What should a career include to avoid disappointment? In the past, the answer would have been money and status. But now the situation is different. Of course, money is a necessity these days as we need to pay bills and buy food. Nevertheless, we should not consider money as a source of happiness. Many social studies have shown no clear link between happiness and money.

Indeed, money brings you pleasure up to a certain point, namely until you satisfy your basic needs, such as food, shelter, and some comfort. When you reach them, money stops bringing much pleasure. Why is that? There is a psychological mechanism called the "hedonic treadmill." After you buy, for example, a new computer, you quickly get used to it, and at some point, it stops pleasing you. We reset our expectations and think that the next, newer model will make us happier. We find ourselves in an endless circle of desires.

All in all, money is not a magic wand. But does social status make a difference? Of course, most of us want to be famous and recognized. Did you ever realize this path is not as easy as it might seem at first glance?

First, pursuing higher social status, we care too much about what others think of us. Instead of paying attention to our own desires, we seek to impress others. In addition, as soon as we reach a certain status, it is not enough for us. We want more, better, richer. We set ourselves up to achieve the next goal, and so on, until we get stuck at the finish line and think, why did we need it in the first place?

As you can see, money and status do not bring happiness after all.