According to a new study, happiness in life has more to do with respect and influence than wealth. Researchers say that they got interested in this idea because there is abundant 1 that higher income or wealth does not contribute to happiness much at all. At the same time, many theories suggest that higher status should 2 happiness. The researchers put their idea to the test in a set of studies. First, they 3 80 college students. The amount of respect the students received from their peers was 4 based on peer evaluation, self-reports and the number of leadership positions the students held. The researchers also 5 the students' family income and asked them about their social well-being. They found the admiration the students received from their peers forecast their social well-being. However, their wealth or income did not. Similar results emerged in another study with a larger group of students.