Our personal happiness seems to rely so heavily on the state of the economy. When the stock markets increase, we feel a sense of security and stability. We can breathe a sigh of relief knowing we’re not a part of the homeless or unemployed portion of the American population. On the flip side of that statement, the lower the stock markets drop, or more our economy’s growth declines, the lower our sense of happiness declines as well.

When I interviewed my several friends, their answers about the economy were heavily tied to their emotional state at the time. For example, my friend Liz stated, “my stocks are up, my investments are good, my paycheck is bigger with the same hours so I’m good with that and I’m happy”. Because her financial stability was thriving, so was her content with life. But, on the other end of her response lies people in poverty and economic crisis, struggling to meet ends meet and I can assure you, they’re not feeling quite as enthusiastic.

I was talking to my mom the other day and she told me that she, literally, felt physically ill because of her plummeting stocks. When I spoke to her, her stocks in Ali Baba had fallen by 6% and the stock markets had to shut down because of the dramatic decline. Since our economic standing determines almost every aspect of our day to day life, it’s no wonder that the economic wellbeing in our country is such a strong determinant of our emotional and even physical contentment.

It’s terrifying that our economic standing could change within the blink of an eye due to events out of our own control. If you just look at what’s currently happening to the stock markets, it’s quite shocking. The corona virus is currently causing mass panic in our society and you’d better believe that its also effecting our economy. The virus has the potential to disrupt the global supply of goods, causing layoffs in employment and is slowing the demand for U.S. products and services. This possibility for business impediment or collapse is a massive concern for consumers, causing a massive loss in stocks.

The corona virus has moved so rapidly, it just goes to show how quickly unforeseen events can negatively impact our economy without us even realizing. When such events occur, people are put into an incredibly rocky situation, as they are suddenly left to wonder how their entire way of life could be put at risk. Even a whisper of the idea that naturally arise from fluctuations in the economy are enough to cause a person mind blowing stress and waves of unhappiness. There is clearly an association between our mental health and the economy’s health, an all too unfortunate realization as our economy seems to currently be in decline.