Keller @ Large: Be Careful What You Wish For
BOSTON (CBS) – Tuesday night at 11, tune in to WBZ-TV news to see if you've become a mega-multi-millionaire.
They will be drawing the winning numbers at that hour in Mega Millions, the 44-state lottery game that, at last check, was closing in on the all-time record jackpot of $414 million. And chances are you will walk away from the lottery agent with your ticket in hand knowing that you won't win but wondering, just for fun - what would I do if I did hit it?
I'll spare you the details of my spending plans. Suffice to say that if I win, a lot of charities will benefit and you will never see me flying economy class again.
But as we enjoy our little daydream, you have to also wonder - what would the downside of winning be?
The research on this is sketchy.
A couple of studies have found that big jackpots don't bring happiness. Others have found that the popular perception that a huge lottery win can ruin your personal life and leave you bankrupt is largely a myth, although, unsurprisingly, winners with weak money-management skills had trouble handling the windfall.
And the classic detail of jackpot winners insisting they won't quit their jobs? That turns out to be largely true. Go figure!
Our popular culture persistently peddles the notion that money can solve all our problems, buy us happiness, turn the homely beautiful, and so on. Common sense should tell us that is only true at the margins, just as it should tell us that the Mega Millions ticket we buy is just a dollar's worth of fantasy.
So, good luck! But don't get too excited. I've already got the winner!