Nowadays, many people believe that narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor can lead to a happier society. Personally, I am of the opinion that reducing income inequality alone can not bring any positive effects, and more complex measures have to be implemented for a healthier society.
First of all, too high of a socio-economic divide can definitely result in those with lower income feeling discontented. This discontentment can take many forms, such as workers protesting unfair wages, or, in more radical cases, people revolting against the system that has led to their low quality of life. However, I believe that the root cause of unhappiness is not the income gap itself, but rather the difference in quality of life between the rich and the poor.
Of course, the more money the person has, the easier their access to such basic necessities as medicine, healthy food, or good living conditions, without which it is impossible to even start talking about happiness. However, simply redistributing wealth will not necessarily result in everyone having equal access to these things, especially over the long-term, given that prices will immediately go up again over time due to inflation, and nothing will significantly change.
Taking all that into account, I believe that in order to achieve a happy society, it is important to first provide all citizens with affordable healthcare and high-quality education, regardless of their wealth. This will allow for upward mobility, and create the conditions for the income gap to be bridged naturally over time, as well as ensure that even those who are not able to earn money, such as children and the elderly, can have their basic needs fulfilled.
In conclusion, the key factor in unhappiness is not the income gap, but the divide in quality of life, and only with a well thought out social program can a happy society truly be achieved.