is an essential need to quench thirst; food is an essential need to stave off hunger; air-oxygen is an essential need for necessary breathing function… But for many people, money is so important in their lives that they secretly (and unfairly, with respect to the fair share of importance of the basic needs cited above) define it as such: My Only Need till the End of the Year!
That being said, the most logical question that comes into mind when raising this topic is the following: how does money affect your health? Well, the most simple, obvious and logical answer: Money affects health a lot! However, one needs to take a step back and analyze this question on a broader perspective: Regardless of the fact that wealthy people have the means to seek and obtain better healthcare when their health decreases, more money does not automatically mean more “healthy” … Because if it was the case, every single poor person would systematically die before any rich person living in this planet. However, one can not deny the fact that wealthy people to provide themselves with health enhancers such as high-tech medication, vitamins, and a global health support system which is virtually out of reach for the people who (more often than not) run out of money for the most essential needs.
From another perspective, for those struggling or being openly reluctant to absorb the idea that health precedes money in the order of priorities in life, this topic could be turned the other way around into this more interesting interrogative point of view: how does health affect your money?
As a matter of fact, scientific researches[1] presented in Forbes.com in 2015 definitely leaned on this subject as presented hereunder:
‘’ According to a bevy of research, if you’re doing well in the health department, you’re probably in good financial shape too—and vice versa.
For example, a study out of the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis found that future-minded people who contributed to a 401(k) were more likely to take steps to improve their health. […]'’
The evidence showcased in these researches doesn’t stop there. Indeed, another study from Duke University[2] (co-authored by Salomon Israel) reported the findings which follow:
‘’ […] low credit scores could be used to predict increased risk of cardiovascular disease. […]
<<It is not [necessarily] lack of exercise or poor diet, per se, that is leading to poor financial choices,” Israel says. “Rather, a person who possesses the skills to better manage their health is more likely to possess the skills to better manage their finances.>>[…]'’
In conclusion, one can argue that money doesn’t necessarily make happiness. However, in the health department, the ones who have it definitely seem to have an edge according to what science says… And if health ultimately means happiness for anyone who recovered from a serious and devastating illness thanks to very expensive treatment, then, by transitivity, doesn’t money really make happiness in this particular case?
[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2015/01/22/5-ways-your-health-can-affect-your-money/#3e2b24e428b6
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4260546/
