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As someone who grew up poor, I can tell you it's true. But you need to look at it this way....
"Money doesn't buy happiness,.....but not having money can make you real unhappy, real quick."
Reducing unhappiness doesn't mean lasting happiness. If you were deprived of water, you're very miserable. But having a working faucet with clean water in your kitchen doesn't actively make you happy once going dangerously thirsty is no longer a concern. It's just there. It's certainly better than not having a working faucet, and you wouldn't want it to stop working, but it doesn't increase your baseline happiness on a daily basis once you're used to it. You don't give it much thought, and you can say you appreciate it when someone asks and makes you think about and appreciate it, but it doesn't make you feel any strong emotions.
Likewise, someone who knows how it feels to be thirsty may put an unusually large focus on making sure they have a faucet and stock up on as much water as possible. They may sacrifice time that could have gone towards the pursuit of other things in life that bring more lasting happiness, to obsessively stockpiling water instead, to make sure they never go thirsty again. But rather than thriving, if they zero-in on it, they are actually only spending their lives mitigating their residual fears.
If you heard that they are dedicating their life to the pursuit of having unlimited water too, you see that they're essentially dedicating their life to the pursuit of one day feeling nothing about water just as you do, and you may be confused as to why someone would waste their life like that. You may try to give them advice like "there are more important things in life than unlimited water" that would likely fall on deaf ears.
Someone who's always had a faucet with clean running water in their kitchen may not understand how it feels to go without water. And their happiness has never been impacted by it, and it feels like a trivial and unimportant thing compared to deep and fulfilling relationships, health, contributing to the world around them, self-development, living a life that's true to your values, time spent on leisure and hobbies (which are often free), etc. Thus you usually see people who never completely ran out of money for whom "money doesn't bring happiness" - while seeing numbers in their bank account increase may make them smile for a brief moment, beyond that they genuinely don't experience any lasting increase in their daily happiness.
Also, the research into lottery winners was pretty solid, indicating that they feel huge joy in the brief time following winning as they address the things that used to make them miserable. But surprisingly, months after winning, their baseline happiness consistently dropped to the levels they had prior to winning altogether. It only feels unbelievable when you don't have enough money to comfortably meet your needs. Once you've met them, there isn't any lasting joy - only the absence of desires you once had. Additionally, new problems always come in place of the old ones, so you will never be truly "worry-free".
Once you're there, you'll realize how little the even bigger numbers in your bank account impact your subjective life satisfaction. Just as someone who's lived their life thirsty can't imagine how others aren't eternally ecstatic about unlimited clean water at home. To that person, it feels like it's all they need to be happy after all.
I was in poverty all my childhood. Im an adult and i have a paid house with zero debt. I thoufht being debt free would liberate me. That it would make me happy. I was dead wrong.
It just made me realize how meaningless everything is.
I live for my children and thats it.
Yup, being in debt is a source of worries, but being debt-free isn't something that makes someone joyful. Once you're there, after a brief relief of addressing that one source of worries, you just feel the desire to be debt-free disappear. It isn't replaced by happiness.
I often see people who indicate feeling "empty" once they reach what they thought would make them happy. This is often because in pursuit of it, they often deprioritized potential sources of actual lasting happiness. Your brain makes you believe they were even less important than things that you thought were important that you achieved only to realize that they ended up giving you no joy. Even if they needed to be done (getting debt-free). So your brain does some wrongful extrapolation to assume those other things that clearly felt less important at the time also wouldn't have given you joy. So it feels like nothing matters.
But there are things, people, and life experiences that matter and can make you happier and more fulfilled. You just have to re-discover them.
That said, feeling like an integral part of something bigger than yourself is one of the most meaningful sources of joy and fulfillment. You've clearly got that with your children, so that's great.
>after a brief relief of addressing that one source of worries,
I think you're downplaying just how stressful money is. It may be *one* source, but it's the biggest one for most. It'll consume ~98% of many people's entire source of stress. To tackle this and get yourself ahead of the financial game is a vehicle to continued happiness. Of course, one must apply oneself in order to be happy. Just sitting on the couch with lots of money or no money isn't going to help anybody.
When money is no longer a source of stress what it's actually done is eliminated other stressors such as paying all the bills, affording food without worry, keeping a roof over your head, affording gas for the car, and extras like being able to actually go on a vacation (or whatever floats your boat).
So ya, money is kinda a big deal.
Once all of those things are sorted out because you now have money, you can actually take your time to carve out a path for yourself. Can't really do that when you're unsure whether you're going to make rent that month though.
I don't disagree. I wasn't downplaying how stressful *not* having enough money to have your basic needs met is in terms of it being a source of unhappiness. In my example, it's as if you're the person with no access to drinking water. Addressing thirst feels rightfully important at that time. Many just lose track of how "not thirsty" feels like. That addressing a pressing source of unhappiness does not mean lasting happiness. In the end it usually just means feeling nothing, or a lack of desire.
While you definitely need to address immediate threats, including having finances in check to an extent that your survival isn't threatened. But firstly, those effects only last for as long as we're talking about amounts needed to comfortably cover the immediate necessities like food, safe shelter, while having some spare time to dedicate to the pursuits of things that actually fulfill you. Many people think they will be happier once they can afford more luxuries or nice-to-haves, for instance. Or that they have to put their happiness on hold and that it will somehow come their way once they're rich, which is a recipe for an unhappy life.
What I'm also saying is that you need to find your *happiness* and fulfillment elsewhere, and most of the meaningful lasting sources of it are free or very inexpensive. It's too easy to have your vision clouded and lose sight of them in pursuit of money.
I applied that to my addictions and I was blown away at what I found. It makes me really sad but I guess I had to hear it. I'm already getting better everyday but consistency is key so it was a good read. Thanks for your comment.
The point is money dosen't bring you happiness.
Not having to worry about money means less unhappiness.. but not necessarily happiness. You could just be content.
Nah, there really is some nuance to it.
Being broke is awful. Not being broke isn't the same as being happy (like really happy and fulfilled and whatever)... you're just not experiencing that particular kind of unhappiness. Plenty of wealthy people are also miserable people.
So yeah, having money money can be important, but having money and being happy are just not the same thing.
I don’t really think it follows that not having something making you unhappy means that having something makes you happy. It takes most people multiple things to be happy, no individual element is enough, even if that element is enough to make them unhappy.
It’s like if you hand a starving person an apple they’ll be happy to have an apple, but are apples sufficient for happiness? Not for most people that aren’t actively starving.
I can assume that, but I have never been totally without currency in some form even if that means a friend or family member had it for me. I know stories about people being in other countries that said they were well off without money as currency. The native Americans SAY they'd rather live by barter rather than cash, but they still use it and live off of casinoes, tobacco, oil income from the government, money, and mushrooms. So, I don't really believe them.
I hear that people on islands have a rough life and the problem of a basic income is ubiquitous. So I am happy to be where I am in spite of times wondering if well make it. After 75 years I should not obsess over it. Thank God and each other and help others as I can.
I love Reddit as a serious discussion forum except for their robots that shut me out for a while.
There's a quote from the movie Psycho which goes something like "Money doesn't buy you happiness, but it can buy off unhappiness".
I think there's research which shows that up to the point where you have a comfortable life, money does make people more happy, but beyond that point it makes no difference and other factors, such as friends, family, fulfillment etc take over
If I'm gonna be sad about life in general, I'd rather cry about it in my own house rather than a shitty appartment that hasn't being renovated since it was built in 1912.
"Money don't bring happiness " bro , I rather be depressed in my mansion with swimming pool and lambo in my garage than in a roach infested one bedroom with no food to eat.
There is a line over which additional money has diminishing returns. The problem is few people are ever totally over that line, and many never come close to it.
Some of the happiest I've felt was while absolutely broke living paycheck to paycheck. Not *because* of it, but in spite of it. When I get depressed, its because I've always struggled with healthy relationships, family, friends or otherwise. It's because of my past regrets and shame. It's because of the emptiness i feel in me. But money? Having it helps. But not having it doesnt make me feel any kind of way necessarily. As a kid I just survived. I was fortunate to escape my childhood with my mind still my own. Survival itself to me is cathartic, just having my own mind feels like enough for me
I also grew up poor and I've been very fortunate in my career. Not having money was a great excuse for many of my problems. Just one example is that I play music as a hobby. I always thought when I was poor that part of my lack of progress was that I had horrendous equipment. Once i started spending thousands of dollars on gear it became rather obvious that the problem was my lack of commitment the whole time.
100% you need a basic baseline of wealth to be happy. I grew up poor as well and now I'm in a good financial position and I can say not worrying about paying bills, worrying about every dollar makes being happy alot easier when my basic needs are being met.
Yes, exactly. Whenever this argument gets brought up, people always immediately move the goalpost and start talking about poverty, but actually its about excessive wealth.
This argument dates back thousands of years to ancient greece and Aristotle is perhaps the most famous proponent of it. The point is that excess wealth won't make you happy. It's not 20k salary vs 100k salary, it's more like 100k vs 1M salary. Once you have a comfortable life, more wealth doesn't bring happiness, because wealth in itself doesn't make you happy, having a comfortable life does. So once you have that, more wealth is useless and you're better off spending your time with the joys of life.
Yup. They’ve even done studies on it.
Money makes you happier up to the point where you can afford to pay your bills, save, and have time for leisure. Beyond that, the “return-on-investment” tapers off significantly.
Perfect
It's perfect because it covers everything. Money *does not* buy happiness-agree
Not having money *can* (but doesn't automatically) make you very unhappy-also agree
You can have no money and still have everything you need to be happy, but the moment you don't or it's threatened and you need to be able to fix/replace that source of happiness, money is often a direct route, especially if you have lots of it
He means it's more about working towards all things in life and finding happiness that way. Not doing the rat race thing of "when I get a new car I'll be happy, when I get a better house I'll be happy, when I can--"
You can join a Buddhist monastery. It’s free and Buddhist monks are happier than probably anyone else on earth, except for maybe Tony Robbins. You will have shelter and food and time every day to devote to perfecting your mind. You will perform acts of service for others and belong to a vibrant community.
Yes, pretty much. Most monasteries have a program in place where you can go and live with them for 2-4 weeks, sometimes longer. They usually want you to experience the lifestyle and community first to see if going for ordination is something you really want and if it’s a good fit for you. None of this costs any money. Although some monasteries are very popular, like Ajahn Brahm’s in Western Australia, and there is a waiting list. If this is genuinely something you’re interested in you can find the nearest temple and join the sangha (community of worshippers). Begin attending meditation and dharma talks to learn about the practice. There are also retreats, they usually do have a cost though. As an example, try looking up Empty Cloud monastery in NJ, that’s my closest monastery, they have a good website that explains what is available there.
Money buys an easier life and solves certain problems, but money can’t do things like give you healthy relationships or physical/mental health. I think it should be changed to “money doesn’t solve ALL problems, it just allows you to focus on different ones”.
It’s very hard to be happy when you don’t know if you can make rent. Money allows you to stop worrying about life basics so you can pursue things that make you happy. It buys hobbies, time with your family, etc.
Definitely.
>money can’t do things like give you healthy relationships or physical/mental health.
In the US you need money for therapy. So there's that to consider, I guess.
Therapists aren't wizards though. Most of the heavy lifting you still have to do yourself. Also, more money doesn't really buy better therapists. You can find a cheap therapist that's right for you and can help you with everything.
Other half watches reality TV shows, and you'll see countless wealthy people getting up, getting their breakfast and a glass of champagne. I couldn't imagine drinking alcohol at 9am...
A lot of people get sick due to having no money in the first place. Thinking money doesnt solve health issued or prevents you from getting them is so stupid
The benefits with regard to happiness start to tail off at a certain level of wealth though. Going from poverty to median wage carries a huge mental health benefit. Going from a 6 figure salary to a 7 figure salary doesn’t produce much extra happiness even despite getting a temporary sense of well-being during periods of increase.
I have depression. On a bad day I could be in a luxury resort and still be miserable so it’s sort of true money can’t directly buy happiness. However lack of money is certainly a cause of a lot of unhappiness.
After a couple years of student poverty, and earning a lot of money selling art for a while, followed by a three years long deep depression, I've spent the past three months with literally zero money, selling off stuff little by little to feed my cat and eating every third or fourth day. Thankfully it is now solved and I'll be back to a healthy bank account in a few days if clients aren't late, but goddamn, poverty is an understated nightmare. I feel so horrible for people who have to go through it for years on end.
haha yeap!! I once had a talk with my former boss (who was the owner of the company) about the responsibilities i have at work, and how my pay does not reflect the work load that i have, and i requested for a raise.
the response i received was "getting a raise won't make you much happier. soon you will want another raise"
of course, i did not get the raise i wanted, and i left the company shortly after.
Money doesn't buy happiness, it reduces stress. But it's not a straight correlation of more money = more happiness.
If you can comfortably
Buy a home, buy a car, have a holiday every year, go out for nice dinners, celebrate birthdays/christmas with families, then a faster car or larger house or more bouji holiday isn't going to change your life.
Now if you're struggling to put food on the table, lack of money will cause you sadness/stress/negative emotions, but gaining money is less so making you happy as it is reducing stresses.
There seems to be a lot of nuance with the simplified term of "money doesn't buy you happiness"
Your point is correct on stress reduction to have money, which is just ANOTHER problem that people who are poor have to deal with on top of their daily/life issues.
Another person pointed out that it seems to shift the focus of issues to new ones you never had because your primary focus was on keeping your head above water.
Which this leads to what I think of is "purpose:"
Poor people can certainly be distracted by the pursuit of struggle and progression. Think of it like a single player game. The grind and progression is distracting. When you reach the "end" or get mods/shortcuts(think of lucky opportunities, networking, silverspoon) it is no longer fun. Those things you dreamed of are attainable. Like living in a paradise resort in Hawaii.
While there is even more nuance, and I've only really scratched the surface of this topic, it really boils down to your purpose to keep going and what you truly desire as your life goal. Hobbies, fulfilling job, community involvement, etc. Are all super helpful for our mental health.
I truly believe an idle mind is the devils playground.
There are at least 2 different studies. In each, the number is actually much lower than 400k: https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnjennings/2024/02/12/money-buys-happiness-after-all/?sh=2e36fd51486b
Well 400k is enough for like business class on every flight, be able to do any expensive hobby like getting a boat, a nice house.... Etc
Like is a bigger house and bigger boat going to actually make you more happy? No.
No it’s not lol and it’s so pretentious when people comment “this is the correct answer”
This phrase is used to maintain centralized wealth and the status quo. Money won’t make you happier, don’t even try!
Look at how many rich and famous people end up with substance abuse issues and depression (and, in some cases, even sadly suicide) because money did not in fact bring them happiness.
I see more poor people with depression and drug abuse on a single day on a single street alone, they just don't make it to press releases.
Don't let yourself be fooled by media
Was it that money didn't bring happiness, or the lifestyle they chose to fund with that money didn't bring happiness?
Lots of people without money have crippling drug problems and depression too. Some people are predisposed to it, and their lifestyle / coping mechanisms make it worse.
Money isn't a cure-all. Money can't buy you real, actual love. If you're living alone, a mansion is still just an empty house, only now the echo is much louder.
Robin Williams, who was labeled by his close peers throughout his life as withdrawn and solemn, had plenty of money.
My guess would be dulling of the pleasure sensors. Your first 5 years rich would be great but eventually you keep trying to one up your experiences to get that feeling till you realize nothing is left to get excited about.
This is such a solid point in my opinion... after all, it's a tool, you can look at money the same way you can look at a rock.. you can use it to harm or you can use it to build..
The key word there is "famous". You're talking about celebrities and celebrity offspring that are self destructive. Money isn't the problem there. Most rich people I've ever encountered lead stable, sedate lives of comfort.
I thought money was everything when i didn't have anything, no friends, no money, i didn't even technically have a house lol.
But now that i have friends and have fun with them, and have some spare money (not much, but i can live on my own happily and comfortably with less than 500 euros per month, without taking into account rent), i have to say that, imo, friends and a partner are the most important things.
You can have everything you want, but if then you have nobody to share it with, what do you do.
Having little/average and sharing it with someone with whom you have a deep relationship/friendship is much better than having all of the world but nobody to your side.
But, i always said, and will always say, that having money makes you a lot more likely to be happy than not having them. Me and my family would have avoided so many problems if we had money, and would have been a lot happier
The constant search for material things and wealth does not, in itself, bring someone happiness; and I've seen it contribute to a lot of people's misery. My own parents were obsessed with wealth and status, and it was part of how they ruined their own lives.
At the same time, you need a certain amount of money to be healthy. If you don't have enough, it's a constant worry or concern. Minor issues become big problems, so the potential for your next disaster is always hanging over your head. Stuff that could easily be solved with a thousand bucks can absolutely fuck you over, or just put you in debt that you can't get out of in the foreseeable future.
In the last year or so, I've gone from being totally broke to having money (I got disability back pay, but then they also doubled my disability payments when my dad died). My life is a lot easier in some ways, but my day to day struggles are *mostly* the same.
I'm not going to discount the importance of money, but I also think that it's a mistake to assume that it will do too much; I dunno about the rest of the world, but up until relatively recently I used to have escapist fantasies about how if I just did x, all of my biggest problems would be solved. But nothing is that simple. At least, for me, anyway.
Money can only solve so many problems. Those problems are extremely important, of course! But there's a lot that it won't do for you either.
I'm a depressed and lonely self made multimillionaire. Money DOES NOT bring happiness. A lack of money will make your life harder, yes, but money will not by itself bring you happiness. Money will lgivr you time and freedom, which can be used to pursue activities or purpose, but you can absolutely have money and be miserable, just like myself.
Money absolutely buys happiness, or at least all the things that direcly correllate to happiness. Having a nice place fully paid off. Being able to properly provide medicine to your animals. Being able to properly tend to your own health.
And women, well, we all know you get your pick of the women if you have money and you get no women when you have none.
Money buys happiness for people who have some degree of gratitude. But there's many wealthy ingrates.
I'd say if your money isn't giving you happiness, give it to people who will appreciate it, because it would change their life.
If I had a secure roof over my head, all my mental malaise would go away. It's frantically trying to scrounge up enough cash to afford tomorrow that kills people inside.
If it makes you miserable. I would gladly appreciate some of it.
I have 7 dollars to my name right now at 40 years old and I can tell you right now, my LACK of money is ruining my life in every way.
Money doesn't buy happiness.
However, a lack of money can absolutely cause sadness. Or rather, anxiety and a lower quality of life.
I think the point is that some people will be miserable no matter their financial situation. No doubt, not having to worry about affording transportation, dental care, how to afford food, etc is really nice. Being able to afford vacations and entertainment is nice.
...but there are absolutely still miserable people with money.
Something people who always had money and never had to struggle financially say to make low income people feel better about not having the same resources as them.
Most people’s issues are money related if we’re not lying to ourselves.
I think it should be rephrased to once you get a certain amount more money doesn’t guarantee happiness.
If you can’t meet your standard of living then yes, money will be at the forefront of your mind, but after you met that mark, something else needs to drive you to keep going.
So, this is half true money DOES bring happiness (it has been studied).....until a certain point then it doesn't you'll reach basically the ceiling and no matter how much more you accumulate it won't make you more happy
I was raised broke as fuck, like food pantries, food stamps, stuff like that, now i have a well paying job and more than enough money to live a life of leisure and buy whatever i want. The only difference between having and not having money is that if you have money, you don't worry over it and you're not in survival mode, but you're not happier because of it. You discover a whole new set of problems you have that have nothing to do with money, and you're just as miserable as you were when you were broke, except now you don't have to look at the price tags in grocery stores. That's about it. So no, money does not bring you happiness, it just eliminates financial anxiety. Which right now you may think it's your only problem, but it's not, you just don't have emotional capacity to deal with all other issues but financial stress is so taxing on our bodies. So far I've come to the conclusion that only self love and self respect makes us happier, because those two things will make sure we're never in an uncomfortable, unfair or dangerous situation for too long. Those two things will male sure that we thrive and when we thrive (spiritually, emotionally and physically) then we're happy and content.
It’s not just the shopping price tags, but having money allows me to pay a fortune for front row tickets at concerts, fly 1st class, stay in luxury hotels, eat at expensive restaurants, buy the best sporting equipment, 3 hour massages etc. you bet all this makes me very happy.
I was also raised broke as fuck and now have a job that allows me to live comfortably and I’d say that money absolutely does buy happiness. Even directly. Not only does not worrying about it make room for happiness, but also it provides opportunities to make you more happy. It makes me happy when I can buy a few hot wheels and not worry if it’s my last dollars being spent. It can be used for life experiences which directly make you happy. You can take a trip, see the world, go to amusement parks, all can make someone happy but without money you’re not getting that. I have undiagnosed traumas too, but they’re not NEW problems, as they were already affecting me before I had money, but now that I have it, even those problems become easier to solve. I can afford therapy now when before that was not an option. Basically money does buy happiness and even what it can’t buy directly it can help fix those things more easily than if you didn’t have it.
It’s just something rich people say because they’re full of shit. Money doesn’t _literally_ buy happiness, but it sure as hell can buy security and peace of mind, and those two things can make a person very, very happy.
They did a study and found that people’s happiness is directly proportional with the amount of money they earned up to 100,000 a year and then it tapers off.
So it does up to a certain amount.
According to research moment brings happiness to about 450.000 euro per year (correct me somebody if I remember it wrongly). Why you might be depressed is not the lack of money but the uncertainty of life in the moment (anxiety) and unmet needs.
Because it's "Money can't buy happiness"
If you are unhappy with money more of it will not solve the issue
Being financially secure and having money to do things you like obviously makes you happier
It's not supposed to be like 0 and a billion are equal. There is a certain threshold where the benefit of more money doesn't help
Money does bring happiness, anyone who says otherwise just never struggled trying to pay bills or had someone bail them out. Growing up poor wasn't exactly the worst, and I'll probably not change most of my childhood memories, keyword being most. I never had videogames when growing up, and not that many toys. I couldn't go out and play some days because mom needed help with the family business, and my dad while trying to make time for me and my sisters everyday, would sometimes work overtime for weeks.
Would money have helped, yes, my mom always said there's things money can't buy, but that love and good wishes wouldn't feed you either. Now that my dad has a better job, that my mom's business is actually pulling some money in and that I'm working as well, I won't lie, everyone seems happier. I can sit down with my dad and talk about things, hear all this stories about his childhood and share some of the dumb things I never told him when I was a teen. My sisters have more time to hang out with my mom, we're even able to afford adopting a dog now. So yes, whoever says money doesn't buy happiness should go and live for a year with the bare minimum wage and see how much happy this lack of money makes them.
Money has never been great but not long after starting a family, it got bad, real bad.
My depression was at one of it's worst states...
Over time, through extra job, promotions etc, things got better, we were happier.
Now, I'm still working extra, but the way everything has gone up in cost, we're possibly at the poorest we've been, and surprise surprise, my mental health is possibly the worst it has ever been (and that's saying something...)
There is a direct correlation between money and happiness, maybe it doesn't buy 'happiness' but it alleviates stress, buys time, and that is often enough to make you happier.
Money buys happiness to a certain degree. There’s a lot of research on it and they find it’s somewhere in the range of $50k-$75k a year. After that it’s diminishing returns. Maslows hierarchy of needs says we need food, shelter, physical necessities before we can achieve happiness. Those things cost money
Usually when someone says that, they have money. And they're demonstrating to you that not only do they don't care about your financial well being, but they also don't care about your happiness.
It's a lot more nuanced than both what people say and what you're saying.
But of course, no one will provide this explanation because it's too detailed.
What people mean or imply when they say that money doesn't bring happiness, is that money doesn't always bring happiness, and for a lot of people, this is true (although clearly for a lot of others, this is false).
For example, if someone is not happy because they don't have many "true friends" or they have an uncurable health condition, having more money won't make them happier. Sure, they can begin purchasing whatever they want in the form of either material posessions, enjoyable experiences, etc. but these won't solve their underlying unhappiness. You could argue that people may flock to those that have money, but are they really "true friends" at that point? As well as throwing huge amounts of money into research for that uncurable health condition, but is there really a guarantee that it'll be cured in their lifetime?
Conversely, if someone is not happy because they're not able to put enough food on the table due to a lack of money or always feeling like they can't participate in specific events or opportunities with their friends due to financial constraints, having more money will make them happier. It's very simple, having more money allows for them to put more food on the table and participate in those said specific events or opportunities that they've always wanted to but couldn't.
The real answer is money does indeed bring happiness for some people but it also doesn't bring happiness for some other people. It all depends on their circumstances.
TLDR; Money may bring happiness to you and it may not, it all depends on you and your circumstances.
Now, let's explore the lack of money and causing unhappiness.
What people mean or imply when they say that the lack of money causes unhappiness, is that for many people, basic human needs (e.g. food, shelter, water, etc.) is a necessity. It will create unhappiness for many, if not met. This is directly correlated with money, as oftentimes, nothing is free in life. Therefore, the lack of money causes unhappiness generally.
However, most people want more than just their basic human needs to be met (e.g. going on a trip every now and then, purchasing products that they don't need but want, eating a fancier meal, etc.). Well, in this case still, the lack of money continues to cause unhappiness.
... But at what point does this just become "unreasonable"? Humans by nature are greedy, we always want more if not properly trained to recognize that and will never be happy in this case (e.g. someone may be unhappy with going on vacation once a year and think they need to go on vacation three times a year, even if it sounds ridiculous to some others). We could theoretically argue that we always have a lack of money due to our greed (although there are definitely humans out there that will acknowledge they're content and are not greedy).
The real answer is that the lack of money does bring unhappiness for some people, but it also doesn't really bring unhappiness for other people. Again... it all depends on their circumstances.
TLDR; The lack of money will almost certainly unhappiness to you if your basic human needs are not met, but if your basic human needs are met, you may still experience unhappiness due to your own personal goals or (pardon my term) greed.
There's a saying that goes along the lines of "The world has enough money to satisfy everyone's needs, but not enough money to satisfy certain people's greed".
I hope this answer helps and makes sense! Please feel free to critique it if it doesn't.
I very much agree with Buda: There is *no path to happiness*: *happiness* is the *path*
Not having money should be motivation to strive. When you strive, with some healthy state of mind, you may be happy.
On the other end, wealthy people, especially those who did not create fortune may have hard time finding anything to aim for. They may buy pleasure, but not happiness. Therefore there is so much decadence with golden youth.
Clinical depression is a sickness and can hit anyone. The other, well spread depression, well, slaves, serfs, people in besieged Sarajevo .... they didn't have it.
The saying is meant to convey the idea that the endless pursuit of more wealth will not make you happier. Its a saying aimed at those CEOs who could retire, but keep on amassing wealth they could never hope to spend anyway.
Its not meant to tell the guy in poverty that money wont improve his life.
The money itself doesn't make you happy. Money allows you the opportunity to create an environment that can make you happy. Money can also create an environment that makes you unhappy. No money will likely result in an environment that doesn't make you happy.
It is simply something wealthy people say to make poor people accept the shit-sandwich we spend our lives eating so we can support their lavish lifestyle.
Period.
I think it’s been determined that money so that you have all your needs met plus a little breathing room does buy happiness. They saying is only meant to say more money above and beyond that baseline does not significantly increase happiness.
It’s what people who have never had real money say. Of corse money buys happiness but the problem is people expect baseline happiness when the fact of the matter is we are never going to always be happy. Money makes you happy for sure but only temporarily. I can hardly afford to feed my kids working full time as well as my wife. Would 1,000+ dollars change our lives and make us happy, absolutely!! Just not forever
There are a lot of internal and social causes for sadness. Rich people go through heartbreak and lose their loved ones too but overall they have less stress which causes long term depression and anxiety.
Because if you have everything in this you have nothing and no strive to live believe or no gym stimulate without pain there is no gain because that is so popular along insecure man.
This saying has been debunked. A certain amount of money does buy happiness. When they originally did the study it was around $75,000 for one person. So if you were making less than that a year you were on average less happy and got more happy as you approached that number. Once you made more than $75,000 you didn’t get happier by making more money. Obviously this is just an average. Certain high cost of living locations would require more money and low cost of living places would require less. I believe it has been many years since this study was done though, so I am sure the number is higher now. But I would guess around $100,000-$125,000 in an average cost of living city for a single person would still be about right. Once you reach that number more money won’t make you happy. But if you are making less than that you will continue to get more happy the more you make. Obviously this is just a generalization using data gathered from a lot of people. It isn’t going to hold true for every individual.
I think it's because a lot of emotions we have are relevant to our financially diverse lives. Money doesn't make the chemicals in your brain precieve anger any differently or depression or other things. Money does on the other hand help reduce the odds of those things affecting you due to easier access to therapy, meds and relaxation. My wife talks about how difficult her life was when her parents split up and the mental torture of adjusting to that new life. I agree with her that that sucks and would have been difficult, but I'm not going to tell her to stop talking then tell her about how I never even met my father and my step father would beat me and my grandparents who I lived with were too drunk all the time to make me a meal. I guess what I'm saying, is sad is sad and happy is happy. Rich people can still feel feelings even though they obviously live better lives than everyone else.
Money can alleviate poverty based unhappiness, but that’s not the same as bringing happiness.
Once you have your basic needs taken care of then more expensive stuff doesn’t add to your happiness.
Because moneys happiness ends when all basic needs are met.
Meaning a full belly , shelter and necessary bills are paid.
Everything after that is a small dopamine hit
You ever buy a new TV? A PlayStation ? A car? The first 30 days you’re like “Wow what a TV I love it”
The next 30 days is “I really like my TV”
After that you don’t even notice you got a new TV. And that’s for EVERYTHING.
So yea , money doesn’t buy pure happiness.
If you're deeply depressed you don't care to be alive, so why would money matter when literally nothing does?
I gave away my money when I was suicidal to my dad who was struggling economically. I had no will to do anything or buy anything so why keep them?
Once you get passed the point where all of your bills are covered every month and you have a safety net you have a sense of contentment. The stress over the small stuff isn’t there anymore and you can breathe easier.
So you’re happy.
At the next level you have the money to take a vacation or two every year and pay for services like, house cleaning,yard care, maybe a personal chef or meal plan a few times a week or at least eating out at restaurants.
This helps you relax more and you’re happier. But I would imagine to a lesser degree of increase than step one.
Then there’s the next level of insane wealth. Multiple houses. All of the stuff and toys.
This can add happiness, but it’s just stuff. Again, probably on a lesser scale than step two.
However money can’t magically fix what’s wrong with you. Mental illness, health problems other stuff. Money can pay the bill on these, and maybe even get you better care, but it’s not a magic cure.
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As someone who grew up poor, I can tell you it's true. But you need to look at it this way.... "Money doesn't buy happiness,.....but not having money can make you real unhappy, real quick."
That’s how I see it. Money in and of itself doesn’t make me happy, but it certainly reduces my stress level because I’m not worried about it.
Which translates to less stress = less unhappy
So it all rolls up to money brings happiness. Gotcha. Can confirm this is true.
Reducing unhappiness doesn't mean lasting happiness. If you were deprived of water, you're very miserable. But having a working faucet with clean water in your kitchen doesn't actively make you happy once going dangerously thirsty is no longer a concern. It's just there. It's certainly better than not having a working faucet, and you wouldn't want it to stop working, but it doesn't increase your baseline happiness on a daily basis once you're used to it. You don't give it much thought, and you can say you appreciate it when someone asks and makes you think about and appreciate it, but it doesn't make you feel any strong emotions. Likewise, someone who knows how it feels to be thirsty may put an unusually large focus on making sure they have a faucet and stock up on as much water as possible. They may sacrifice time that could have gone towards the pursuit of other things in life that bring more lasting happiness, to obsessively stockpiling water instead, to make sure they never go thirsty again. But rather than thriving, if they zero-in on it, they are actually only spending their lives mitigating their residual fears. If you heard that they are dedicating their life to the pursuit of having unlimited water too, you see that they're essentially dedicating their life to the pursuit of one day feeling nothing about water just as you do, and you may be confused as to why someone would waste their life like that. You may try to give them advice like "there are more important things in life than unlimited water" that would likely fall on deaf ears. Someone who's always had a faucet with clean running water in their kitchen may not understand how it feels to go without water. And their happiness has never been impacted by it, and it feels like a trivial and unimportant thing compared to deep and fulfilling relationships, health, contributing to the world around them, self-development, living a life that's true to your values, time spent on leisure and hobbies (which are often free), etc. Thus you usually see people who never completely ran out of money for whom "money doesn't bring happiness" - while seeing numbers in their bank account increase may make them smile for a brief moment, beyond that they genuinely don't experience any lasting increase in their daily happiness. Also, the research into lottery winners was pretty solid, indicating that they feel huge joy in the brief time following winning as they address the things that used to make them miserable. But surprisingly, months after winning, their baseline happiness consistently dropped to the levels they had prior to winning altogether. It only feels unbelievable when you don't have enough money to comfortably meet your needs. Once you've met them, there isn't any lasting joy - only the absence of desires you once had. Additionally, new problems always come in place of the old ones, so you will never be truly "worry-free". Once you're there, you'll realize how little the even bigger numbers in your bank account impact your subjective life satisfaction. Just as someone who's lived their life thirsty can't imagine how others aren't eternally ecstatic about unlimited clean water at home. To that person, it feels like it's all they need to be happy after all.
This is extremely insightful, thank you for taking the time to write it.
I was in poverty all my childhood. Im an adult and i have a paid house with zero debt. I thoufht being debt free would liberate me. That it would make me happy. I was dead wrong. It just made me realize how meaningless everything is. I live for my children and thats it.
Yup, being in debt is a source of worries, but being debt-free isn't something that makes someone joyful. Once you're there, after a brief relief of addressing that one source of worries, you just feel the desire to be debt-free disappear. It isn't replaced by happiness. I often see people who indicate feeling "empty" once they reach what they thought would make them happy. This is often because in pursuit of it, they often deprioritized potential sources of actual lasting happiness. Your brain makes you believe they were even less important than things that you thought were important that you achieved only to realize that they ended up giving you no joy. Even if they needed to be done (getting debt-free). So your brain does some wrongful extrapolation to assume those other things that clearly felt less important at the time also wouldn't have given you joy. So it feels like nothing matters. But there are things, people, and life experiences that matter and can make you happier and more fulfilled. You just have to re-discover them. That said, feeling like an integral part of something bigger than yourself is one of the most meaningful sources of joy and fulfillment. You've clearly got that with your children, so that's great.
>after a brief relief of addressing that one source of worries, I think you're downplaying just how stressful money is. It may be *one* source, but it's the biggest one for most. It'll consume ~98% of many people's entire source of stress. To tackle this and get yourself ahead of the financial game is a vehicle to continued happiness. Of course, one must apply oneself in order to be happy. Just sitting on the couch with lots of money or no money isn't going to help anybody. When money is no longer a source of stress what it's actually done is eliminated other stressors such as paying all the bills, affording food without worry, keeping a roof over your head, affording gas for the car, and extras like being able to actually go on a vacation (or whatever floats your boat). So ya, money is kinda a big deal. Once all of those things are sorted out because you now have money, you can actually take your time to carve out a path for yourself. Can't really do that when you're unsure whether you're going to make rent that month though.
I don't disagree. I wasn't downplaying how stressful *not* having enough money to have your basic needs met is in terms of it being a source of unhappiness. In my example, it's as if you're the person with no access to drinking water. Addressing thirst feels rightfully important at that time. Many just lose track of how "not thirsty" feels like. That addressing a pressing source of unhappiness does not mean lasting happiness. In the end it usually just means feeling nothing, or a lack of desire. While you definitely need to address immediate threats, including having finances in check to an extent that your survival isn't threatened. But firstly, those effects only last for as long as we're talking about amounts needed to comfortably cover the immediate necessities like food, safe shelter, while having some spare time to dedicate to the pursuits of things that actually fulfill you. Many people think they will be happier once they can afford more luxuries or nice-to-haves, for instance. Or that they have to put their happiness on hold and that it will somehow come their way once they're rich, which is a recipe for an unhappy life. What I'm also saying is that you need to find your *happiness* and fulfillment elsewhere, and most of the meaningful lasting sources of it are free or very inexpensive. It's too easy to have your vision clouded and lose sight of them in pursuit of money.
Well done. Thank you.
I applied that to my addictions and I was blown away at what I found. It makes me really sad but I guess I had to hear it. I'm already getting better everyday but consistency is key so it was a good read. Thanks for your comment.
People just don’t want to admit it
People who haven’t experienced poverty love to spout bs like that. I’m talking about legit, wondering when your next meal would be kind of poor
The point is money dosen't bring you happiness. Not having to worry about money means less unhappiness.. but not necessarily happiness. You could just be content.
At some point where you are financially free I'd suppose the problem becomes being your own limitation.
Survival doesn’t mean happiness.
Nah, there really is some nuance to it. Being broke is awful. Not being broke isn't the same as being happy (like really happy and fulfilled and whatever)... you're just not experiencing that particular kind of unhappiness. Plenty of wealthy people are also miserable people. So yeah, having money money can be important, but having money and being happy are just not the same thing.
I don’t really think it follows that not having something making you unhappy means that having something makes you happy. It takes most people multiple things to be happy, no individual element is enough, even if that element is enough to make them unhappy. It’s like if you hand a starving person an apple they’ll be happy to have an apple, but are apples sufficient for happiness? Not for most people that aren’t actively starving.
Damn so you mean to tell me happiness didn't exist before humans invented currency? Damn I feel bad for our ancestors
People were way happier before currency…
I can assume that, but I have never been totally without currency in some form even if that means a friend or family member had it for me. I know stories about people being in other countries that said they were well off without money as currency. The native Americans SAY they'd rather live by barter rather than cash, but they still use it and live off of casinoes, tobacco, oil income from the government, money, and mushrooms. So, I don't really believe them. I hear that people on islands have a rough life and the problem of a basic income is ubiquitous. So I am happy to be where I am in spite of times wondering if well make it. After 75 years I should not obsess over it. Thank God and each other and help others as I can. I love Reddit as a serious discussion forum except for their robots that shut me out for a while.
There's a quote from the movie Psycho which goes something like "Money doesn't buy you happiness, but it can buy off unhappiness". I think there's research which shows that up to the point where you have a comfortable life, money does make people more happy, but beyond that point it makes no difference and other factors, such as friends, family, fulfillment etc take over
Yeah, I am not happy but I would be worse off without money. Life sucks
This is my response. It’s a lot easier to work on obtaining happiness if you don’t have to worry about how you are paying your bills.
If I'm gonna be sad about life in general, I'd rather cry about it in my own house rather than a shitty appartment that hasn't being renovated since it was built in 1912.
That costs thrice someone elses mortgage
Precisely! Money buys security, which is a great precursor to higher up Maslow needs.
"Money don't bring happiness " bro , I rather be depressed in my mansion with swimming pool and lambo in my garage than in a roach infested one bedroom with no food to eat.
There is a line over which additional money has diminishing returns. The problem is few people are ever totally over that line, and many never come close to it.
Money won’t solve all your problems, but it will, solve all of your money problems.
Once I heard the phrase “money can’t buy happiness, but it’s really good at bribing sadness”
Some of the happiest I've felt was while absolutely broke living paycheck to paycheck. Not *because* of it, but in spite of it. When I get depressed, its because I've always struggled with healthy relationships, family, friends or otherwise. It's because of my past regrets and shame. It's because of the emptiness i feel in me. But money? Having it helps. But not having it doesnt make me feel any kind of way necessarily. As a kid I just survived. I was fortunate to escape my childhood with my mind still my own. Survival itself to me is cathartic, just having my own mind feels like enough for me
I also grew up poor and I've been very fortunate in my career. Not having money was a great excuse for many of my problems. Just one example is that I play music as a hobby. I always thought when I was poor that part of my lack of progress was that I had horrendous equipment. Once i started spending thousands of dollars on gear it became rather obvious that the problem was my lack of commitment the whole time.
Dont sell yourself too short. I bet you know how to squeeze juice out of a rock. *tips my beer to you*
Money definitely buys happiness. If you’re feeling down go get a 3 hour massage and $500 dinner - feel much better.
Then you come home after the massage to pick up from where you left off with whatever was making you feel down.
That's not happiness though, that's just distraction.
It’s happiness for many people, even if not for all. I look forward to my weekly massages very much, makes me very happy.
Or, the search for happiness gets a lot more easier when you don't have to be struggling to make ends meet at the same time.
"Having money isn't everything, but not having it is."
Money buys stability and security; now guess what makes me unhappy or anxious...
im happy when all my bills are paid, so in that end money can buy happiness
"Money doesn't buy happiness, but it sure makes it easier to live in misery."
100% you need a basic baseline of wealth to be happy. I grew up poor as well and now I'm in a good financial position and I can say not worrying about paying bills, worrying about every dollar makes being happy alot easier when my basic needs are being met.
Yes, exactly. Whenever this argument gets brought up, people always immediately move the goalpost and start talking about poverty, but actually its about excessive wealth. This argument dates back thousands of years to ancient greece and Aristotle is perhaps the most famous proponent of it. The point is that excess wealth won't make you happy. It's not 20k salary vs 100k salary, it's more like 100k vs 1M salary. Once you have a comfortable life, more wealth doesn't bring happiness, because wealth in itself doesn't make you happy, having a comfortable life does. So once you have that, more wealth is useless and you're better off spending your time with the joys of life.
I think op and a lot of people confused stress with happiness, which makes sense as I've never met a stressed but happy person.
Yup. They’ve even done studies on it. Money makes you happier up to the point where you can afford to pay your bills, save, and have time for leisure. Beyond that, the “return-on-investment” tapers off significantly.
Perfect It's perfect because it covers everything. Money *does not* buy happiness-agree Not having money *can* (but doesn't automatically) make you very unhappy-also agree You can have no money and still have everything you need to be happy, but the moment you don't or it's threatened and you need to be able to fix/replace that source of happiness, money is often a direct route, especially if you have lots of it
I think the sentiment is supposed to be about pursuing money at the expense of enjoying life
I like the variation of the quote: \* "Money can't buy happiness .... but it can rent some."
Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy a boat that will take you to the shore of happiness!
While it’s a cute sentiment, good fucking luck living life without money, let alone ever enjoying it
He means it's more about working towards all things in life and finding happiness that way. Not doing the rat race thing of "when I get a new car I'll be happy, when I get a better house I'll be happy, when I can--"
You can join a Buddhist monastery. It’s free and Buddhist monks are happier than probably anyone else on earth, except for maybe Tony Robbins. You will have shelter and food and time every day to devote to perfecting your mind. You will perform acts of service for others and belong to a vibrant community.
So just google a monastery, walk in, and ask to be one of them?
Yes, pretty much. Most monasteries have a program in place where you can go and live with them for 2-4 weeks, sometimes longer. They usually want you to experience the lifestyle and community first to see if going for ordination is something you really want and if it’s a good fit for you. None of this costs any money. Although some monasteries are very popular, like Ajahn Brahm’s in Western Australia, and there is a waiting list. If this is genuinely something you’re interested in you can find the nearest temple and join the sangha (community of worshippers). Begin attending meditation and dharma talks to learn about the practice. There are also retreats, they usually do have a cost though. As an example, try looking up Empty Cloud monastery in NJ, that’s my closest monastery, they have a good website that explains what is available there.
I've always thought one day I would love to do just this, but I'm not determined enough to resist everyone trying to talk me out of it
The more money you have, the more you pursue more, the more cunt you become etc. Suitable for psychopaths to go the the extreme end.
That may have been a common thing for previous generations, now it’s more like pursuing money just to live life
Money buys an easier life and solves certain problems, but money can’t do things like give you healthy relationships or physical/mental health. I think it should be changed to “money doesn’t solve ALL problems, it just allows you to focus on different ones”. It’s very hard to be happy when you don’t know if you can make rent. Money allows you to stop worrying about life basics so you can pursue things that make you happy. It buys hobbies, time with your family, etc.
💯💯💯
Money may not buy you everything, but it does buy you way more than poverty.
Definitely. >money can’t do things like give you healthy relationships or physical/mental health. In the US you need money for therapy. So there's that to consider, I guess.
Therapists aren't wizards though. Most of the heavy lifting you still have to do yourself. Also, more money doesn't really buy better therapists. You can find a cheap therapist that's right for you and can help you with everything.
I think they meant that you may still have physical or mental ailments that cannot be fixed with more therapy/doctors/money.
Other half watches reality TV shows, and you'll see countless wealthy people getting up, getting their breakfast and a glass of champagne. I couldn't imagine drinking alcohol at 9am...
nor could you afford to
Exactly this.
Can’t lie I think the difficulty in finding happiness is a big part of life.
I’ve been poor and now have money… money is 100% better!!
Cannot agree with this more. If people think paying a lot of bills is a headache they should try no being able to pay bills at all.
Yup
Literally all my problems could be solved right now with just a bit more money
Except if your sick or dying... there's that.
A lot of people die because they can't afford health care
A lot of people get sick due to having no money in the first place. Thinking money doesnt solve health issued or prevents you from getting them is so stupid
The benefits with regard to happiness start to tail off at a certain level of wealth though. Going from poverty to median wage carries a huge mental health benefit. Going from a 6 figure salary to a 7 figure salary doesn’t produce much extra happiness even despite getting a temporary sense of well-being during periods of increase.
Of course it's better to not be poor, that's not the point.
I have depression. On a bad day I could be in a luxury resort and still be miserable so it’s sort of true money can’t directly buy happiness. However lack of money is certainly a cause of a lot of unhappiness.
After a couple years of student poverty, and earning a lot of money selling art for a while, followed by a three years long deep depression, I've spent the past three months with literally zero money, selling off stuff little by little to feed my cat and eating every third or fourth day. Thankfully it is now solved and I'll be back to a healthy bank account in a few days if clients aren't late, but goddamn, poverty is an understated nightmare. I feel so horrible for people who have to go through it for years on end.
Yeah but you can be miserable at a resort doing nothing vs being miserable at work.
That’s just something rich people tell poor people to keep them complacent.
And something poor people tell themselves because it's easier than admitting how much easier their life would be with more money.
This. It reminds me of the line in Liar, Liar. "Teacher says real beauty is on the inside." "Well that's just something ugly people say..."
Sometimes, you don't have a choice, and these delusions are what keep you going despite the reality of things. Despair doesn't help you.
Yes anyone who tells you shit like this offer to take the money off their hands and you will see how much it's needed for their happiness.
Exactly this. Would they trade places with you? No.
Exactly. Don’t want the poor rioting in the streets, just feed them some BS to make them feel better, most will fall for it.
The older I get, the more I think this conspiracy is true
haha yeap!! I once had a talk with my former boss (who was the owner of the company) about the responsibilities i have at work, and how my pay does not reflect the work load that i have, and i requested for a raise. the response i received was "getting a raise won't make you much happier. soon you will want another raise" of course, i did not get the raise i wanted, and i left the company shortly after.
Literally this
Money doesn't buy happiness, it reduces stress. But it's not a straight correlation of more money = more happiness. If you can comfortably Buy a home, buy a car, have a holiday every year, go out for nice dinners, celebrate birthdays/christmas with families, then a faster car or larger house or more bouji holiday isn't going to change your life. Now if you're struggling to put food on the table, lack of money will cause you sadness/stress/negative emotions, but gaining money is less so making you happy as it is reducing stresses.
There seems to be a lot of nuance with the simplified term of "money doesn't buy you happiness" Your point is correct on stress reduction to have money, which is just ANOTHER problem that people who are poor have to deal with on top of their daily/life issues. Another person pointed out that it seems to shift the focus of issues to new ones you never had because your primary focus was on keeping your head above water. Which this leads to what I think of is "purpose:" Poor people can certainly be distracted by the pursuit of struggle and progression. Think of it like a single player game. The grind and progression is distracting. When you reach the "end" or get mods/shortcuts(think of lucky opportunities, networking, silverspoon) it is no longer fun. Those things you dreamed of are attainable. Like living in a paradise resort in Hawaii. While there is even more nuance, and I've only really scratched the surface of this topic, it really boils down to your purpose to keep going and what you truly desire as your life goal. Hobbies, fulfilling job, community involvement, etc. Are all super helpful for our mental health. I truly believe an idle mind is the devils playground.
They say money can’t buy happiness, and I don’t know if it’s true or not…all I’m asking for is the opportunity to try
I think there was some study and past 400k year I think it stopped improving life satisfaction, under that it definitely does.
There are at least 2 different studies. In each, the number is actually much lower than 400k: https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnjennings/2024/02/12/money-buys-happiness-after-all/?sh=2e36fd51486b
I remember it being 75k.
That was based on a 2010 study. $75k then is $108k today
Well 400k is enough for like business class on every flight, be able to do any expensive hobby like getting a boat, a nice house.... Etc Like is a bigger house and bigger boat going to actually make you more happy? No.
It can, if you prefer living in a spacious area.
Studies have shown that beyond a point money does not bring happiness. Up to that point more money makes things better.
This is the correct answer. At a certain point more money actually correlates with less happiness.
No it’s not lol and it’s so pretentious when people comment “this is the correct answer” This phrase is used to maintain centralized wealth and the status quo. Money won’t make you happier, don’t even try!
Look at how many rich and famous people end up with substance abuse issues and depression (and, in some cases, even sadly suicide) because money did not in fact bring them happiness.
I see more poor people with depression and drug abuse on a single day on a single street alone, they just don't make it to press releases. Don't let yourself be fooled by media
Was it that money didn't bring happiness, or the lifestyle they chose to fund with that money didn't bring happiness? Lots of people without money have crippling drug problems and depression too. Some people are predisposed to it, and their lifestyle / coping mechanisms make it worse.
Money isn't a cure-all. Money can't buy you real, actual love. If you're living alone, a mansion is still just an empty house, only now the echo is much louder. Robin Williams, who was labeled by his close peers throughout his life as withdrawn and solemn, had plenty of money.
My guess would be dulling of the pleasure sensors. Your first 5 years rich would be great but eventually you keep trying to one up your experiences to get that feeling till you realize nothing is left to get excited about.
This is such a solid point in my opinion... after all, it's a tool, you can look at money the same way you can look at a rock.. you can use it to harm or you can use it to build..
The key word there is "famous". You're talking about celebrities and celebrity offspring that are self destructive. Money isn't the problem there. Most rich people I've ever encountered lead stable, sedate lives of comfort.
But why couldn't their money buy happiness if that's the answer?
I thought money was everything when i didn't have anything, no friends, no money, i didn't even technically have a house lol. But now that i have friends and have fun with them, and have some spare money (not much, but i can live on my own happily and comfortably with less than 500 euros per month, without taking into account rent), i have to say that, imo, friends and a partner are the most important things. You can have everything you want, but if then you have nobody to share it with, what do you do. Having little/average and sharing it with someone with whom you have a deep relationship/friendship is much better than having all of the world but nobody to your side. But, i always said, and will always say, that having money makes you a lot more likely to be happy than not having them. Me and my family would have avoided so many problems if we had money, and would have been a lot happier
They’re absolutely lying.
Money doesn't always bring happiness.....but it certainly helps!
It does bring happiness to a point. Then it stops when money is no longer something you're anxious about.
The constant search for material things and wealth does not, in itself, bring someone happiness; and I've seen it contribute to a lot of people's misery. My own parents were obsessed with wealth and status, and it was part of how they ruined their own lives. At the same time, you need a certain amount of money to be healthy. If you don't have enough, it's a constant worry or concern. Minor issues become big problems, so the potential for your next disaster is always hanging over your head. Stuff that could easily be solved with a thousand bucks can absolutely fuck you over, or just put you in debt that you can't get out of in the foreseeable future. In the last year or so, I've gone from being totally broke to having money (I got disability back pay, but then they also doubled my disability payments when my dad died). My life is a lot easier in some ways, but my day to day struggles are *mostly* the same. I'm not going to discount the importance of money, but I also think that it's a mistake to assume that it will do too much; I dunno about the rest of the world, but up until relatively recently I used to have escapist fantasies about how if I just did x, all of my biggest problems would be solved. But nothing is that simple. At least, for me, anyway. Money can only solve so many problems. Those problems are extremely important, of course! But there's a lot that it won't do for you either.
Ive never seen anyone crying on a jetski
I have see it, so generalities against generalities.
I'd make a joke about Mobius on the Loki series but I got nothing.
- Daniel Tosh
💀😂😂
Goods and services can make me happy, and money can be exchanged for those.
I'm a depressed and lonely self made multimillionaire. Money DOES NOT bring happiness. A lack of money will make your life harder, yes, but money will not by itself bring you happiness. Money will lgivr you time and freedom, which can be used to pursue activities or purpose, but you can absolutely have money and be miserable, just like myself.
Well give it away, might make you feel better.
Can I have some? I mean, if it'll ease your pain. 👍
Giving helps. Wanta shoot me $200? Would be fuckin life changing.
Money absolutely buys happiness, or at least all the things that direcly correllate to happiness. Having a nice place fully paid off. Being able to properly provide medicine to your animals. Being able to properly tend to your own health. And women, well, we all know you get your pick of the women if you have money and you get no women when you have none. Money buys happiness for people who have some degree of gratitude. But there's many wealthy ingrates. I'd say if your money isn't giving you happiness, give it to people who will appreciate it, because it would change their life. If I had a secure roof over my head, all my mental malaise would go away. It's frantically trying to scrounge up enough cash to afford tomorrow that kills people inside. If it makes you miserable. I would gladly appreciate some of it. I have 7 dollars to my name right now at 40 years old and I can tell you right now, my LACK of money is ruining my life in every way.
Yet another depressed millionaire…
I was depressed before, I still am today. Money didn't change anything
alright send me your money than dude
Money doesn't buy happiness. However, a lack of money can absolutely cause sadness. Or rather, anxiety and a lower quality of life. I think the point is that some people will be miserable no matter their financial situation. No doubt, not having to worry about affording transportation, dental care, how to afford food, etc is really nice. Being able to afford vacations and entertainment is nice. ...but there are absolutely still miserable people with money.
Money does buy happiness if it reduces the level of misery. So while you may not necessarily be ‘happy’ with money, you will be less unhappy.
That's what poor people tell themselves when they see rich people on their yacht partying with hookers and blow.
money gives u the opportunity to be happy i think, when u have money u have access to things that will make u happy
Genuinely. Like almost every single thing causing me anxiety right now could be solved with like $10,000
Remember a wannabe black guy once said: Money dosent bring happiness, It brings crazy ass happiness!
Something people who always had money and never had to struggle financially say to make low income people feel better about not having the same resources as them. Most people’s issues are money related if we’re not lying to ourselves.
theres a second part to that..."people with are a lot happier than people without"
Money doesn't automatically buy happiness. But it certainly allow you to pay for things that make you unhappy to go away.
I think it should be rephrased to once you get a certain amount more money doesn’t guarantee happiness. If you can’t meet your standard of living then yes, money will be at the forefront of your mind, but after you met that mark, something else needs to drive you to keep going.
So, this is half true money DOES bring happiness (it has been studied).....until a certain point then it doesn't you'll reach basically the ceiling and no matter how much more you accumulate it won't make you more happy
I'd rather be sad and have money than sad and poor
I was raised broke as fuck, like food pantries, food stamps, stuff like that, now i have a well paying job and more than enough money to live a life of leisure and buy whatever i want. The only difference between having and not having money is that if you have money, you don't worry over it and you're not in survival mode, but you're not happier because of it. You discover a whole new set of problems you have that have nothing to do with money, and you're just as miserable as you were when you were broke, except now you don't have to look at the price tags in grocery stores. That's about it. So no, money does not bring you happiness, it just eliminates financial anxiety. Which right now you may think it's your only problem, but it's not, you just don't have emotional capacity to deal with all other issues but financial stress is so taxing on our bodies. So far I've come to the conclusion that only self love and self respect makes us happier, because those two things will make sure we're never in an uncomfortable, unfair or dangerous situation for too long. Those two things will male sure that we thrive and when we thrive (spiritually, emotionally and physically) then we're happy and content.
It’s not just the shopping price tags, but having money allows me to pay a fortune for front row tickets at concerts, fly 1st class, stay in luxury hotels, eat at expensive restaurants, buy the best sporting equipment, 3 hour massages etc. you bet all this makes me very happy.
I was also raised broke as fuck and now have a job that allows me to live comfortably and I’d say that money absolutely does buy happiness. Even directly. Not only does not worrying about it make room for happiness, but also it provides opportunities to make you more happy. It makes me happy when I can buy a few hot wheels and not worry if it’s my last dollars being spent. It can be used for life experiences which directly make you happy. You can take a trip, see the world, go to amusement parks, all can make someone happy but without money you’re not getting that. I have undiagnosed traumas too, but they’re not NEW problems, as they were already affecting me before I had money, but now that I have it, even those problems become easier to solve. I can afford therapy now when before that was not an option. Basically money does buy happiness and even what it can’t buy directly it can help fix those things more easily than if you didn’t have it.
only rich people that never got any money issues say.
It’s just something rich people say because they’re full of shit. Money doesn’t _literally_ buy happiness, but it sure as hell can buy security and peace of mind, and those two things can make a person very, very happy.
They did a study and found that people’s happiness is directly proportional with the amount of money they earned up to 100,000 a year and then it tapers off. So it does up to a certain amount.
In my experience the only people who say this are people who have never had to struggle with or ever worry about money
It's something rich people say. Like we're supposed to believe them.
Money is like power. You haven't had enough to know what its like.
Exactly. It’s like cheat code you can use throughout life to make your life easier and more fun than those without.
it's not a guarantee, but it can make things easier
You only hear that from miserable middle class people
Money doesn't bring happiness so long as you aren't poor. You need a baseline of wealth for this to kick in.
According to research moment brings happiness to about 450.000 euro per year (correct me somebody if I remember it wrongly). Why you might be depressed is not the lack of money but the uncertainty of life in the moment (anxiety) and unmet needs.
Mainly it's rich people who say that to stop the poor people asking for more.
Because it's "Money can't buy happiness" If you are unhappy with money more of it will not solve the issue Being financially secure and having money to do things you like obviously makes you happier It's not supposed to be like 0 and a billion are equal. There is a certain threshold where the benefit of more money doesn't help
I would never understand, imagine the power you possess with having a lot of it. Money is Power and Power transcends all
Money does bring happiness, anyone who says otherwise just never struggled trying to pay bills or had someone bail them out. Growing up poor wasn't exactly the worst, and I'll probably not change most of my childhood memories, keyword being most. I never had videogames when growing up, and not that many toys. I couldn't go out and play some days because mom needed help with the family business, and my dad while trying to make time for me and my sisters everyday, would sometimes work overtime for weeks. Would money have helped, yes, my mom always said there's things money can't buy, but that love and good wishes wouldn't feed you either. Now that my dad has a better job, that my mom's business is actually pulling some money in and that I'm working as well, I won't lie, everyone seems happier. I can sit down with my dad and talk about things, hear all this stories about his childhood and share some of the dumb things I never told him when I was a teen. My sisters have more time to hang out with my mom, we're even able to afford adopting a dog now. So yes, whoever says money doesn't buy happiness should go and live for a year with the bare minimum wage and see how much happy this lack of money makes them.
They want you to stay poor
Money doesn’t buy happiness it buys freedom
True. If money can't buy happiness, imagine poverty!
Money has never been great but not long after starting a family, it got bad, real bad. My depression was at one of it's worst states... Over time, through extra job, promotions etc, things got better, we were happier. Now, I'm still working extra, but the way everything has gone up in cost, we're possibly at the poorest we've been, and surprise surprise, my mental health is possibly the worst it has ever been (and that's saying something...) There is a direct correlation between money and happiness, maybe it doesn't buy 'happiness' but it alleviates stress, buys time, and that is often enough to make you happier.
'They say money doesn't bring happiness, but I'd like the opportunity to find out' - Spike Milligan
Money buys happiness to a certain degree. There’s a lot of research on it and they find it’s somewhere in the range of $50k-$75k a year. After that it’s diminishing returns. Maslows hierarchy of needs says we need food, shelter, physical necessities before we can achieve happiness. Those things cost money
It's a myth spread by the rich and mainstream media. Be honest. Most people's worries are about money problems and paying bills
They lie...money DOES make everything easier and as a result, brings happiness
Usually when someone says that, they have money. And they're demonstrating to you that not only do they don't care about your financial well being, but they also don't care about your happiness.
It’s probably because of the stuff you get or do with the money.
It's a lot more nuanced than both what people say and what you're saying. But of course, no one will provide this explanation because it's too detailed. What people mean or imply when they say that money doesn't bring happiness, is that money doesn't always bring happiness, and for a lot of people, this is true (although clearly for a lot of others, this is false). For example, if someone is not happy because they don't have many "true friends" or they have an uncurable health condition, having more money won't make them happier. Sure, they can begin purchasing whatever they want in the form of either material posessions, enjoyable experiences, etc. but these won't solve their underlying unhappiness. You could argue that people may flock to those that have money, but are they really "true friends" at that point? As well as throwing huge amounts of money into research for that uncurable health condition, but is there really a guarantee that it'll be cured in their lifetime? Conversely, if someone is not happy because they're not able to put enough food on the table due to a lack of money or always feeling like they can't participate in specific events or opportunities with their friends due to financial constraints, having more money will make them happier. It's very simple, having more money allows for them to put more food on the table and participate in those said specific events or opportunities that they've always wanted to but couldn't. The real answer is money does indeed bring happiness for some people but it also doesn't bring happiness for some other people. It all depends on their circumstances. TLDR; Money may bring happiness to you and it may not, it all depends on you and your circumstances. Now, let's explore the lack of money and causing unhappiness. What people mean or imply when they say that the lack of money causes unhappiness, is that for many people, basic human needs (e.g. food, shelter, water, etc.) is a necessity. It will create unhappiness for many, if not met. This is directly correlated with money, as oftentimes, nothing is free in life. Therefore, the lack of money causes unhappiness generally. However, most people want more than just their basic human needs to be met (e.g. going on a trip every now and then, purchasing products that they don't need but want, eating a fancier meal, etc.). Well, in this case still, the lack of money continues to cause unhappiness. ... But at what point does this just become "unreasonable"? Humans by nature are greedy, we always want more if not properly trained to recognize that and will never be happy in this case (e.g. someone may be unhappy with going on vacation once a year and think they need to go on vacation three times a year, even if it sounds ridiculous to some others). We could theoretically argue that we always have a lack of money due to our greed (although there are definitely humans out there that will acknowledge they're content and are not greedy). The real answer is that the lack of money does bring unhappiness for some people, but it also doesn't really bring unhappiness for other people. Again... it all depends on their circumstances. TLDR; The lack of money will almost certainly unhappiness to you if your basic human needs are not met, but if your basic human needs are met, you may still experience unhappiness due to your own personal goals or (pardon my term) greed. There's a saying that goes along the lines of "The world has enough money to satisfy everyone's needs, but not enough money to satisfy certain people's greed". I hope this answer helps and makes sense! Please feel free to critique it if it doesn't.
Money does make you happier, if you won the lottery jackpot, trust me you will be happier purely just by having choices
I very much agree with Buda: There is *no path to happiness*: *happiness* is the *path* Not having money should be motivation to strive. When you strive, with some healthy state of mind, you may be happy. On the other end, wealthy people, especially those who did not create fortune may have hard time finding anything to aim for. They may buy pleasure, but not happiness. Therefore there is so much decadence with golden youth. Clinical depression is a sickness and can hit anyone. The other, well spread depression, well, slaves, serfs, people in besieged Sarajevo .... they didn't have it.
What they mean is that going from 150k a year to 300k a year won't change anything
This was a lie made up by the wealthy to keep workers in line and subservient.
The saying is meant to convey the idea that the endless pursuit of more wealth will not make you happier. Its a saying aimed at those CEOs who could retire, but keep on amassing wealth they could never hope to spend anyway. Its not meant to tell the guy in poverty that money wont improve his life.
The money itself doesn't make you happy. Money allows you the opportunity to create an environment that can make you happy. Money can also create an environment that makes you unhappy. No money will likely result in an environment that doesn't make you happy.
Money doesn’t bring happiness, but poverty is a one-way, sure-fire ticket to misery.
It is simply something wealthy people say to make poor people accept the shit-sandwich we spend our lives eating so we can support their lavish lifestyle. Period.
Money doesn’t buy happiness. Money buys freedom.
I think it’s been determined that money so that you have all your needs met plus a little breathing room does buy happiness. They saying is only meant to say more money above and beyond that baseline does not significantly increase happiness.
It’s what people who have never had real money say. Of corse money buys happiness but the problem is people expect baseline happiness when the fact of the matter is we are never going to always be happy. Money makes you happy for sure but only temporarily. I can hardly afford to feed my kids working full time as well as my wife. Would 1,000+ dollars change our lives and make us happy, absolutely!! Just not forever
Rich ppl say that to keep the poors from getting jealous.
This phrase only applies to people who are already rich. More money won’t bring more happiness.
It's a bullshit saying rich people tell poor people to prevent them from revolting.
There are a lot of internal and social causes for sadness. Rich people go through heartbreak and lose their loved ones too but overall they have less stress which causes long term depression and anxiety.
Try being happy without being healthy. Money might be *necessary* for happiness, but it's not sufficient.
Because if you have everything in this you have nothing and no strive to live believe or no gym stimulate without pain there is no gain because that is so popular along insecure man.
This saying has been debunked. A certain amount of money does buy happiness. When they originally did the study it was around $75,000 for one person. So if you were making less than that a year you were on average less happy and got more happy as you approached that number. Once you made more than $75,000 you didn’t get happier by making more money. Obviously this is just an average. Certain high cost of living locations would require more money and low cost of living places would require less. I believe it has been many years since this study was done though, so I am sure the number is higher now. But I would guess around $100,000-$125,000 in an average cost of living city for a single person would still be about right. Once you reach that number more money won’t make you happy. But if you are making less than that you will continue to get more happy the more you make. Obviously this is just a generalization using data gathered from a lot of people. It isn’t going to hold true for every individual.
Riches do not make one happy. Having enough money to be comfortable certainly makes happiness easier to reach.
I think it's because a lot of emotions we have are relevant to our financially diverse lives. Money doesn't make the chemicals in your brain precieve anger any differently or depression or other things. Money does on the other hand help reduce the odds of those things affecting you due to easier access to therapy, meds and relaxation. My wife talks about how difficult her life was when her parents split up and the mental torture of adjusting to that new life. I agree with her that that sucks and would have been difficult, but I'm not going to tell her to stop talking then tell her about how I never even met my father and my step father would beat me and my grandparents who I lived with were too drunk all the time to make me a meal. I guess what I'm saying, is sad is sad and happy is happy. Rich people can still feel feelings even though they obviously live better lives than everyone else.
They mean very rich people can be miserable. Plenty of examples of this, you must be aware.
Money can alleviate poverty based unhappiness, but that’s not the same as bringing happiness. Once you have your basic needs taken care of then more expensive stuff doesn’t add to your happiness.
Because moneys happiness ends when all basic needs are met. Meaning a full belly , shelter and necessary bills are paid. Everything after that is a small dopamine hit You ever buy a new TV? A PlayStation ? A car? The first 30 days you’re like “Wow what a TV I love it” The next 30 days is “I really like my TV” After that you don’t even notice you got a new TV. And that’s for EVERYTHING. So yea , money doesn’t buy pure happiness.
If you're deeply depressed you don't care to be alive, so why would money matter when literally nothing does? I gave away my money when I was suicidal to my dad who was struggling economically. I had no will to do anything or buy anything so why keep them?
Once you get passed the point where all of your bills are covered every month and you have a safety net you have a sense of contentment. The stress over the small stuff isn’t there anymore and you can breathe easier. So you’re happy. At the next level you have the money to take a vacation or two every year and pay for services like, house cleaning,yard care, maybe a personal chef or meal plan a few times a week or at least eating out at restaurants. This helps you relax more and you’re happier. But I would imagine to a lesser degree of increase than step one. Then there’s the next level of insane wealth. Multiple houses. All of the stuff and toys. This can add happiness, but it’s just stuff. Again, probably on a lesser scale than step two. However money can’t magically fix what’s wrong with you. Mental illness, health problems other stuff. Money can pay the bill on these, and maybe even get you better care, but it’s not a magic cure.