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Aug 13, 2004

"We need 4 hugs a day for survival.
We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance.
We need 12 hugs a day for growth." --Virginia Satir

The Magic Number

Looking for happiness through financial success? Wondering what is the magic number that equals satisfaction? It's $40,000 a year. Really. Oprah's magazine says so. And so does Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert, who studies such things. Maybe you're thinking there's another magic threshold. Like maybe $40 million. But Penlope Trunk doesn't think so. When she ran in circles of venture capitalists, there was a common phrase, "It's not jet money." Which was a way of saying, it was a good deal, but it wouldn't earn enough money to pay for a private jet. No matter what size the pile of money, there's always a way to see it as small. So for those looking for more happiness, Penelope says that a new job or a new home won't be nearly as rewarding as a new outlook. Optimism makes people happy.