Americans spend money to find joy. Then comes the guilt

Even as credit card debt and concerns about the cost of living mount, Americans are still spending on things that bring them joy.

They've just got a bit of guilt while doing so.

While 6% feel they are overspending on things that make them happy, 72% say they feel guilty when those purchases compete with other financial goals, according to a YouGov survey of more than 5,000 U.S. adults conducted for Ally Bank's inaugural Cost of Life Today report , first shared exclusively with USA TODAY.

That tug-of-war helps explain why the average U.S. adult scored 54.2 out of 100 on Ally's new "Joy Index," placing consumers in "joy pressured" territory, meaning financial pressure is making joy harder to access and sustain. The survey found 77% of consumers reduce, delay, or avoid spending on joy at least occasionally.

Plus, spending might not be the end-all, be-all, when compared to time with friends and family, the survey, which was conducted in July, found.

Affordability remains a constraint. Of respondents, 20% said it's easy to cover essential expenses, and although most reported spending on joyful experiences each month, only 15% said they are easy to afford.

"Worries about the cost of living are real, and because of them, people are getting more deliberate in their spending," Lee Stafford, Ally's chief economist, told USA TODAY. "A meaningful share are even cutting back on necessities to make room for the areas they value most. It's not that people are spending carelessly, instead, they're spending to protect something they've decided they can't afford to lose."

More: The American dream meant upward mobility. Now, it means stability.

Overall, consumers' reported feelings of joy rose alongside their income levels, with a caveat.

Consumers with a "joy mindset" consistently scored higher than those without one and their experience scores, which measure how often they feel grateful and optimistic, were nearly identical whether they made under $50,000 or above $100,000 each year.

Other factors being similar, consumers with an "appreciation for the everyday," or a "joy mindset," according to Ally, had higher Joy Index scores when compared to those without the mindset.

"When you have that clarity of what's most important to you, you're able to transfer that into a life that creates joy," Jack Howard, Ally's head of money wellness. "Having that clarity and then making that connection creates that joy mindset."

A positive attitude only goes so far. Even for consumers with a joy mindset, their scores on the overall index, which also considers their level of financial security, rise in line with how much they make. For example, those who earned less than $50,000 annually but maintained a joy mindset scored 63 on the overall index, compared to those with the same attitude but earned more than $100,000, who scored 71.7.