Study suggests more money can buy you happiness

May 23 2023

We’ve all reflected, if not debated, about – does money buy happiness?

New research from a Nobel prize winning economist and fellow researchers have found that money does appear to boost happiness up to earnings of $500,000.

The research was published to the peer-reviewed scientific journal ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America’.

What is significant about this is that it contradicts research from one of the economists involved in the same study.

Daniel Kahneman published an influential study in 2010 which claimed that money could only boost happiness up to a point – $75,000 in annual earnings.

Yet the new findings suggest that for most people happiness does in fact improve with higher earnings, which go up to a much larger $500,000 a year.

The research found that most people’s happiness increased linearly with income, whereas 30% of people are the happiest once their earnings rise above $100,000.

As for the ‘rich and unhappy’, this group comprised just 15% of people, whose relationship between happiness and income being different. In such cases, other factors might be at play such as negatively impactful life events.

Read study here.

#MaltaDaily

Nicola’s father reacts to her entering Love Island Malta

May 23 2023

It’s no secret that ever since Love Island Malta hit our screens for the first time, we’ve been hooked. From awkward conversations to iconic moments, the daily episodic show has been at the epicentre of Maltese meme culture but at some point or other, we’ve all asked the question… what do their parents think? And now we know.

Replying to a post addressing him on a local Love Island Facebook group, Nicola’s father Richard Warr answered “how does it feel to watch [his] daughter in bed with another man every night”, and the response was quite the respectable one.

Richard stated that he had mixed emotions about his daughter entering the programme, and while it was not easy, they fully support her in her decisions and feels that all the participants are already winners.

The contestant’s father went on to suggest that, while it remains her decision, his daughter should donate the prize money to Puttinu cares if she wins.

Respect, Mr. Warr.

What do you make of this?

#MaltaDaily

€10 million community greening grant for 16 neglected areas

May 23 2023

Prime Minister Robert Abela has announced that Project Green will be spending €10 million through a Community Greening Scheme which will go towards rehabilitating neglected areas and woodlands all over the islands.

16 projects were announced for the scheme which are set to create new green spaces which also include educative and sport amenities for the public to utilise.

The announcement was also attended by Environment Minister Miriam Dalli along with Project Green CEO Steve Ellul, who detailed the 16 projects.

The projects will total 80,000 metres squared of land transformed into green open spaces within 10 minutes of the public’s residences.

So far, 72 applications were received for the grant, with 16 sites identified for completion by the year 2025. Local councils, NGOs, schools and different organisations all proposed projects for the grant.

#MaltaDaily

Higher restaurant prices drove up food index inflation in April

May 23 2023

In April 2023, the largest upward impact on annual inflation was registered in the Food Index at 2.20% points, largely due to the higher prices of restaurant services.

This was reported by the National Statistics Office, which reported how the second and third largest impacts were measured in the Housing Index (+0.81 percentage points) and the Transport and Communication Index (+0.56 percentage points).

This was mainly due to the higher prices of house maintenance services and air fares. On the other hand, a downward impact was noted in the Clothing and footwear index (-0.08 percentage points), mainly due to lower prices of garments.

Full report here.

#MaltaDaily