Recession Priorities: UK Study Shows People Care More About Having a Job Than About Salary

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We’re overworked and underpaid, yet somehow, we’re okay with that.

It’s no longer about how much you make, but the fact that you simply do make money that counts. A study from the UK’s Office for National Statistics is the truest testament that money can’t buy happiness. In these uncertain times, workers are simply thankful to have jobs.

(More from Healthland: 5 Ways to Stop Stressing.)

The bureau asked people about their primary concerns in life. The project is a sort of psychological census aiming to gauge the wellbeing of the British people. Researchers found the top three priorities for Brits were:

  • Job security
  • Personal health
  • Family relationships

While these results are quite predictable, they show people put a greater value on the intangibles of life. After all, one’s profession directly affects his financial and social situation in life.

Social policy analyst Anastasia de Waal said, “People’s lives fall apart if they don’t have a job. … There is a strong relationship between unemployment and family breakdown and health difficulties.”

(More on TIME.com: Scientists put a number on happiness.)

So let’s review: we’re happier just having a job than whatever number is printed on our bi-monthly paycheck. Now if only we could do without the pesky commute, life would be that much brighter. (via Telegraph UK)