A new study has confirmed that the amount of a person’s Christmas spirit is directly correlated to the amount of money available in their checking account.
“Individuals with plenty of money available in the month of December are 300% more likely to embrace the Christmas spirit,” said Rosita Disposado, the lead author of the study and social work professor at Oxford University.
“This association remains significant, even after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and general Scrooge-like tendencies,” added Disposado.
The study took stock of more than 3,000 adults’ checking account statements over the course of ten Christmases. Research subjects, all between the ages of 18 and 84 years old, also completed surveys to gauge their perceptions of available credit. The study found that those with the highest reported available balances were three times as likely to feel joyous throughout the month of December.
Wealthier subjects in the study were also found to have better blood pressure and cortisol levels than their poorer counterparts. The lack of stress hormones in “spirited” individuals suggests that they aren’t having to skip any bill payments to pay for presents.
These findings contribute to a growing pool of research suggesting correlation between ramen-based diets and mental and emotional well-being. They also say a lot about people who enjoy the film “Elf.”
Mother-of-three Erma Trapper, who recently went viral with a photo of the stack of presents that nearly engulfed a 6-foot Christmas tree, released a statement regarding the findings.
“It is sick to presume that the only reason I feel Christmassy [sic] is because we have the money for all these presents. Even if I had to buy all of our toys at the dollar store, you can bet your grandma’s nipples that I would still feel the Christmas spirit. Let’s stop with the wealth shaming, please.”
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About the Author
Joanna McClanahan is Editor at Mock Mom. She’s also a Contributor at Sammiches & Psych Meds and has been published on Scary Mommy. You can find more from her on RamblinMama.com, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.