14 DAY TRIAL // They usually say that hearing for the first time the three magical words, “I love you,” is a priceless, once-in-a-lifetime experience that no amount of money could ever buy. Without necessarily making the above statement be less true, scientists have determined the worth the average Joe and Jane estimate “I love you” has, as the Daily Mail informs.
As it turns out, hearing the words “I love you” from a special person might not be as priceless as we might have thought, researchers say. Should we translate its meaning into money, we’d be surprised to see that the three words actually come with a worth of £163,424, which is below the “price tag” of health, but over other experiences we enjoy throughout our lifetime such as laughter, going on family vacations and making love.
The poll was conducted on 1,000 respondents in the UK, who were asked to rate 50 of life’s events and experiences. Their answers indicate that the prices for which these go are as follows: £180,105 for good health, £163,424 for “I love you,” £154,849 for being in a stable relationship, £129,448 for living in a peaceful, beautiful place, £123,592 for having children, £105,210 for making love, £108,021 for laughing regularly, £91,759 for going on holiday and £53,660 for reading.
Commissioned on the occasion of the launch of Steve Henry’s book “You Are Really Rich: You Just Don’t Know It Yet,” the poll aimed to show people that, with recession still in full swing, there are other things in life they should also be focusing on. One such thing was love and spending time with a loved one. “The book is about a new value system, an alternative to a purely financial system. As a direct result of the credit crunch, people are exploring different ways of living, and they are looking for something to replace money as a general criterion for value.” Henry says for the Daily Mail.
Co-author David Alberts says the findings of the poll are also meant to show who really is “rich.” “The Sunday Times Rich List celebrates its 21st birthday and we thought it would be more in keeping with the times to publish the first ‘Really Rich List.’ We started looking at the things that make a real difference in people’s lives and say there is more to life than worrying about belt tightening in a recession. Very few people mentioned money and most focused on family occasions, hanging out with friends, having a quiet time on their own and visiting places they had never seen before.” Alberts explains for the same publication.