Money doesn't bring you happiness...

Well according to wiser people in my life they have said this to me at numerous points so far throughout my life and no doubt I will hear it again. Surely there's basis to what they say.

Like one friend of mine said - "I have never been in a situation where having money made things worse."

Is it the case that when people known to you are in a bit of bother and can't go out, or worse can't pay bills, in the past have completely begrudged you because you could do so at that particular time? Is jealousy so rampant that people would look so negatively on even their closest of friends?

So I ask the question, is it that money does actually bring you happiness, it's the begrudgers who try make those experiencing a decent living, feel bad, either by taking action directly through stealing or whatever to going as far as isolating someone?

I listen to people working with others, who'd be close work friends and all. But on a side note when they talk to me they'd say that ah sure he has no money worries, his da's got land in x or he won x on the All Cash etc. I do be thinking to myself, so what, that's their business but why is it that so many people feel it is their God given right to discuss someone else's income, or what they perceive as extra cash from somewhere.
The way I see it it's theirs and they can do whatever the hell they want with it.

Do you know anyone who's well off that at least one person you know doesn't hold some sort of grudge against simply for that reason alone? Are you a begrudger?

Einstein

money doesn't bring me happiness. but all the stuff i'd buy when I win the euromillions will give me the biggest fcukin smile on my face...

walshb

It is all down to the individual; lets be quite honest here, when we don't have money we spend our life thinking how to bloody get it, and when we get it we are supposed to believe that it doesn't bring happiness? Put it this way, I would rather have money and attempt to make a go of it than not have it and always wonder what if

Lux23

I don't think money can make you happy but having money problems can make you deeply unhappy. I am making ends meet at the moment so I can't really complain but I have no money for extras like holidays or even emergencies like the doctor sometimes. But I always think no matter how much money you earn you always need/more a little bit more, maybe I would be exactly the same if I was a millionaire.

Sofiztikated

Money doesn't buy happiness. Money buys stuff. Stuff makes me happy.

And, as someone once said, "Money doesn't bring you happiness, but it buys a better class of misery."

Wazdakka

Jay D wrote: »

Like one friend of mine said - "I have never been in a situation where having money made things worse."

Absolutely spot on.

With my group of friends right now the amount of disposable income people have varies hugely.
Some people have jobs and some don't.
I don't think there is any resentment or judging going on.
It's just the hand that everyone gets played from the recession.

Black Swan

For those of you unhappy because of having too much money, my Nigerian address is...

Sod'o swords

To quote the only remotely funny facebook group, Money can't buy you happiness, but i'd rather cry in a Ferrari.

sbsquarepants

Of course money buys happiness!
Sure, there are problems that money can't fix, but they are nowhere near as common as problems that money COULD fix if you just had enough of it!
Personally i have never seen an excess of money make any problem worse, but then i have also never had an excess of money, so i could be talking out my arse!

hal9000

Money has made me miserable.....I cant fold my wallet anymore because of huge wads of cash

Dudess

Not talking about extreme wealth, but being able to live reasonably comfortably will make you a lot ****ing happier than being extremely broke.

walshb

Would I be right in saying that those who use the whole "Money isn't everything" line are those who usually have money to begin with. To those who have little money and are scraping and struggling to pay bills and all that, money is very important to these people, and having it to pay the bills and improve their financial situation can surely only lead to a sense of happiness.

NothingMan

I would certainly be jealous of someone who won a lot of money but I wouldn't judge them on a personal level.

I think the funniest thing is when I said in work that if I won €1,000,000 I'd be gone from my job and Ireland faster than my avatar at full spin, and I hear "sure you wouldn't do much with €1,000,000". Would I fuck, I interrailed for 5 weeks on a budget of €50 a day. That money could last me 54 years at that budget, but with interest and some low risk investments I could travel where I wanted and settle on an exotic beach with a small home, maybe run a bar. Good weather, good waves and my gf in the hammock with me.

I assure you, I am a happy person, but that kind of money certainly wouldn't put a dampener on it.

SV

Anyone who says that simply doesn't have enough money.
Or rather they don't have any idea on how to spend it right

Money is more than capable of making someone happy, though It's not the be all to happiness.. Which i'd assume is what the quote originally meant.

davyjose

Maybe money doesn't bring happiness, but .... poverty absolutely, unambiguously, categorically, slam-dunk brings misery.

Truley

I don't think it's a rising scale whereby the more money you have = the more happiness. The more money you have the more money you will spend and the more you will become caught up in all the trappings that come with it. Experience has taught me that the key to a happy life is learning to enjoy the small pleasures. Right now I am living very hand to mouth, don't go out often, don't buy new clothes, have to budget food very carefully etc However I have no debts, credit cards, loans. And in these times its a fantastic thing to be able to say you have more or less complete freedom, I owe nothing to no one, all I have to worry about it paying the rent and keeping myself fed, anything else is a luxury.
That said the whole 'poor and happy' myth is just that, a myth, coined by people that have never had to go without but have a romanticised view of what it would be like to live a little closer to the land. Think of the film 'Into the Wild' or all those old Victorian poems written by lords of the manor, dreaming of a simpler more earthy life. I can understand where this fantasy comes from, however people like that could never understand the dismay that comes with real and absolute poverty, the anxiety of not knowing where your next meal is coming from, not having a safe place to sleep. I firmly believe the feeling of financial security, is what really guarantees contentment. If you can't be happy with that then you need to work on your outlook on life. That's my opinion anyway.

Gloomtastic!

NothingMan wrote: »

I would certainly be jealous of someone who won a lot of money but I wouldn't judge them on a personal level.

I think the funniest thing is when I said in work that if I won €1,000,000 I'd be gone from my job and Ireland faster than my avatar at full spin, and I hear "sure you wouldn't do much with €1,000,000". Would I fuck, I interrailed for 5 weeks on a budget of €50 a day. That money could last me 54 years at that budget, but with interest and some low risk investments I could travel where I wanted and settle on an exotic beach with a small home, maybe run a bar. Good weather, good waves and my gf in the hammock with me.

I assure you, I am a happy person, but that kind of money certainly wouldn't put a dampener on it.

But what happens when gf wants 'more than this' and needs a house, kids and all that goes with them. Your €1million won't last long then I'm afraid. That's the thing about life, it keeps changing, dammit!

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

The happiest moments of my life thus far have been when I have had no money.

When I was earning lots of money I was quite depressed.

I find that when you have little or no money, you find enjoyment from simple pleasures and you begin to appretiate the little you have. You also beging to realise that although you don't have much money, once you have a warm home, food, friends and family, you have much much more than most of the worlds population.

NothingMan

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

But what happens when gf wants 'more than this' and needs a house, kids and all that goes with them. Your €1million won't last long then I'm afraid. That's the thing about life, it keeps changing, dammit!

I did say in my post "a small home", and I definitely want kids, the gf is undecided on that issue, but a million euro used prudently could easily ensure a secure upbringing in my humble scenario.

_feedback_

Holland Lemon Pediatrician wrote: »

The happiest moments of my life thus far have been when I have had no money.

When I was earning lots of money I was quite depressed.

I find that when you have little or no money, you find enjoyment from simple pleasures and you begin to appretiate the little you have. You also beging to realise that although you don't have much money, once you have a warm home, food, friends and family, you have much much more than most of the worlds population.

That just shows how it differs from person to person. It (money) is in a lot of peoples thoughts at the moment a lot of the time. Most of us would like the chance to have that job that earns lots of money - and put the money doesn't buy you happiness thing to the test.

I love those simple pleasures that you talk about and they do brighten up the days - but I'd also like the simple pleasure of going to the doctor if I need to - without worrying will I have change to add back to the grocery money.

SV

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

But what happens when gf wants 'more than this' and needs a house, kids and all that goes with them. Your €1million won't last long then I'm afraid. That's the thing about life, it keeps changing, dammit!

Well you'd get a decent house now suitable for kids for about 250k, that leaves you with 750k, let's say you spent another 30k on a suitable car.

That leaves you with 720k which is a 40k/year income without work for the next 18 years(that's ignoring interest and investments)


A million is more than enough..

NothingMan

SV wrote: »

Well you'd get a decent house now suitable for kids for about 250k, that leaves you with 750k, let's say you spent another 30k on a suitable car.

That leaves you with 720k which is a 40k/year income without work for the next 18 years.


A million is more than enough..

Well I am only 25 (since Tuesday \0/) so I hope to live a little longer than 18 years. But I reckon you could get a mortgage that is less interest than you're gaining on your million so you wouldn't even need to take out that initial chunk.

Tell ya what Gloomtastic, you give me a million, call me in 40 years and i'll tell you how I got on. If I lose the challenge i'll owe ya a pint!

SV

NothingMan wrote: »

Well I am only 25 (since Tuesday \0/) so I hope to live a little longer than 18 years. But I reckon you could get a mortgage that is less interest than you're gaining on your million so you wouldn't even need to take out that initial chunk.

Tell ya what Gloomtastic, you give me a million, call me in 40 years and i'll tell you how I got on. If I lose the challenge i'll owe ya a pint!

Well I mean to have the kids sorted..and that's without working so..get my drift?


seriously though, anyone who thinks a million wouldn't get ya far...never had a million!

The Pontiac

I agree with a million being more than enough for anyone and not too much money to fúck your head up either. These lotto jackpots are insane. It's all about marketing at the end of the day. Tonight's jackpot is €6,000,000 and you get loads of tickets sold. As if €1m wasn't a good enough reason to buy a ticket in the first place.

Sean Quagmire

Even if you did win the 6million there is one thing you can't buy.







































A Dinosaur.

The Pontiac

Sean Quagmire wrote: »

Even if you did win the 6million there is one thing you can't buy.







































A Dinosaur.

I thought you were going to say Love, like The Beatles song.

Gloomtastic!

But would a dinosaur really make you happy? And think of the size of the pooh bags........ :rolleyes:

NothingMan

NothingMan wrote: »

I did say in my post "a small home", and I definitely want kids, the gf is undecided on that issue, but a million euro used prudently could easily ensure a secure upbringing in my humble scenario.

Id keep my job tbh unless I won more than say 10 million, even then Id consider still working as a pass time.

With 1 million id definitely keep my job. Sure it would cover nights out and running the car id buy. So id spend about 100k to 200k on a car/cars another 300 to 400k on a house, Id probably build one though as you would build one hell of a house for that sort of money at the moment. So that leaves a minimum of 400k. Keep 100k for bits and pieces (some in a current a/c some in an easy access saving a/c or something) and the other 300k I would break up and invest in different things from high risk, high gain to low risk stuff.

That would more or less leave me my salary being disposable income and live a pretty nice life. Moving away from Ireland wouldn't interest me.

Sean Quagmire wrote: »

Even if you did win the 6million there is one thing you can't buy.


A Dinosaur.

or a private jet, I really want a private jet.

NothingMan

Erika Weak Toaster wrote: »

Id keep my job tbh unless I won more than say 10 million, even then Id consider still working as a pass time.

With 1 million id definitely keep my job. Sure it would cover nights out and running the car id buy. So id spend about 100k to 200k on a car/cars another 300 to 400k on a house, Id probably build one though as you would build one hell of a house for that sort of money at the moment. So that leaves a minimum of 400k. Keep 100k for bits and pieces and the other 300k I would break up and invest in different things from high risk, high gain to low risk stuff.

That would more or less leave me my salary being disposable income and live a pretty nice life.



or a private jet, I really want a private jet.

I think if I won 10 million it would last less time than 1 million. With 10 million I would try live like a rockstar and blow it all on cars and giant tv's in my cars.

With 1 million i'd happily live a humble life on a beach somewhere and i'd probably be happier than the rockstar life.

walshb

Erika Weak Toaster wrote: »

Id keep my job tbh unless I won more than say 10 million, even then Id consider still working as a pass time.
.

You hungry greedy bastard!;)

Dr. Feelgood

"With $10000 we'd be millionairs. We could buy all kinds of things, like...love!"

walshb

walshb wrote: »

You hungry greedy bastard!;)

Not greedy, I work in research and it is probably the ideal pass time career for someone with lots of money in the bank. I would get bored doing nothing all the time.

I just picked 10 million randomly but there is no law that says once you have a small few million you have to stop working. Wouldn't it be nice to cover a lot of your day to day expenses from a job and use the money you won for cars, houses and other toys. You don't see all the top earners (ceo's etc) giving up there jobs they keep going trying to make more money. Id imagine most billionaires in the world are still working.

RolandIRL

money doesn't buy happiness, but it does help!

DonJose

Money doesn't bring you happiness... but I rather my daughter marry a rich a$$hole than a poor a$$hole

walshb

Erika Weak Toaster wrote: »

Not greedy, I work in research and it is probably the ideal pass time career for someone with lots of money in the bank. I would get bored doing nothing all the time.

I just picked 10 million randomly but there is no law that says once you have a small few million you have to stop working. Wouldn't it be nice to cover a lot of your day to day expenses from a job and use the money you won for cars, houses and other toys. You don't see all the top earners (ceo's etc) giving up there jobs they keep going trying to make more money. Id imagine most billionaires in the world are still working.

Okey doke, put simply, access to money gives you one magnificent luxury, and that is choice. It's that simple.

You have the choice whether or not to work. That in itself beats any Ferrari, Yacht or Tiffany jewellery. Being able to wake up on any given morning and say to yourself, "Today I do **** all."

Boredom? Hey, that has all to do with the person. Money might not cure that, but I tell you one thing, money can allow a person to follow their dreams and passions and hobbies etc.

I suppose it all boils down to the simple things in life are best, and one of them is having the
luxury of being able to do what you want when you want to; and money can allow this to happen.

BTW, I am well aware that there are many people who do actually love their job and would continue to work.
I was more talking about those in work simply to earn a living

stovelid

I'd have no problem winning something like 150 million. You would only need a few million yourself, but you could do useful things with the rest: sort out all your mates, set up a foundation or sort out a load of charities.

walshb

stovelid wrote: »

I'd have no problem winning something like 150 million. You would only need a few million yourself, but you could do useful things with the rest: sort out all your mates, set up a foundation or sort out a load of charities.

Yeah, indeed. You could change a lot of peoples lives for the better if you are
wise and interested. I would start very close to home (immediate family) and work from there.

Dr. Feelgood

walshb wrote: »

Okey doke, Put simply, access to money gives you one magnificent luxury, and that is choice. It's that simple.

You have the choice whether or not to work. That in itself beats any Ferrari, yacht or Tiffany jewellery. Being able to wake up on any given morning and say to yourself, "Today I do **** all."

Boredom? Hey, that has all to do with the person. Money might not cure that, but I tell you one thing, money can allow a person to follow their dreams and passions and hobbies etc.

I suppose it all boils down to the simple things in life are best, and one of them is having the
luxury of being able to do what you want when you want to; and money can allow this to happen.

I remember seeing an MIT lecutre where some professor was explaining how more choice = less happiness.

I found a smiliar article with a quick google search
http://www.biopsychiatry.com/happiness/choice.html

Mr Benevolent

Let's rephrase the axiom for Irish people:

'Credit cards don't bring you happiness.'

walshb

Dr. Feelgood wrote: »

I remember seeing an MIT lecutre where some professor was explaining how more choice = less happiness.

I found a smiliar article with a quick google search
http://www.biopsychiatry.com/happiness/choice.html

To me, choice is all about the individual. The best single thing I can see from
having no money worries is the choice that you do not have to be in a certain place at a certain time (work). You are not accountable to anyone, or if self employed, accountable to yourself in a work capacity.

walshb

walshb wrote: »

Okey doke, Put simply, access to money gives you one magnificent luxury, and that is choice. It's that simple.

You have the choice whether or not to work. That in itself beats any Ferrari, yacht or Tiffany jewellery. Being able to wake up on any given morning and say to yourself, "Today I do **** all."

Boredom? Hey, that has all to do with the person. Money might not cure that, but I tell you one thing, money can allow a person to follow their dreams and passions and hobbies etc.

I suppose it all boils down to the simple things in life are best, and one of them is having the
luxury of being able to do what you want when you want to; and money can allow this to happen.

BTW, I am well aware that there are many people who do actually love their job and would continue to work.
I was more talking about those in work simply to earn a living

Oh don't get me wrong I would certainly live in the lap of luxury if I were to win a few million and I certainly wouldn't be killing myself working or be working anywhere near as much as a person who had to. I would treat it like a pass time and thinking about it maybe I would quit work.

In reality if I won enough that I could happily blow lots on cars, holidays etc etc and still not be concerned about it running out someday then I would quit for sure.

Blobby George

Money doesn't bring you happiness? Ha. Load of nonsense usually spouted by those who don't have it.

walshb

Blobby George wrote: »

Money doesn't bring you happiness? Ha. Load of nonsense usually spouted by those who don't have it.

Or those that do have it, and ****ed up with it!

Paddy Samurai

Jay D wrote: »

So I ask the question, is it that money does actually bring you happiness, it's the begrudgers who try make those experiencing a decent living, feel bad, either by taking action directly through stealing or whatever to going as far as isolating someone?

IMO money does'nt bring happeness ,it just makes life easier.Read about some australian recently that gave away his fortune and went off to live in a shack because he was so unhappy with his lifestyle.Theres a lot of research about on the web about happiness not been linked to wealth.

In a 1978 study, two psychologists interviewed 22 major lottery winners and found that the joy of sudden wealth wore off in a few months. They had a harder time than others enjoying life's prosaic pleasures: watching television, shopping, talking with friends, and so forth.

ETC,ETC,ETC.

walshb

And for every 10 stories of money not making a person happier I would say there are a hundred stories from people where it did make them happier.

As Willie Wonka said to Charlie, "But Charlie, don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he he always wanted. He lived happily ever after."

Sid_Justice

With the exception of those that became hugely rich over night like lotto winners or very lucky investors/entrepreneurs money is something that you are either born with or accumulate via hard work. For those born with money, I always assumed their worries and fears just transferred to another topic. For those that accumulated it through hardwork, are often in the business of acquiring more, thus, they never have enough.

If i was in 50k debt and got 50k in the lotto, I'd be a lot happier than I was yesterday. But if won 10k tomorrow and had no debt, I'd be cheerful for having 10k but I don't think it would solve any of my other problems.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

elviscostello wrote: »

That just shows how it differs from person to person. It (money) is in a lot of peoples thoughts at the moment a lot of the time. Most of us would like the chance to have that job that earns lots of money - and put the money doesn't buy you happiness thing to the test.

I love those simple pleasures that you talk about and they do brighten up the days - but I'd also like the simple pleasure of going to the doctor if I need to - without worrying will I have change to add back to the grocery money.

I'd still be thinking of the money, I would still be wishing I had more etc etc, but from my experience it doesn't automatically bring you happiness. You can buy more things and live comfortably, but you can also say that you appretiate certain things less too.

I would love to be on 50K a year, but I wouldn't have a clue what to do with the extra cash... honest.

cson

Holland Lemon Pediatrician wrote: »

I'd still be thinking of the money, I would still be wishing I had more etc etc, but from my experience it doesn't automatically bring you happiness. You can buy more things and live comfortably, but you can also say that you appretiate certain things less too.
I would love to be on 50K a year, but I wouldn't have a clue what to do with the extra cash... honest.

What, say like Tesco Value Mushy Peas for 24c? :pac:

Interesting to see the votes so far and to be clear, those who would hold a grudge have kept their reasonng for it very quiet.

Was curious as to whether I would have heard much from that side.

stovelid

Money cannot buy happiness but I'm more than happy to bank a few million while I continue on my existential search.