Money does make you happy

[SethBrundle]

First off everyone is different. What might make you happy might not work for me.
Second as we go through life our perspective on what will make us happy tends to change.
Third a lot of times what we think will make us happy turns out not to be the case once we get it.
There are many different facets to happiness. Money can be one of them but it is defiantly not the only one. I could be worth millions but if I just found out I had terminal cancer I don’t think I’d be too happy.

 

[belair]

I don't think it is money that buys happiness; I believe what we do can "make" us happy... and horny! Think participACTION!

 

[slacker]

Money can certainly buy some forms of happiness.

Myself I've gone from poor bastard starting out to doing reasonably well.

Now as a poor bastard your choices are more limited. If you don't get up and go to your job you will be living on the street. You don't have other job options. You may hate your job. You worry about paying your bills. You wonder how you might ever land a nice wife (what's she gonna see in your future?).

What's most important to me about having money is freedom. If I lost my job now I could probably retire (not a rich retirement, I'd have to be very careful with spending). Now I don't have to get up in the morning feeling like I have to go to work. I go there and try to enjoy it, I don't have to worry about pissing anyone off so I can work the way I want to work without much fear. Now I'm basically working to be able to have a more comfortable retirement. Making a decent amount of money I feel like I am getting somewhere because year to year I am in a much better position financially.

When you do get money your standards do slowly creep up and it probably takes more to make you happy. I don't really spend a lot of money but my home is important to me. I'm so glad I don't have to live in some crappy old apartment with some retarded neighbour who smells and keeps me awake blasting music. I think where you live can make a big difference in your happiness.

Funny thing is you always look back at your poor years and think of those times with a bit of fondness. You were struggling and working hard to get ahead. Now that you have money life isn't as challenging (I'm lazy so that's really quite OK).

Now there are always those things that money won't solve. The girl you love who doesn't love you won't be solved with money (well maybe sometimes). You may have money but aren't able to use it to pursue happiness due to other commitments you have (such as a family). E.g. you get money after you are married so can't blow it all having a good time with SPs. You may lack confidence with women or whatever and money may not help.

One other thing, 100k a year these days doesn't really get you that far ahead. Definitely it's much better than making less than that and scraping by. But 100k doesn't make you instantly rich. Consider the government and other taxes/etc. knocks about half off of that. Are you rich if you even live in a 1 million dollar house any more? Not in this real estate market. So if you saved 50,000 a year assuming you had no other expenses (this is not realistic) it would take you 20 years to save up for that house. So 100k is nice, but 100k these days for people in this market is the equivalent of people who made say 50k 10 year ago. Would you consider someone who made 50k 10 years ago rich? I think we should probably saying you aren't really getting into decent money until 150 or 200k or more. But it's all relative I guess.

 

[Cali Scott]

Money can certainly buy some forms of happiness.

Sorry bro', I must disagree. You're either happy or you're not. The only thing money can buy is distractions or diversions from your unhappy state.

If you're poor and unhappy and won the Lotto, you'd be happy for awhile but since you've not addressed the underlying cause(s) of your unhappiness, it WILL be back. There are many dozens of stories of winners that have spiraled into self-destruction or returned to poverty after winning.

The headlines have been riddled with stories of folks who "had it all" but were miserable inside because they failed to address the root causes of their unhappiness. They tried to use money (others use sex, drugs, work, religion) to fill some void and when they made it, they found that it was still there.

That said, with money, you can sure be miserable in a better part of town!

 

[Saraphina]

Straight up money buys away a lot of problems that can make one unhappy. Money also facilitates achieving some fun opportunities (that can make you happy). Money, sex, love, family, friendship, acomplishment and wonderful experiences all bring me happiness. In spite of the happiness they bring, I find life just isn't worth living without the pursuit of happiness (the pursuit of money is not the same thing). The end of the pursuit is never achievable. but their is a lot of happy stops along the journey. My theory is that the quote "money doesn't buy happiness" is a simple statement that urge to pursue further happiness will never be quelled and that we should acknowledge the happiness that is also in the present.

 

[LittleAsianGuy]

Was watchin these african kids have nothing to eat and where cookin rats over a fire. They had huge smiles on their faces and seem care free & happy.

When I was in Mexico on a mission trip to help feed some of the poor, I saw kids who slept on cockroach infested mattresses, with only 2-3 outfits as their whole wardrobe, and they were happier than some of the little rich kid brats in this country. Why? Because they enjoyed family, friendship, and sunny days.

 

[apple juice]

I don't know for sure if money can buy happiness...but I do know this...it sure can buy you security.

 

[sdw]

Sorry bro', I must disagree. You're either happy or you're not. The only thing money can buy is distractions or diversions from your unhappy state.

If you're poor and unhappy and won the Lotto, you'd be happy for awhile but since you've not addressed the underlying cause(s) of your unhappiness, it WILL be back. There are many dozens of stories of winners that have spiraled into self-destruction or returned to poverty after winning.

The headlines have been riddled with stories of folks who "had it all" but were miserable inside because they failed to address the root causes of their unhappiness. They tried to use money (others use sex, drugs, work, religion) to fill some void and when they made it, they found that it was still there.

That said, with money, you can sure be miserable in a better part of town!

So True,

You only have to look at the sorry record of "regular people" who have one the lottery. There have been a number of articles and TV followups on lottery winners. The most famous was the family in Quebec who managed to spend it all on lawyers and the mansion they had to sell by court order. Then there's the couple in BC that only have the tattoo on his back left and that's because they couldn't sell the tattoo. The Guy in PEI who spent 5million in 60 days and is now back on welfare. All of them were poor and unhappy when they won and are poor and unhappy now.

Contrast that to the Operator of Troll's in Horseshoe Bay, he won twice and is still wealthy and happy. Of course he was wealthy and happy before he won.

Acquiring wealth is a skill. Some people have the skill and can get wealthy selling pencils, writing a silly computer game, (the 2 Burnaby boys who started Electronic Arts) or playing the Real Estate game.

 

[Daisy Dreams]

I have to admit I didn't have time to acutally read any of this thread, I just submitted my vote for "what is money". When I get into deep thoughts about money and the structure of money, I get so mind boggled over it it's stupid! lol

When I think about it in depth, I always come to the concultion that money is simply a means to appease and control the masses, to set us astray from our natual agenda or more important issues of life.

Lots of Love
Daisy Dreams.
xoxox

 

[LittleAsianGuy]

I was offered twice the income to work elsewhere but I hated the work enviroment. Im happy now cause i dont have any children or responsibilities

 

[Walk Softly]

I'm with Two blues and Man Mountain. Money can't buy happiness but it can get you more free time to seek it. That's no guarantee but it sure bumps the odds for the better. When I have a good year money wise, I tend to have a lot more fun than if I'm thinking about next month's payments.

Cheers! WS.

 

[RobBC]

I've always been a subscriber to the notion that money doesn't guarantee happiness, but the absence of it makes happiness difficult if not impossible.

If you take someone who's making $10K a year and someone who's making $30K a year, odds are the $30K person will be happier, but if you take someone who's making $70K a year and someone making $90K a year there's a pretty good chance that the two will be roughly equally happy.

 

[KojaxSuited]

"security"

I don't know for sure if money can buy happiness...but I do know this...it sure can buy you security.

i agree. it seems like the correct word when it comes to what money can buy nowadays is "security". at least that's what all my female friends tell me.

 

[LaCreme]

to be or not to be

money is like a instrument for me and get to get what i need when i need that the best feeling in the whole world ..example to get "the best lip blam" if your lip are dry.. hey that the best happines invesment i ever did so far "BURT'S BEES" ever try? 98% natural stuffs is awesome!
as long i could afford that i wont go back to vaseline..
that all i know.