money does buy a lot of happiness, amirite?

I saw a study somewhere that this is true up to a point. But once you hit upper middle class income, there's no correlation between increased wealth and happiness

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Agreed. People in poverty certainly see their happiness go up as more and more of their basic needs are met.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

That still means for the majority of people, money will help with happiness.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Sure. But the saying is usually in reference to someone who has a lot of money, but still seems unhappy. You know; "why would Kurt Cobain kill himself" or "why is Matthew Perry (apparently) using all of the Oxy manufactured?" Cause lots of money doesn't make you happy. You can be poor and happy and rich and miserable. Happiness can't be bought, it must cultivated.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Yes, it varies by country, but in most European countries, the value is around £90,000/€99,000 where peak happiness occurs, and that generally comes from an acceptable level of stability and no financial worries

by Anonymous 1 year ago

The "more accurate" version of the saying is "money can buy comfort, but not happiness." Once your basic needs are met; sure you can buy whatever you want but eventually it will get old. So what then, you just keep buying stuff to fill the empty void? People try that and it doesn't work. You can absolutely be filthy rich, lonely, and miserable.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

I dont know current numbers, but at the time it was ~$75,000 was the balance point. That was a few years ago, so Im sure its gone up just due to inflation and whatnot.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

This was proven wrong. UPenn released a study that showed that more money kept correlating with more happiness with no cap.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Even if there isn't a vast difference in happiness, I'd rather cry in a Ferrari

by Anonymous 1 year ago

More money in the 401K is going to increase happiness when you retire. It is delayed gratification, though, but there is some happiness gain there. I think you make a good point that your happiness is pretty much covered once your needs are met and you have a few luxuries.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

That's close, there's still a correlation it's just there's a steep leveling off after you can essentially afford all of your needs without concern.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

You just have to have more than the majority.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

I'm not sure I trust a lot of studies that relate to human behavior. Mainly because I don't see many (almost none, though it does happen) rich people give away everything until they're firmly "upper-middle". Almost no one turns down a pay raise. Besides, how is happiness even quantified? What do you compare it to? And what kind of happiness? I am happy when I see a movie I enjoy, but I also happy when my little nephew tugs on my sweater and says "You're the best and I just wanted to give you a hug." (Yes, that actually happened) But those are two TOTALLY different joyous sensations. Money is the same thing. I was very happy when I got a generous bonus at a particular job. Very VERY happy. But that money also didn't solve everything either as I was having relationship problems at the time. If one measured my happiness overall at that time, I would have seemed rather glum. But, I would have almost certainly felt worse if I was heartbroken AND broke at the same time. Not a perfect comparison since I wasn't "rich" (another difficult term to quantify...70K is quite healthy in Alabama, in San Francisco or Manhattan you're barely getting by. ) but it tells me that there are a lot of complicating factors and ill-defined terms.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Money buys you comfort and experiences but beyond a certain point it becomes useless.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Yeah I think once I pass a billion I'll be settled

by Anonymous 1 year ago

But then you'll see your jerk of a neighbor bought two spaceships... so of course you need three now.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

DINKLEBERG!!

by Anonymous 1 year ago

And this is where I park my third spaceship! IF I HAD ONE!!!!

by Anonymous 1 year ago

money only becomes useless if happiness is correlated to having relationships and disregards material things

by Anonymous 1 year ago

"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!"

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Money buys you things that you enjoy. Not happiness itself.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Not just things , but experiences which definitely can bring happiness , Can't fully experience the world and what it offers if you're broke

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Never seen an unhappy person on a jetski

by Anonymous 1 year ago

I'm guessing you don't know aot of people who own jetskis

by Anonymous 1 year ago

and that brings happiness!

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Not always.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

i believe that they could have happiness in their own way at their own time

by Anonymous 1 year ago

If you can't buy happiness, you are shopping in the wrong places.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Ok. Well, if it's a Dad joke then it must be true.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Let's go shopping and I will prove it to you. I really do not know why people say that money cannot buy happiness. It totally can. There are lots of important things that it cannot buy, for sure though. Happiness is not the only important thing in life.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

and with those thing they enjoy, they enjoy life, which actually serves its purpose and therefore causes happiness

by Anonymous 1 year ago

It buys comfort and things you enjoy and that translates to happiness.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

definitely! that is why my only wish for myself is to be successful and be filthy rich someday

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Some rich asshole CEO was probably the guy who originally said that.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

They would be the one to know, no?

by Anonymous 1 year ago

No. They would be the one to benefit from people believing money doesn't buy happiness.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Money doesn't buy happiness, but money alleviates a lot of stress, thereby making happiness easier to attain.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

That sounds like buying happiness with extra steps. Plus alleviating stress directly makes you happier. Getting happier and removing stuff that make you unhappy are not different things. It's a spectrum.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

>That sounds like buying happiness with extra steps. Then you aren't listening.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Material goods only provide temporary happiness.Once you get bored of that temporary happiness, you have to move on to another.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Money buys a lot more than just material things.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

but you can still be happy occasionally because you have your material things. no one in the world is happy every day permanently especially if they have no money to spend at all

by Anonymous 1 year ago

There is truth here. I note the OP didn't say ALL happiness. Anyone who cannot pay their bills can buy a lot of happiness with enough cash to get caught up.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Money cant buy happiness = 🧢🧢🧢🧢

by Anonymous 1 year ago

This is only something rich people say to poor people to try and make them feel better about being poor

by Anonymous 1 year ago

not only that, even fairytales and mainstream movies and dramas patronize this kind of thinking

by Anonymous 1 year ago

While being unable to afford the necessities of life can make you miserable, purchasing material possessions will not lead to any lasting happiness. True happiness comes from meaningful relationships and having a purpose in life, and neither of these things requires significant amounts of money.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

"It's almost always people who've never experienced the struggle of financial hardships who think money can't buy happiness." \- Me, 2022

by Anonymous 1 year ago

The removal of suffering due to financial hardship is not the same as acquiring happiness.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Mo Money, Mo Problems \- The Notorious B.I.G.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

> You can get ANYTHING IN THE WORLD to make you happy and people say it doesnt Can money bring a deceased relative back to life?

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Maybe if you HAD the money to afford better medical care, that relative would not have died? Same can be said with many other things that could've prevented an earlier death - better nutritional diet, a less financially-stressed life, a more expensive and safer car, better access to daily vitimins and medication, etc.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Steve Jobs

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Maybe. The cost could just be far higher than anyone can afford currently. We dont know what technology could do given enough time.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

>OP well if you were already rich then yes if they had better medical care

by Anonymous 1 year ago

So the answer is no - it can't raise someone from the dead.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

well in the future if they find that technology to do so then yes

by Anonymous 1 year ago

As I recall Robin Williams had money, but he was so unhappy he killed himself. Seems the same with the guy who sang Don't worry, Be happy.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Didn't he kill himself cause he was diagnosed with dementia?

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Bobby McFerrin is still alive.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Heard this years ago and just found out it was his father who died of a heart attack.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Quite a bit different from suicide.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Money does not effectively buy happiness, but allow you to do what makes you happy. I think that some rich people are not happy because they think material things will make them satisfied. Money definitely makes life easier.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

If I didn't have to work I'd be happy it's that simple

by Anonymous 1 year ago

pretty sure the phrase doesnt refer to poor people, it doesnt mean 'you dont need money to be happy' pretty sure it was referring to rich people who's only goal is more money, it meant 'making more money than this will not bring you more happiness' after some amount of money you can live a very comfortable life without having to work a day in your life.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

I like to put it this way: I don't think wealth can buy happiness, but neither can poverty. I'd rather be rich and depressed than poor and depressed :|

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Unpopular opinion: Not all correlations are monotonic.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Money does buy happiness if u know what to buy you just have to think smart

by Anonymous 1 year ago

At the very least, it can rent it for a time.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

In my opinion most people who say that are rich people that don't understand what it's like to not have money or they just don't want people to aspire for money because rich like to keep others from being rich. The other group is people who are not wealthy and have given up on becoming wealthy so they say that to make it seems better. You cannot buy a product called happiness but I don't think anyone with a brain would argue that it definitely gives you security and freedom which are two of the most important and hardest to achieve factors of happiness.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

I totally agree. Having money itself doesn't bring happiness, but using that money to pay off your home, send kids to college, buy that car you've dreamed of, etc CAN bring happiness.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

The very reason money was invented was to buy happiness.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

I've seen that study as well. Very interesting.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

The point of that saying is that if you're an unhappy person, money won't fix it. Not permanently. Rich people still experience depression, isolation, fears and unhappiness. Now yeah, money would solve most of my problems and make it easier to be happy. But I would still hate how I look and I would still have some depression.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Rich people can go camping for a day, but poor people can't live in a mansion for a day. - (probably) Master Oogway

by Anonymous 1 year ago

It's the ol hedonic treadmill. It makes you happy to imagine having those things. You sit around looking at that sweet sports car. You test drive it. You get the money for it. The anticipation is amazing! Then you get it and it's amazing. The 10th time you drive it…amazing. The 50th time…it's just a car. You are actually no happier than when you were driving you Corolla.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Money can buy therapy

by Anonymous 1 year ago

money buys comfortability and not having to worry about if you have enough to feed your kids. people that say it doesn't are just blind to lives outside of their own

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Money buys happiness is a viewpoint that is true for 99.999% of the world 99.999% of the time. Other people have said it. Money increases happiness for those below a certain income level. The problem is a vast majority of people are well below that income level. If you dont have your own place, money improves your life up until you have your own place and own it free and clear. Before then, you either have rent to pay or the stress of a mortgage. Being free from the stress or rent or house payments is no small happiness either. With current property values in most areas, money would greatly improve a persons life until they have at least a million.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

I say this a lot lol. Of course materials are temporary, but I bought my dog and cats with money and I can say, they bring me so much joy so yes, money bought me happiness

by Anonymous 1 year ago

This is just something they say to poor people. Of course money makes people happier and having stability makes people happier. Anyone who wants to pretend that it doesn't is an asshole.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

it sure doesn't. things will never make u happy; just temporarily contempt. it's the little things not the amount of things in one's life. the more things u get the less u will feel in your soul. looking outwards to external things is only a distraction to one's punitive and primitive mind.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

At first. At first, it buys a lot of happiness. But eventually, you have to buy more. And you can, with money!

by Anonymous 1 year ago

it literal does and I totally agree. People say like it can buy stuff that makes you happy but isn't that still buying me happiness? Its the same thing. it really does, no idea why people still continue to argue about this

by Anonymous 1 year ago

I agree. And I also think wanting less results in having more

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Money doesn't buy happiness it paves the road to it

by Anonymous 1 year ago

I was a poor student for 4 years living off < $20 a week for food. Money buys hapiness.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

If you are dependent on money for your happiness, you have not learned to be happy.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

It's true. You can be happy without money. You can be happy with money.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

Back in the 1980's I met a lottery winner that won $1,600,000. He took the 20 year payout at $80,000 a year. He was like 25 at the time and had won when he was 19. The first three years were a horror show. Broke up with his long time GF, quit his job, and bought a Pontiac Firebird. He ran out of money about six months in. He tried to get a loan and was turned down. He basically couch surfed for six months. He said the most important thing he learned is who his real friends were. He'd turned things around when I met him but he still said he'd be better off if he hadn't won.

by Anonymous 1 year ago

well thats the lottery not you actually being rich for a life time

by Anonymous 1 year ago

money brings security but it does not bring fulfillment in life; that's what people mean by it

by Anonymous 1 year ago

It buys happiness as far as it can lift your stress. After that only buys happiness in the way that doing more heroine does.

by Anonymous 1 year ago