Poll: Marriage + money = happiness

If you're married and wealthy, you are probably very happy, a recent poll of U.S. residents found.

The Gallup poll of 1,010 adults showed respondents were satisfied with their personal lives, WebMD.com said. Those with higher incomes -- especially those who are married -- said they are very happy with their personal lives.

About 64 percent of married people said they were very satisfied with the direction of their personal life, compared to 43 percent of singles polled, the service said.

While 72 percent of respondents with incomes of at least $75,000 reported being very satisfied with their personal life, only 36 percent of those with an annual income of $30,000 or less said the same.

When combining the results of the 2006 poll with polls from 2005 and 2004, Gallup researchers said marriage may be more strongly associated with personal happiness than money. Fifty-six percent of married adults in the lowest income bracket reported being very happy, compared with 50 percent of unmarried adults in the highest bracket.

Researchers said 67 percent of married adults in the highest income group said they are very happy.

Copyright 2007 by United Press International