Does money buy happiness?

First off, Ubermensch, your funny! I enjoyed reading all your posts! All your points are simply based on your opinions. Fact is like I previously mentioned, here in modern America at least, you need money to survive on! If you're financially struggling, you're not enjoying life! Having financial freedom brings a type of relief that only money can buy!

Well put vans!!

Does money but happiness? No, but it sure makes misery a lot more comfortable!

Obviously it does! Anyone who says differently is living a poor man's lie! And to Ubermensch, you might be happy living in a cave, but I prefer my house at the Hamptons!

I think this is a very narrow minded view. If it wasn't for rich people, how would the rest of us get jobs in order to survive? Rich people supply others with the means to make a living. I'm not saying that there isn't such a thing as a rich, powerful, greedy, narcissistic, psychopathic rich person, but I think they are few and far between. Most rich people worked very hard to get that way. They were just handed it in most cases. Some 80% of millionaires in this country worked from the bottom up to get that way; it wasn't handed to them on a silver platter.

As for the question, no, I don't think money provides happiness, but a little money, enough to pay the bills and make ends meet, does go a long way to ease worry and stress.

It can buy options, which can potentially increase happiness, but it doesn't necessarily buy happiness.

I don't think it can buy happiness, but it can certainly help with a lot of things...and at the very least it can give you the option to find distractions from feeling like crap.

It really does depend. Have you ever paid an adoption fee for your pet dog/cat? That is happiness! You got a friend for life!

Yes, I agree with you Vans, money does buy happiness, and obviously improves your health!

I think it would bring peace of mind...as in, it's super stressful worrying about things I can't do much about, like medical bills! However, I think to be truly happy you have to have a lot more than money!

I think money can only buy temporary happiness and what I call fools gold happiness.

...but it cannot buy internal and eternal joy that plants deep within.

Actually I think the world has changed quite a bit since then.

Well put Vans, I agree it totally buys peace of mind.

Yes it totally does, and I agree with you in that it improves your health!

the thing is... as seen in economically struggling European countries... people didn't go and live simplier. They go and riot.

As much as I hate to me be dependent on pay checks and credit cards and exchange rates... I am not gonna pretend money doesn't matter.

I've been "rich" and I've been "poor" and rich is better BUT, what I mostly learned was that it is really just swapping one set of problems for another which are no easier/fun to struggle with. It is the person with/without the money that makes the difference, not the money itself.

What I'm trying to say is that money isn't necessary for happiness. If you're miserable now and someone handed you a million dollars, chances are you'd still be miserable. Yeah, you'd go out and enjoy that million dollars and maybe get out of debt, but the effect would wear off and once you got used to being able to spend that kind of money, you'd be left searching for something else to make you happy. Simply possessing money has no effect on your happiness. What you do with that money can make you happier, but you can still be broke and be happy, just as happy as someone who's wealthy.

Here's your facts!

How money CAN buy you happiness - NY Daily News

Can Money Buy Happiness? - Scientific American

Can Money Buy Happiness? | SparkPeople

I've been "wealthy" and "poor". To be honest, I am actually happier than when I was "wealthy".

It is entirely possible I say and think that to make myself feel better, but the reality is this: I am "poor" but all my needs are met.

I have good friends, supportive family, access to good healthcare and public transportation. I have the freedom to go where I want when I want and the ability to interact with a lot of different people on a daily basis if I choose because of my great location geographically.

There are so many things that are great right now that I never had when I was "wealthy" or if I did have them, they weren't any better.

I find myself genuinely happy a lot of the time, even given the occasional "OMG I'm sick AGAIN this SUCKS" type episodes that stress me out.

When I was wealthy, I looked to stuff to improve my life.
Now, it's more about relationships and action.

To each his own- if money can make you happy, then I would think you have it pretty easy. You don't live a "poor man's lie" if you don't find happiness in money, though. You probably just seek more than a house in the Hamptons to fulfill you.

- - -
ETA: If I am unhappy in relation to my financial situation, it is more often because of other people, not the actual situation. Someone stated at one point, as well that "poor" and "rich" are states of mind.
Truth.

For reference in context: http://forums.psychcentral.com/gener...feel-poor.html

[at this point I have increased COLA and was approved for even greater health care]

Money doesn't buy happiness. I need my job because of have no one else to depend on but I feel very sad and lonely a lot of times. I'm not rich but I can pay my basic bills. However, I work all day which gives me little time to communicate with anyone outside of my job. Most of my old friends do not understand how hard I work and I have either lost them because I didn't have much time to spend with them or very little to talk to them about. All of them think not having a good relationship and being in my situation is alright as long as my bills are paid. I was adopted and money has not helped me find my birthfamily. I lost all of my adopted family either through death or because they didn't want to socialize with me anymore. Mostly through death. Etc....

For me it would. So many things I could buy that I can't at the moment. Lack of money is making my life difficult.

I was the most miserable when I was making lot more money than now.
I am much much much happier now because my depression has gone away.
so money cannot buy happiness.
without money, sure you are more likely to be miserable but that's not always true.

Why wasn't Elvis Presley happy? Why did he die of a drug overdose? He was extremely rich and died on his toilet.

YES - Absolutely YES! Having been almost totally 'without', and then having a little more than 'some', it's still a big YES. I mean, you can't live without it can you? I believe it makes the difference between 'LIVING' and 'EXISTING'. Because I'm a 'have not', I'm at the mercy of a useless Psych Dr (only my opinion)who's paid mega-bucks by the NHS to see her quota of 10 patients per day. I KNOW if I was seeing a private Psych Dr things would be very different. But hay, ces't la vie!!! HUGZZ xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A friend of mine says to me "If money doesn't buy you happiness, you're spending it wrong", LOL.
Seriously though, I think money can buy you security and a certain amount of happiness.

Money can't buy you happiness, Lemon. Money is happiness