Spinoff, does money equal happiness?

[NHdisneylover]

On the boarding school thread, it has been brought up that some parents would want to steer their children towards very lucrative careers. Not just ones that are likely to result in employment (so, we are not talking about just having a back up plan in case your band never takes off, we are talking being a social worker or a public school teacher or fire fighter any other mediocre paid job is a no go if Mom has nay say in the matter), but ones that are likely to result in very high paying employment.

So it got me thinking--I know there is the old saying "Money doesn't buy happiness" but how has that worked in your own life?

Have you been truly happier at times when you are the most well off financially?

Have you been unable to be happy when struggling financially (but let's assume still able to pay rent and eat and have medical care)?

Do the majority of people you know whom you would describe as generally happy have lots of money? Not much money? Is there ANY correlation from happiness to money (beyond having basic needs met) that you see in your life and that of friends?

 

[happygirl]

On the boarding school thread, it has been brought up that some parents would want to steer their children towards very lucrative careers. Not just ones that are likely to result in employment (so, we are not talking about just having a back up plan in case your band never takes off, we are talking being a social worker or a public school teacher or fire fighter any other mediocre paid job is a no go if Mom has nay say in the matter), but ones that are likely to result in very high paying employment.

So it got me thinking--I know there is the old saying "Money doesn't buy happiness" but how has that worked in your own life?

Have you been truly happier at times when you are the most well off financially?



Have you been unable to be happy when struggling financially (but let's assume still able to pay rent and eat and have medical care)?

Do the majority of people you know whom you would describe as generally happy have lots of money? Not much money? Is there ANY correlation from happiness to money (beyond having basic needs met) that you see in your life and that of friends?

\

I believe the love of money is the route of all evil. I think the more money you have the more problems you have

 

[denisenh]

money does not equal happiness..... definitely not. that would mean that destitute people are not happy and that isn't true.

 

[lizabu]

Money does not buy happiness. At the same time when you can't feed your own children due to lack of funds it is difficult to be very happy. I think if all of your basic needs are being met than a poor person can be much happier than a wealthy one.

 

[jodifla]

Not having enough money for the basics -- decent housing, food,clothes, insurance, transportation, some left over for fun -- can certainly make you miserable.

But no, money absolutely does not buy happiness. In fact, we see over and over again that the chase for money makes many people absolutely miserable. It's like getting addicted to heroin: you need more and more and more to be satisfied, and it's never enough.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Struggling with money is very stressful. A little financial cushion can relieve that stress. I've never been wealthy. But, I've been through times when money was more plentiful than today, and through times when it was less plentiful. Is it worth it to occasionally put in the long hours and back breaking effort? You be your life it is! Would it be worth it to have essentially no life outside of work? Not a chance. Balance is key.

 

[Bonnie151]

Living paycheck to paycheck stressed me out to no end and no, I couldn't honestly say I was really happy during those years. I grew up in a frugal family who had a substantial financial cushion and that's how I'm happiest. The larger the cushion I have, the happier I am. I don't really like spending spare money on anything other than education and holidays.

I don't care what sort of career my children end up with. What I DO like is the fact that we have enough of a cushion to help them out if they do decide to go into careers that require, for example, endless unpaid internships in order to get a foot into the door etc, we'll be able to help them out.

 

[LongLiveDisney]

Everyone on the DIS:


[*]went to/had offers to a boarding school
[*]is incredibly wealthy
[*]has gifted children who are also on the spectrum
[*]has a hidden disability
[*]is in great shape
[*]has no debt
[*]fully funded IRA

and most importantly are 99% full of crap

Uncalled for.

 

[clutter]

OTOH, having sufficient money to live comfortably makes me very happy.

I think, for me, there's a range. At the bottom, there is a point that I don't think I could be happy living below if I could not provide basic necessities and some relative comforts (like living in a fairly safe place). There is a range that more money would probably make me more happy because I would worry less. Then there is the point that it wouldn't really add anything to my happiness level. Right now, more money would make a few things easier (hiring cleaners! not worrying about dd's college costs!) and more fun (more vacations!), but would not increase my overall happiness, so I have been fortunate to live outside that range. But, I'm pretty cognizant of that, and have made decisions along the way that would hopefully prevent me from ever falling below my range.

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

So when you say "money" you mean wealthy, right?

I think it is MUCH easier to be happy when you have your basic needs covered, but above that I don't think having a lot of money makes anyone happy.

I have known families who have a lot of money, they have enough money to burn a wet mule, as my grandmommy used to say. And they all have had more problems than the average, normal family. Cheating spouses, jail, children on drugs, infighting, they are never happy.

Heck, look at the lives of most celebrities. They are mostly all crazy!

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Not having enough money for the basics -- decent housing, food,clothes, insurance, transportation, some left over for fun -- can certainly make you miserable.

But no, money absolutely does not buy happiness. In fact, we see over and over again that the chase for money makes many people absolutely miserable. It's like getting addicted to heroin: you need more and more and more to be satisfied, and it's never enough.

I agree with this. Lack of money can certainly add stresses that those with money don't have to deal with - or at least shouldn't have to deal with if they are intelligent with their money. Examples of this include the stress that goes along with not knowing if you will be able to pay your rent this month and possibly getting kicked out of an already too small apartment. That said, you could have so much money that Mark Cuban and Bill Gates call you up to ask for a loan and that doesn't mean you will ever be happy. I would even wager that looking to money to make you happy can be very dangerous.



Then again, just last night my husband and I were discussing Carlos Slim and what we would do if we had his money. It was decided that we would buy a house where his family lives, where my family lives, where we went to college, and in Celebration. We would also buy Annual Passes and Tables in Wonderland, as well as our own plane. I'm pretty sure those things wouldn't make me blue.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

No, I don't think money automatically equates to happiness. But I also don't think that money makes you unhappy, and I certainly do not think that it is evil.

I think people are happier when they have money than when they do not.

Think about it - are you happy when you're stressing about not having enough money to pay for essentials? Would you be happy if you were living on the streets begging for money?

 

[gina2000]

I think money is pretty important. It doesn't equal happiness but it has its place in life.

I don't need to be wealthy but I also don't want to leave home without it.

 

[FergieTCat]

If I were able to afford a nicer home (maybe a larger condominium or co-op in a nicer area), then yes, I'd probably be more content.

I think money affords a better standard of living which in turn would make some of us happier.

 

[LisaR]

Does anybody honestly believe that having money = happiness? I can't believe anyone would believe that it is an absolute given that if you have money, you will be happy.

There are plenty of rich, miserable, unhappy people out there. On the other hand, there are plenty of poor people who feel truly blessed and are genuinely happy.

Money is fantastic! I love living with a nice cushion and not having to worry about paying bills or putting food on the table. But that alone does not come close to buying happiness.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Everyone on the DIS:

• went to/had offers to a boarding school
• is incredibly wealthy
• has gifted children who are also on the spectrum
• has a hidden disability
• is in great shape
• has no debt
• fully funded IRA

and most importantly are 99% full of crap

Uncalled for.

Actually, I read the whole original Boarding School thread this morning, the spin off Boarding School thread this afternoon and just started reading this thread. Sam81's post made me laugh out loud!!!! I thought it was pretty funny.

 

[BearcatsFan]

Short answer, no, I don't think money equals happiness.

I can remember just starting out in my own apartment, having very little of anything, much less money, and still it was a very happy time for me.

OTOH, I know people who are far better off than we are financially who are incredibly unsatisfied in their lives, whatever they have it's never enough, and that includes money. That kind of life is not for me.

 

[pearlieq]

There's a saying: Money can't buy happiness, but it's like a half-off coupon!

I've been poor (government cheese poor) and I've been well off. I know which one I prefer. Yes, money can bring some headaches, but I'll take grumbling about the AMT over worrying about which credit card might increase my limit so I can pay to get my car out of the shop so I can keep my job.

That being said, when they've studied such things, they found that the happiness curve with respect to money flattens after a certain point (around $75,000 in annual income, in the last study I read). When you're really poor, more money makes you a lot happier, but once you're at a point when you've got all of your needs and most of your wants, more money stops making you very much happier.

 

[NotUrsula]

I'd say that the converse is more true: Lack of money is likely to cause UNhappiness.

Poverty is pretty much always a miserable place to be. I've made a lot of compromises in my life to avoid going back there, and I'm sure that I will continue to do so as long as I retain free will.

Wealth doesn't buy happiness, but I believe that a certain level of financial security is necessary to maintain it. My idea of that level really isn't especially high, but includes a home in relatively good repair, a reliable and relatively safe vehicle to drive and fuel to drive it; heat in winter, a/c in summer, health insurance, decent shoes that don't hurt to wear, and not going hungry.

 

[LSmith]

1. Health

2. Wealth

3. Intelligence