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> quality of life changes are exponential

generally they're logarithmic.

that's why billionaires are still basically people, instead of just writhing around in orgasmic ecstasy all of the time.

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That's true - the real shape is probably S-shaped where as you go from poverty to just above the poverty line the gains are exponential and as you go from above the poverty line to upper middle class it's maybe linear and then upper class to "rich" it's logarithmic.

It's s-shaped insofar as "it's expensive to be poor"[1], but the solution to that isn't to gamble, it's to save.

[1] eg. buying a 4-pack of toilet paper rolls every week rather than buying 2x 48 packs when it's on discount.

oh I completely agree, but you don't see the gains for a very long time so for some people gambling is a way to quickly escape the trap.

I would say linear. Once you taste that $500 steak, it loses its luster super quick.

linear would imply a $500 steak is 10x better than a $50 steak, which probably isn't the case.

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