A woman who won a $2.2 million jackpot in 2005 has refuted claims that winning the big bucks ruined her life. Lara Griffiths responded to criticisms that she squandered her funds on plastic surgery and that her children should have been taken away from her. Griffiths asserted that she had spent the money wisely.
Over the course of eight years, Griffiths and her ex-husband Roger spent the money on a variety of things, including economy-class plane tickets to Dubai, a £150k salon where Lara worked, 30 second-hand cars, at least 15 designer handbags, and mortgaging a £450,000 house.
It’s worth noting that Lara worked as a teacher prior to the victory, but after winning big-time, she stepped away from the classroom–fearing how her fellow teachers and students might look at her. She went on to work at a salon owned by her and Roger where she reportedly did not pay herself a salary. But according to Lara, she was left feeling unstimulated and bored of her new life.
In 2013, the money ran out and the Griffiths had split with one another. Currently, Lara Griffiths lives with her and Roger’s two daughters, Kitty, 16, and Ruby, 19, with her mother Norma, 86.
Griffith’s experience provides an answer to one of the most heavily debated topics: does money buy happiness? Well, for Lara Griffiths, it seems that her life didn’t get any worse. However, Griffiths’ return to normalcy is not something exclusive to West Yorkshire. According to a Harvard professor, winning the lottery doesn’t make lottery winners any happier.
Harvard Medical’s Dr. Sanjiv Chopra explained in his TedTalk that lottery winners undergo a phenomenon known as hedonic adaptation, which refers to people’s general tendency to return to a set level of happiness despite life’s ups and downs.
“Winning a $20 million lottery ticket won’t make you happier. Research has shown that after one year, lottery winners go back to their baseline. Some are even less happy…A few probably spent their money on a big mansion or a fancy car. Maybe they spent it all on gambling. But even so, at the end of three months, it’s just a house, it’s just a nice car. You get used to it,” said Chopra. But Dr. Chopra did say what does give people true happiness: friends and family, forgiveness, gratitude, and giving.
Sources
https://people.com/woman-ex-split-after-spending-lottery-jackpot-but-she-had-great-time-7967298
