They say money can’t buy you happiness, and new research confirms the the old adage is true.
A survey of 1,000 workers in the United Kingdom conducted by the job search website Jobsite showed that for 70 percent of respondents, friends at work is the most crucial element to a happy working life. This compares to 55 percent who said money was most important.
A majority of workers would turn down a raise if it meant that they they could keep working with friends. This preference for friends over more money proved for women than men. Of the men surveyed, 42 percent said they would choose a higher paying job even if it meant not getting along with coworkers. Only 26 percent of women said the same.
Similarly, a recent experiment conducted on 80 college students revealed that people are more concerned with how much their peers respect them rather than how much money they make.
"One of the reasons why money doesn't buy happiness is that people quickly adapt to the new level of income or wealth. Lottery winners, for example, are initially happy but then return to their original level of happiness quickly," Cameron Anderson, lead researcher of the experiment, told the Atlantic. "It's possible that being respected, having influence, and being socially integrated just never gets old."
Workplace happiness can also by influenced by small environmental factors. A study by research scientist Ben Waber demonstrated that little adjustments like larger lunch tables can boost office morale and productivity by 25 percent.
Other studies have shown that what part of the country you work in also has a dramatic effect on your happiness in the office. Careerbliss recently ranked Los Angeles, Calif. as the happiest city for young professionals. The ranking considered factors such as work-life balance, compensation, company culture and workplace environment, among others.
Here's a list of the top top 10 things that will make you happy at work, juxtaposed with office scenes from 1907.
