Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:22:59 BST CiteULike: stefanherzog's Langa http://www.citeulike.org/user/stefanherzog/author/Langa CiteULike.org en-gb Copyright © 2004-2008 citeulike.org http://www.citeulike.org/user/stefanherzog/article/302749 <i>Psychological Science, Vol. 16, No. 9. (September 2005), pp. 663-666.</i><br /><br />We examined the hypothesis that the relationship between financial status and subjective well-being, typically found to be very small in cross-sectional studies, is moderated by health status. Specifically, we predicted that wealth would buffer well-being after the onset of a disability. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal study of people at and approaching retirement age, we employed within-subjects analyses to test whether wealth measured prior to the onset of a disability protected participants' well-being from some of the negative effects of a new disability. We found support for this hypothesis: Participants who were above the median in total net worth reported a much smaller decline in well-being after a new disability than did participants who were below the median. We also found some evidence that the buffering effect of wealth faded with time, as below-median participants recovered some of their well-being. Health, Wealth, and Happiness: Financial Resources Buffer Subjective Well-Being After the Onset of a Disability Dylan Smith Kenneth Langa Mohammed Kabeto Peter Ubel doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2005.01592.x Psychological Science, Vol. 16, No. 9. (September 2005), pp. 663-666. 2005-08-24T16:49:40-00:00 2005 Psychological Science 0956-7976 16 9 663 666 Blackwell Publishing happiness health subjective-wellbeing wealth