The experiment, described in a new paper published in the journal PNAS, was simple: Researchers paid 200 people a lump sum. 10,000 USDobtained from two anonymous donors and asked them to rate their happiness monthly.

The problem is that they had to spend those ten thousand in just three months.

Research result

Participants who received the money rated their happiness higher than the control group, based on their income after three months of luxury. After doing the experiment, the scientists discovered that their feelings of happiness remained at a high level.

In short, the lower the income of the participants, the higher the increase in their happiness. However, above a certain household income threshold, this growth was much smaller or even non-existent.

Of course, the results may not be exactly groundbreaking, but the experiment supports the idea that cash flow is: universal basic incomecan have a significant and positive impact on people’s lives.

A little more about the experiment

• When participants signed up for a “mystery experiment” presented by TED presenter Chris Anderson in December 2020, they had no idea they were part of an experiment. Participants were required to be over 21 years of age and to speak English.
• Several participants did not believe the experiment was real until they saw the money in their bank account.
• A control group of 100 people who received no money were also asked to rate their happiness each month.
• Participants whose annual income exceeded $123,000 weren’t too happy after receiving a cash gift.
• Representatives from three low-income countries (Brazil, Indonesia, and Kenya) and three high-income countries (Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States) participated in the study.
• Respondents from low-income countries reported a threefold increase in happiness compared to respondents from high-income countries, which is probably meaningful given the difference in purchasing power.

disadvantages of experiment

The study has some flaws, ranging from participants’ selection bias (living in a certain country, being registered on Twitter, and fluent in English) to actively measuring their happiness for only a relatively short period of time. time.

Ultimately, however, Elizabeth Dunn, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and co-author of the study, hopes the experiment will encourage other wealthy donors to do the same.