Can Money Buy Happiness?

[EBC]

I suppose the idealistic answer to this question is “No”.

But in my opinion the answer depends on your situation at a moment. Money can buy happiness up until a point where all basic needs of a person is fulfilled (e.g. food, house, health, safety, etc.). Beyond that money can buy unhappiness (e.g. wretched family life of many celebrities) because money provides means to fulfill every negative desires in our life. Desires never ends, after basics are fulfilled others rushing into our mind, both positives and negatives.

Of course the point mentioned above is relative among different persons, and also is relatively difficult to be found. To find it needs honesty about oneself.

How about you?

 

[rlg94086]

I suppose the idealistic answer to this question is “No”.

But in my opinion the answer depends on your situation at a moment. Money can buy happiness up until a point where all basic needs of a person is fulfilled (e.g. food, house, health, safety, etc.). Beyond that money can buy unhappiness (e.g. wretched family life of many celebrities) because money provides means to fulfill every negative desires in our life. Desires never ends, after basics are fulfilled others rushing into our mind, both positives and negatives.

Of course the point mentioned above is relative among different persons, and also is relatively difficult to be found. To find it needs honesty about oneself.

How about you?

I think it is important to understand what true happiness is. The reason the answer to your question depends on the person’s situation, is that we are all chasing after a false understanding of happiness. It is always just out of reach…no matter how much money you have.

So, my answer would obviously be “no, money can’t buy happiness.” It is useful for food, shelter, etc. though.

True happiness? Read the Sermon on the Mount.
Matthew 5:

3 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, 4 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 5 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 6 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. 6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 7 for they will be satisfied. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 8 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, 9 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. 12 10 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 6:

25 16 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink), or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? 27 Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? 17 28 Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. 29 But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. 30 18 If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ 32 All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. **33 **But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, 19 and all these things will be given you besides. 34 Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.

 

[Newbie2]

I’d disagree on the OP’s qualifier, “…depends on your situation”, but we’d also have to further define a duration of happiness:

1. Man A is too poor to afford food and finds $10000 in a paper bag in the alley, left behind by one of Tony Soprano’s associates.

He’s “rich”, in comparison to what he was 10 minutes ago. He can buy food, and is happy when he eats it. He can maybe rent a cheap hotel room and sleep inside, and is happy when he does so, out of the cold.

But does that make him happy?

1. Family B is comfortable, has what they need, and inherits a small but significant inheritance. They are able to buy some nicities that they wanted but weren’t in the budget; a new car, remodel the kitchen.

These things make them happy, but for how long?

1. Woman C has a good job, has pretty much everything she needs and wants, then hits the lottery, bigtime, for three hundred million smackerals, and is independantly wealthy for the rest of her life.

How many lottery winners have found out that their new wealth is a burden, rather than a blessing?

Methinks that long-term true happiness involves fulfilling one’s life calling, whether that be in the role of a poor person or someone of privilege.

Sure, money can buy temporary happiness, but a kid with a fifty-cent sucker can be infinitely more happy than most Lottery winners.

 

[puzzleannie]

plenty of people who have their basic material needs met are not happy. plenty of people lacking in their basic material needs are full of joy. so, no.
based on some hi-profile lifestyles of the rich and famous, I deduce that too much money almost insures misery.

 

[Swan]

No, money can’t buy happiness but it can enable you to be miserable in really nice surroundings.

 

[dulcissima]

I think that money can buy pleasure, which is far more short-lived than happiness. I have been talking about this a lot in the past week with all of my sons. I’m trying to let them know that the way to be truly happy is to have good thoughts about other people and to really pitch in, help out, make a difference. Sitting around wanting this or that is a sure ticket to unhappiness.

Last night I was reading my youngest two sons a book on the life of St. Francis of Assisi…and not too far into it, right after St. Francis embraces the colony of lepers, my 5 year old announced that he wanted to be Francis. I think he gets it!

 

[cam100]

Money can buy comfort and temporary pleasure, but not really happiness.

 

[stinkcat_14]

There was an economist who studied happiness. He did a studied whether the two most important things that our society says that you need to be happy: money and sex.

What he found was that more of both does make you happier, but what I found most interesting was that these factors explained very little of the variation in happiness among people. Money and sex accounts for about 10% of the variation in happiness among people, so perhaps we ought to be looking for other factors?

Here is a link to the study in case anyone wants more detail, but warning, it is an academic study so it is long and detailed.

dartmouth.edu/~blnchflr/papers/02_sjoe002.pdf

 

[baltobetsy]

Our family just can’t seem to catch a break financially. God leads us right to the brink of disaster, then gives us exactly what we need to prevent going over the edge, but no more. My theory is that always being somewhat in need makes us grateful for every good thing. This year I’ve been thankful for heating oil, gasoline, groceries, the ability to pay our bills… all stuff we wouldn’t give a second thought to if we had “enough” money. I think it’s how God keeps us glued to Himself, which is a happier place than independently wealthy.

Betsy

 

[wjp984]

The best way I have heard it is if you are going to be miserable it most certainly is better to be miserable with money than without it.

Happiness is probably feeling content with your life thinking you are doing God’s will for you. I am not yet at that point but I’m sure some people are. Money is probably the equilvlant of the many setbacks that makes us sad on the other side of the spectrum. Money can make us temporarily happy but then it reverts back to how we actually are. Troubles in our lives can make us sad but likewise, we eventually revert back to our normal selves in time. But I also think happiness is a gift and that certain people are just happier people and others like me, have to try extra hard to be happy and are usually in a bad or pescimistic or down mood and stressed out.

Oh, and there is no good answer. My family is wealthy and it made us all very selfish and we are isolated, don’t get along, and the less we have to see each other, the better. I didn’t even want to go home for Easter this time since for one, I have too much work, and two, why would I want to come home to fighting. However, I know families that perhaps are not as wealthy as mine but still decently well off and they are wonderful families. So ya, there is no good solution.

 

[homeloan]

No, money can’t buy happiness, but its better to be unhappy with money than without it.

 

[AHapka]

Money can buy happiness.

Money cannot buy joy.

Happiness is an emotion we feel from time to time with the normal ebb and flow of life. Many things can make us happy (money, good night with the wife/husband, kids when they are behaving, etc…). Happiness, like any other emotion, will no longer be felt when those circumstances change or become stale.

Joy on the other hand is a choice and way of life. It’s like a perpetual state of happiness that does not depend upon the present moment. When St. Paul told us to count it all joy when persecutions came our way, it’s because we are looking forward to our fulfillment with God, and can be complete and elated even when suffering for our faith. You might not be happy at the moment, but you can still be joyful.

That’s how I see it, anyway.

Andy

 

[EBC]

Money can buy happiness.

Money cannot buy joy.

Happiness is an emotion we feel from time to time with the normal ebb and flow of life. Many things can make us happy (money, good night with the wife/husband, kids when they are behaving, etc…). Happiness, like any other emotion, will no longer be felt when those circumstances change or become stale.

Joy on the other hand is a choice and way of life. It’s like a perpetual state of happiness that does not depend upon the present moment. When St. Paul told us to count it all joy when persecutions came our way, it’s because we are looking forward to our fulfillment with God, and can be complete and elated even when suffering for our faith. You might not be happy at the moment, but you can still be joyful.

That’s how I see it, anyway.

Andy

Thank’s, Andy. That’s what I see too .

 

[Enoch]

All I’m asking for it the chance to prove to myself that having tons of money would indeed not make me happy.

 

[stinkcat_14]

All I’m asking for it the chance to prove to myself that having tons of money would indeed not make me happy.

I realize that you say this in jest, but let me assure you, that from my experience having a lot of money, is not guaranteed to buy you happiness. I have done, fairly well financially over my working life. For the 17 years or so that I have been working, I have consistently spent less than I earned. If you do that and make prudent investment decisions, pretty soon having enough money ceases to be an issue for you. However, if that is all you do, you can end up with a pretty empty life.

If we keep money in its proper perspective, and see it as a tool that we can use to live the life that God has called us to live, then it can be a real blessing. Of course, trying to convince someone who doesn’t believe in God of this is quite difficult. It is sad when you see people chasing after more and more stuff and they have clue what they are after.

I say this because I am going through a difficult time in my marriage right now and part of it is due to differing attitudes towards money. There is not a spending issue, neither of us is racking up credit card debt or anything like that. But there is a major difference in the area of figuring out what life is all about. My wife has gifts, that she should spend money on, but she refuses to consider it because doing so would take her away from working and earning money. It can be really sad and frustrating to live with.

 

[Enoch]

I realize that you say this in jest, but let me assure you, that from my experience having a lot of money, is not guaranteed to buy you happiness. I have done, fairly well financially over my working life. For the 17 years or so that I have been working, I have consistently spent less than I earned. If you do that and make prudent investment decisions, pretty soon having enough money ceases to be an issue for you. However, if that is all you do, you can end up with a pretty empty life.

If we keep money in its proper perspective, and see it as a tool that we can use to live the life that God has called us to live, then it can be a real blessing. Of course, trying to convince someone who doesn’t believe in God of this is quite difficult. It is sad when you see people chasing after more and more stuff and they have clue what they are after.

I say this because I am going through a difficult time in my marriage right now and part of it is due to differing attitudes towards money. There is not a spending issue, neither of us is racking up credit card debt or anything like that. But there is a major difference in the area of figuring out what life is all about. My wife has gifts, that she should spend money on, but she refuses to consider it because doing so would take her away from working and earning money. It can be really sad and frustrating to live with.

Sorry to hear about your struggles, and I really don’t wish to be wealthy. As long as I am able to cover the bills and my wife is able to home school our children I will consider my situation good. I just wish we could save a little more and not be so paycheck-to-paycheck.

It seems like as soon as we start to get a little ahead something sets us back. However, I understand that’s just one way God keeps us humble and close to Him.

 

[rlg94086]

I realize that you say this in jest, but let me assure you, that from my experience having a lot of money, is not guaranteed to buy you happiness. I have done, fairly well financially over my working life. For the 17 years or so that I have been working, I have consistently spent less than I earned. If you do that and make prudent investment decisions, pretty soon having enough money ceases to be an issue for you. However, if that is all you do, you can end up with a pretty empty life.

If we keep money in its proper perspective, and see it as a tool that we can use to live the life that God has called us to live, then it can be a real blessing. Of course, trying to convince someone who doesn’t believe in God of this is quite difficult. It is sad when you see people chasing after more and more stuff and they have clue what they are after.

I say this because I am going through a difficult time in my marriage right now and part of it is due to differing attitudes towards money. There is not a spending issue, neither of us is racking up credit card debt or anything like that. But there is a major difference in the area of figuring out what life is all about. My wife has gifts, that she should spend money on, but she refuses to consider it because doing so would take her away from working and earning money. It can be really sad and frustrating to live with.

My prayers are with you stinkcat_14 (I’m glad God is omniscient, because otherwise I would feel pretty silly praying for “stinkcat” ). I’m not going through a difficult time in my marriage, but my wife and I have the normal tension most couples do about how to spend/save money. It is always a source of concern. We’ve been through times of plenty and the brink of poverty - stress and happiness were present during both times.

One of the things I struggle with in future planning is how much is “too much?” How much is “enough?” Is it a sin to desire enough money in retirement to travel? How about have a second home (somewhere sunny is my wife’s preference)? I am considering the permanent diaconate, with the support of my wife, but what does that mean when it comes to retirement? Personally, I would be okay living on a meager amount of money once my home is paid off - enough to pay the utilities, food, medical care/insurance and transportation…and taxes, of course…, but my wife isn’t in the same place as I am when it comes to these things.

 

[homeloan]

…My wife has gifts, that she should spend money on, but she refuses to consider it because doing so would take her away from working and earning money. It can be really sad and frustrating to live with.

Careful, no one like to be told what they should or shouldn’t do. Usually, they do what they do because they choose to. After 17 years of scrimping, maybe she’s trying to increase the nest egg; or, it could be as simple as she likes what she’s doing. If so, that’s a gift in its own right. We all need to pursue our dreams. In a marriage it shouldn’t be a zero-sum proposition and each spouse should have the freedom to pursue what they feel is important.

 

[stinkcat_14]

I just wish we could save a little more and not be so paycheck-to-paycheck.

It seems like as soon as we start to get a little ahead something sets us back. However, I understand that’s just one way God keeps us humble and close to Him.

Just keep trying, eventually you will start to get ahead. When I was starting out, I used to seem like my car kept me in financial equilibrium. Anytime I seemed to get ahead, the car would break down and there would go some of my savings! But, I kept moving forward and eventually things got better.

 

[jmcrae]

Money is the grease that keeps the machine of life working smoothly.

Once you get it running smoothy, then, what you decide to do with it will determine whether you are happy, or not.

I know lots of wealthy people who are very happy, because they are doing really interesting things with their lives. They have their priorities in order - but it is possible for them to do that, because they have enough money to make it all work. When you’re broke all the time, it’s difficult to find balance, because you are continually worrying about paying the bills.