I make good money. Why do I still feel like this?

The article is from "Your Brain on Money," a Substack newsletter (by an anonymous author) that explores the psychology of personal finance — how emotions, identity, and social pressure affect our money decisions, not just math or budgeting. - It addresses the "hedonic treadmill" (or "hedonic adaptation"): the well-documented phenomenon where people quickly get used to income increases, so the happiness boost fades and they feel the same dissatisfaction as before. - It draws on the concept of "social comparison" (Thorstein Veblen's "conspicuous consumption," or keeping up with peers) and "lifestyle creep" — spending more as you earn more, which cancels out any financial security gain. - The core tension: high earners often feel financially anxious or inadequate because their reference group (work colleagues, peers in expensive cities) also earns a lot, so relative status hasn't changed even though absolute income is high. - The piece is part of a broader genre in personal-finance media (popularized by "The Millionaire Next Door," Ramit Sethi, "Die With Zero," etc.) that argues financial comfort is about psychology and values, not just the income number.