More money may not equal happiness in some cases, but there are thresholds where it does, I think. The line between worrying about making rent every month and not is a good example.
Contrarywise, humans have such good adaptability that whatever the bump in finances, it eventually becomes "normal" to have X amount of money. So the new raise is cool for a few months, but then you adjust. However, I think that the shorter commute, while you may get used to it, feeds more free time into your life, and that is always a good thing.
I don't have a car, yet my commute is 30 minutes TOPS, because my apartment complex is so close to work. Why am I depressed?
Also, did you see Penn & Teller's Bullshit episode on "The Best"?
Commute time (and direction, always try to live east of where you work) is something people often don't think about when they're buying a house. They just want something cheap and fully detached and end up with a long commute. (An hour each way is not uncommon around Toronto, and that's on a good day.)
Nick B, no what's it about?
ericball, it can get complicated though...jobs can change more often than houses probaby should, and if you're cohabitating, you have to find a compromise location. Of course in Boston most non-wealthy folks have bigger tradeoffs to make, house size v. location to work.
It is just you. Spammers are not suddenly into telling you about their "new email address".
"The Best" was a whimsical Bullshit episode, in which they convinced a room full of fancy restaurant patrons that they were eating a five-star meal, while the prop guy cooked up some cheap food and made it look as good as possible. They interviewed a guy who had dozens of PDA's. They showed one of those weird Internet-enabled microwave-fridges that they have at CES.
The DVD of the third season should be out soon. BitTorrents should be out right now.