Does money buy happiness?

I'm going to go against the general grain of (expressed) opinion and say that it can. When you're in poverty, you're never going to enjoy anything properly. I think there's a point where, once money isn't dragging you into miseries, that it can no longer be responsible for your happiness. But debt and plain poverty do deprive people of happiness. Money is incredibly important, and that can't be denied.

 

I understand that attitude, but even a very close family needs money to remain truly close. The massive happiness at Christmas that is usually the height of western family interaction isn't going to be possible if everyone's poor. These are basically two different axes of happiness; one of the healthiness of relationships within social constructs, and the other of basic human needs.

 

I completely agree with you there

 

Lots of things make a person happy, and "things money can't buy" don't have a monopoly on human happiness.

Even when you are with someone you love and blah blah blah, you still have the potential to be MORE happy, with the help of money. I'd rather be going out and doing exciting things all over the place with that person. Going out for dinner, going to theme parks, baking delicious food, going swimming, going on holidays, dressing up nicely for each other, etc etc.

Doing all that stuff with the person you love is much better than sitting in a one bedroom flat with the person you love, sleeping on a line of cusions on the floor because you can't afford a matress, catching the mouldy drips of water coming down from the decaying ceiling which is now thin enough that you can hear the people upstairs arguing, fucking, crying, etc. I'd rather not come home from work stressed out of my mind and not in the mood to spend nice time with anyone becase I'm so scared about being able to pay the electricity bill next month.


You could say that money can't buy the pinnacle of human happiness on it's own, but neither can love.

 

Yes and no.

Money can buy you short-time happiness ("I love my new jeans!") but in the long term, friends, family, love, hobbies and interests are so much more important.

Unfortunately I feel like we live in a society where people go for short term. Add a lot of small purchases for "instant happiness" and, hello consumerism.

 

Most experts in this area will tell you that money satisfies needs, and hence makes you happier, but beyond that, little happiness.

But the line between need, and greed, is rather...flexible. :rolle:

 

They've done studies on this. Yes, if you're living in poverty, money can buy happiness, because not worrying about where your next meal will come from or how you're going to keep your roof from caving in will make you happier. And being able to go on vacations or go to concerns or travel and see other parts of the world and expand your world view probably will make you happier.

But there's a limit (I think it was found to be $80,000 a year). Beyond that limit, having more money won't make you happier.

Well put.

 

I think it's subjective.

If you grew up working class and worked hard to become wealthy, then I think you would be certainly happier for the wealth.

However, if the trappings of being wealthy have been the norm your whole life then I don't think that wealth has any bearing on happiness. If you have always traveled overseas for exotic holidays and lived in luxurious homes, then where do you go from there?

In both cases, personal relationships also play a massive part. If you're wealthy and lonely then it's unlikely you would experience happiness.

 

No, but it can buy you bacon, and that's close enough. But to be serious, I think if you were in poverty level before I think money can buy you happiness, but for the most part I don't think it can but long-term happiness.

 

I think it can sustain happiness, though maybe not get you more if that makes sense.

I was raised in a very wealthy family, though we lived a middle class life - my fathers choice, really. It was very minor things that my family would get or do that would show we had at least a little more money than expected, but luckily I wasn't raised to have anything and everything I wanted (partially because I didn't ever want anything). In that way, money sustained our happiness as a family because we could do and buy certain things and just add it to our lives without it being just a short-term sort of thing. We never did/bought anything to increase our happiness, rather we did it to just build on the happiness we already had and prolong it.

Does that make sense?

 

There's definite correlation between money and happiness but only up to a point. Once you've got enough money to live comfortably, more money is unlikely to make you significantly happier.

Relationships with friends and family are what make me happy more than anything.

 

Money can't BUY happiness, no. But it can certainly RENT it for awhile.

 

Money cannot buy happiness, however, with more money I, for example, could buy a drum kit and a car and actually get into a band again and do gigs. I could 'have a life' for a change, instead of feeling lonely in my flat.
So, it can't buy friends or anything, but it can make certain situations people are in so much better.

 

Money contributes to happiness. Just like many other things.

 

You're dead for a real long time
You just can't prevent it
So if money can't buy happiness
I guess I'll have to rent it.

- Weird Al Yankovic, "This Is the Life"

I've been both well-off, and hovering at the poverty line. And I've been happy in both places. But if I get to choose, I'll pick being well-off.

Lex

 

Well if money can't buy it, you'll have to rent it.

 

I say yes.

While no you cannot buy love, however maybe you go take a trip to a new country, and alas fall in love with someone. Or you go out more often so you have a higher chance of meeting someone. No you cannot buy happiness, but if there is something you like to do, like travel for example. Money can help you travel and do what you love. It cannot buy happiness, but if can buy a way to it.