How to be happy after winning the jackpot?

• A 30-year-old from the Southeast recently validated a gain of 162 million euros at Euromillions.

• The FDJ has been setting up individual and collective support for its big winners for several years, in order to prevent them from being destroyed by this money.

• Loss of bearings, isolation, addictions, the risks are numerous for winners who are not emotionally mature enough, warn the psychologists interviewed by

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EDIT of Monday, August 1, 2022: One of the biggest wins in American lottery history was won last Friday, over $1.33 billion.

The odds of winning that sum were only one in nearly $303 million.

On this occasion, the editorial staff of

“Loss of bearings”, “addictions”, “depression”, “loneliness”… These are not the symptoms of a new disease, but the possible side effects of a victory at the Euromillions.

Paradoxical, but a study published in 2010 already affirmed that "money does not buy happiness" beyond 4,900 euros per month.

20 Minutes

therefore wanted to know: what goes on in the mind of a winner, like this Niçois who won the jackpot of 162 million euros?

And how do you stay in your head with this new fortune?

Elements of response to avoid the curse of the loot.

Overcome the shock

To play is to expose oneself to the risk of winning, and even to hope so.

But when that happens, there can be “an emotional shock,” warns clinical psychologist and emotional specialist Robert Zuili, who speaks of “a state of amazement, as if all the lights were turned off at once.

They must then be turned on again.

This is where the FDJ Grands Gagnants service comes into play.

“We first have a telephone interview, which is a time for listening and exchanging, for privileged sharing”, explains Isabelle Cesari, Winner Relations manager at the FDJ.

From a gain of one million euros, or 200 people each year in France, the winner is received in person at the headquarters of the FDJ, in Boulogne-Billancourt, and is immediately offered individual support, in addition of the celebration of his winning.

Because it is better to be accompanied to get out of the state of shock, and face a certain fear of having to assume such wealth.

“In denial, some people can put the money in an account and refuse to talk about it, or even touch it,” explains addiction psychologist Elsa Laurent.

And even if we manage to "rationalize the gain", so much money that falls into your pockets causes whatever happens "an emotional cataclysm", supports Robert Zuili.

According to him, it would be "desirable to have emotional maturity" to manage the shock, because "the more unstable you are, the deeper the damage can be".

"Yellow vest" and rich, a reversal of values

The addictologist Elsa Laurent does not say anything else: "You can fall into an addiction much more quickly because you have the means".

And, additional problem: some people think “no longer have the right to complain” once rich.

According to her, access to so much money poses a problem of identity, since the players are often of modest origin.

Imagine the "yellow vest" cultivating a certain hatred of the rich, becoming rich in turn.

"There is a reversal of values" which can also be destabilizing, "especially when you don't have the codes" of your new environment, she points out.

A few years ago, the FDJ cell was present to ensure the "onboarding" of the new rich in his environment, as one integrates a large company, in particular with outings to the opera.

Today, the company has changed its tune.

“We want the winners to live the gain with their values ​​and to beware of any injunction”, assures Isabelle Cesari, for whom “we cannot stick to what we are not”.

There remains the problem of the environment.

Money often upsets relational balances, and "creates envy", warns Elsa Laurent.

As generous as one can then be towards one's loved ones, one day the question arises: “Do people love me because I am a millionaire?

asks Robert Zuili.

Inevitably, divorces and lost friendships follow, making wealth a golden prison.

Even if, as Isabelle Cesari reminds us, the winners “often talk about the singular moment when they discovered the prize” in a joyful way.

Porsche, identity and heritage

Finally comes the moment when you wonder if you have to change your life.

Firstly because "money opens doors, possibilities", recalls Elsa Laurent.

“Should we stop working?

Change partner?

quotes Robert Zuili.

This is usually where you can start going off the rails, buying a Porsche of every color or a plot on the Moon.

Simple kiff or loss of meaning?

For Elsa Laurent, some winners "spend to spend" because they are "ashamed of having won without working", especially those from modest backgrounds, "where this value is important".

Some will even "continue to have poor habits", she explains, and save money, in order to compensate for the "loss of identity" that can be felt.

Fortunately, you can be rich and serious, and the FDJ is still there to help winners manage this money well.

“We offer very technical thematic workshops, in order to give them the keys to managing their earnings”, explains Isabelle Cesari.

Financial markets, the world of real estate, banking, taxation, the FDJ offers neutral information, without selling products to its winners, which is a guarantee of "trust".

For 5 years, the lucky winner can therefore be accompanied by a coach to register his gain in a life project, like the 30-something who wishes to market his own brand of beer.

But the FDJ also offers “aspirational workshops, in tune with the times”, for those who would like to work on humanitarian actions or launch a project linked to ecological transition.

Not fooled, Robert Zuili agrees that the FDJ, concerned about “its brand image”, cannot let its earnings make you unhappy.

Because in the end, environmental philanthropist, frequent traveler or compulsive spender, money often only exacerbates the personality of the winner, happy or unhappy.

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