Does Financial Security Determine Your Level of Happiness?

Anxiety and insecurity are two emotions that are very common in society. Anxiety affects many people, but in most cases it is felt when everything seems too unsafe and that’s even without the possibility of a threat being imminent. Whether situationally or existentially, in being scared for our safety, we subliminally experience a serious threat to our survival. When one is in a state of psychic emergency, independent of whether their fears are rational or not, they are not going to be happy.

At such times, any joyful state is barely conceivable. For we’re totally focused on attaining some sense of safety—and, if possible, maybe some peace of mind, too.

Why the Need to Feel Secure Is Universal—and Without It, We Feel Anxious

So, happiness requires having the appropriate level of physical safety. If you are feeling unsafe in or around your living quarters, then security might be an essential part of your lives strategy. Friends, family, co-workers—having a sense that they are there for us both physically and emotionally is crucial. It can be exhausting to work with others when we feel like they can't give us their 100%.

For we all need to feel understood, empathized with, and validated. And if we’re constantly afraid of being disapproved of or rejected, any personal security will continue to elude us.

A lack of maternal trust leads to a lack of security in life and can even trigger mental illness. These issues, which involve core needs for mental health, start early on and are often difficult to address throughout a lifetime.

As many people have realized, if your caregiver's response is not able to relieve you of your dependency-based fears of abandonment, your amygdala will release cortisol - the stress-inducing hormone that makes you feel ready to either fight or flee.

People experiencing a state of alarm have an increased parasympathetic nervous system and won’t be able to down-regulate it. This makes you more open and can help you remain curious—instead of overwhelmed, which is typically associated with poor health.

The worst part of all this is that contingent on your innate emotional reactivity, it’s possible that merely a single instance of a parent “losing it” with you and leaving you frightened could prematurely lead you to conclude that the whole world was unsafe. And, romantic or otherwise, that distrustful conclusion could wreak havoc on your later relationships.

While, at least in this country, experts routinely characterize insecurity as virtually synonymous with financial security, it’s really the emotional insecurity initially stemming from unresolved developmental problems that lies at the heart of an adult’s hard-to-alter (and typically exaggerated) insecurities. For instance, the insecurities experienced by people with a borderline personality disorder are often so overwhelming that they can lead to outbursts of self-destructive behavior and impaired relationships.

Instead, personal insecurities generally have something to do with not feeling worthy or being good enough. However, there are always qualities that you should tuck away to make yourself feel more secure. You might be living outside on the street, but that doesn’t mean you’re not vulnerable to external events. While it’s true that you have a roof over your head, these dangers are still real.

For example, if your surroundings are completely safe yet you can feel vulnerable even in the most secluded places, then that means you perceive the world as a dangerous place. But if you live by a more positive outlook on things and trust your intuition, then it could also lead to a more secure feeling.

What Factors Govern the Upside and Downside of Financial Security

People with a higher income usually have more opportunities, which makes them happier than people who might earn less but are generally content. The same is true for material things; a life of excess always has an expiration date. The rich have a better-than-even chance of being unhappy.” In referring to a study on the exceptionally affluent, she notes that in these households, almost a third of those having assets exceeding $10 million complained that money created more problems for them than satisfactions.

Another third of these respondents felt they weren't financially secure enough. They were continually worried about how much money they had and how to increase their fortune in an insecure economy.

The subconscious forebods a person might have are so strong that even high wealth can't change it. But they're the only obstacle keeping a person from realizing their full potential, which is usually emotional or psychological.

Subsequent writers have viewed the situation of ample wealth more positively. Even so, this cautionary note remains valid.