Dagwood: Boss, I need to talk to you about my need for a little raise.
Dithers: Bumpstead, haven't you heard that little raises are gateway raises to unhappiness?
Dagwood: Gateway raises?
Dithers: Of course little raises merely create cravings for bigger raises. Before you know it your little raise only makes you hungry for more extravagant raises. It never ends my boy, the hunger grows and grows and it all begins with one little tiny raise!
Dithers: Trust me son...I'm only trying to save you from years of unhappiness down the road.
(later Dagwood gets home and talks to Blondie)
Blondie: Gateway raises?
Dagwood: It's complicated.
This reminds me of a WSJ article Can Money Buy You Happiness? by Andrew Blackman. Excerpt:
"One of the main reasons why having more stuff doesn’t always make us happy is that we adapt to it. “Human beings are remarkably good at getting used to changes in their lives, especially positive changes,” says Sonja Lyubomirsky, psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside. “If you have a rise in income, it gives you a boost, but then your aspirations rise too. Maybe you buy a bigger home in a new neighborhood, and so your neighbors are richer, and you start wanting even more. You’ve stepped on the hedonic treadmill. Trying to prevent that or slow it down is really a challenge.”"
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