Whats your opinion: Money can or can't buy happiness

tacofries

Just watched this TED talk and it got me thinking: http://www.ted.com/playlists/207/talks_to_watch_instead_of_shop

When I look back over times that I spent money on other people versus times that I spent it on myself, I definitely experienced more satisfaction when it was spent on other people. Definitely going to start being a bit more generous to others.

How about ye guys, what do you think of the above talk?

Your Face

I like spending money on people I love.
Myself included.

Timberrrrrrrr

Dunno if it can buy happiness but lots of €€€ = hookers+blow = very happy Timberrrrrrrr

the evasion_kid

I used to work for a very very rich man,he was easily a millionaire years ago,i had to take his car one day to go do something for him.what amazed me was the amount of anti-depressant packets that were strewn around his car...

tacofries

Your Face wrote: »

I like spending money on people I love.
Myself included.

Same as. Did you ever try spending it on randomers? Paid for the toll of a random person behind me last year and due to a situation that then unfolded it left me with a story that my family still laughs at and feels good about today!

Riamfada

My other half is of the opinion that money cant buy happiness. Happiness comes from things like travel to exotic places and experiencing new cultures. She cant seem to make the link between money and the price of flights to lndia.

IrishCule

Money buys freedom/options.......what do you with those will decide whether or not you will be happy.

hairyslug

It can relieve a lot of stress, can probably cause just as much aswell.

I think I would enjoy not having to worry about money

scdublin

I think it can definitely contribute to your happiness. It can take a huge amount of stress away if you have enough to pay off loans/mortgages etc and stress makes you unhappy. Treating yourself to some pampering or a nice holiday away makes you happy, and those things cost money so yeah it can definitely boost your happiness if we're being honest!

Timberrrrrrrr

I learned recently that the things that matter most in life are not things.

If my bloodtype is B positive, why do I still feel sad inside?

hairyslug

a long time ago, in the early stages of secondary school, our englist teacher told us that we would most likely reach an age where the choice of jobs wouldnt be wage related but one that impacts you least in your life, that or one you really enjoy.
We all laughed, thought how crazy an idea this was...

biko

Money itself cannot buy you happiness, but it can buy you a Mercedes or a holiday, which is pretty great imo.

GLaDOS

It certainly isn't a guarantee of happiness, but it can help relieve misery if you're living in poverty.

FizzleSticks

This post has been deleted.

L.Jenkins

tacofries wrote: »

...How about ye guys, what do you think of the above talk?

The question is, would you rather cry over being unhappy in a Porsche or on a bike with no saddle? :P

Outlaw Pete

Money fuels your ability to make choices and so of course it can make us happy.

Potentially, it could make you miserable too though. Lots of those fcukers about.

Can't make us all happy though, as if everyone was a millionaire, we'd all be broke.

Widdershins

Money ensures your needs can be met and affords you some comfort . Happiness is a state of mind . Far easier to cultivate it if you're not bogged down by money worries of course -but some very poor people manage it while some people are never content no matter what they have .

Alf Stewart.

Having more money than you would spend in a lifetime can't numb the pain from losing a dead child.

Ask Eric Clapton for example.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

I like being miserable in comfort.

Whether money brings happiness or nor depends on what you do with it.

Arghus

No, money can't buy happiness.

But it gives you a very good shot at it.

the evasion_kid

the evasion_kid wrote: »

I used to work for a very very rich man,he was easily a millionaire years ago,i had to take his car one day to go do something for him.what amazed me was the amount of anti-depressant packets that were strewn around his car...

Yeah, I thought rich people would be tidier.

Your Face

tacofries wrote: »

Same as. Did you ever try spending it on randomers? Paid for the toll of a random person behind me last year and due to a situation that then unfolded it left me with a story that my family still laughs at and feels good about today!

I get what you're saying about certain situations. I wouldn't do that myself though- too many variables.

Cee-Jay-Cee

To a certain extent it can make you happy. I'd love enough to clear my mortgage and nothing else. Everything else after that is buy with money I earned myself. It would leave me and my family a lot more comfortable but by no means rich or wealthy. Less stress and worry about bills can only be good for ones health and happiness.

kfallon

Money can't buy you love.....according to The Beatles anyway tho I tend to disagree after I got that brazzer to shove a finger up me 'balloon knot' for €30

Best money I ever spent

conorhal

It can't buy you happiness, but it sure as hell can buy you a better class of misery!

runawaybishop

If money isn't buying you happiness then you are not spending it right.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1057740811000209

lawlolawl

Pretty much the only thing in life that makes me unhappy is having to go to work every day and deal with dip****s.

Having enough money to never have to work again would make me the happiest man alive.

Money can absolutely buy happiness and anyone who says otherwise is just being stupid.

Badly Drunk Boy

Deleted User wrote: »

If my bloodtype is B positive, why do I still feel sad inside?

My blood type says I'm A negative person but I'm at happy as Laurence!

Ragnar Lothbrok

The saying "Money can't buy happiness" is wrongly worded. It should be "Money can't guarantee happiness".

I lay awake last night worrying over my (admittedly small-fry) financial problems last night. Would certainly have been happier and also had a good night's sleep if I didn't have to worry about bills, an upcoming holiday that I haven't saved enough for and next year's trip to Australia for my daughter's wedding

I'm generally happy though, even without much money

Money might not guarantee happiness, but an inability to pay your bills and feed your kids is definitely a recipe for unhappiness.

Money buys you freedom, and new experiences can make you happy. Using your money to continually acquire stuff is a pretty empty use of it though, imo. Using your money to help others is more likely to bring you lasting happiness.

Boom_Bap

Money stops me robbing doughnuts and pizza which make me happy.

Maximus Alexander

I'd definitely be happier in general if I'd enough money that I didn't have to work to pay the bills, and instead could work on things I find fulfilling. Unfortunately, the things I find fulfilling won't pay the bills.

My dad spent 30 years climbing the ladder in a big multinational and was doing pretty well out of it financially. A few years ago, he left and started working for a charity instead. And I don't mean creaming it in upper management, but "on the ground". He earns less than I do now and a small fraction of what he used to, but is orders of magnitude happier. There's an actual glow about him like. Having more money didn't make him happy.

Speedwell

"Money can't buy happiness", no. But any time I have gained happiness by doing something nice for someone, or being close to people I love, or even doing something on my own that made me happy, it has been because I could afford the means to do so. It took money even to buy the petrol to see my sister-in-law's new baby daughter; if it weren't for having some money, I could not have gone to see her. It took money to move to Ireland with my husband; if it weren't for having enough money to do that, we might not have been able to afford to live in the same country; we couldn't even have met in the first place if we didn't have computers that had to be bought. I drove up north of Sligo the other weekend and sat by the lake; sitting by the lake was free, but my taxes helped pay for it to be a public place where I could be. I can't really think of anything that makes me happy that didn't cost something to obtain, even if it was just the cost of being in a place or in a position to receive a gift from someone else.

Ruu

Well I know my claret from a beaujolais, let's put it that way.

mzungu

Ruu wrote: »

Well I know my claret from a beaujolais, let's put it that way.

Well that's Charmless Man now stuck in my head for the rest of day anyway!

mzungu

mzungu wrote: »

Well that's Charmless Man now stuck in my head for the rest of day anyway!

Thanks, I couldn't figure why it was familiar.

Burial.

It can buy happiness indirectly, no doubt about it.

Dravokivich

This argument is the ultimate strawman because it tells the have nots they are better off without. It doesn't take into account how much money is needed by those struggling to earn it and is based entirely on trivialising a life style with the opportunity of luxury. I'd like me a bit of luxury thanks.

Arcade_Tryer

FizzleSticks wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Kanye Best said it west ~ Money isn't everything. Not having it is.

WoolyJumper

I don't know if it can buy happiness but its better to be rich and miserable than poor and miserable

cbyrd

Depends whether you have to break yourself to keep it. I've fcuk all money, I used to earn good money but I had bigger bills, only saw the kids in the evenings and Sundays, and I was wrecked tired all the time.

I reckon if I won the lotto, could buy a decent house , put money away for kids college, treat my nearest and dearest and just, be, then yeah, I'd be happier.
But being where I am with fcuk all, I'm still a lot happier than I used to be. I get to see my kids everyday

Rezident

Money only buys short-term happiness. Long-term happiness comes primarily from the quality of the relationships in your life. Billionaire but alienated from friends and family = miserable. Broke with excellent relationships with all fam and friends = happy as Larry.:)

tacofries

Candie wrote: »

Money might not guarantee happiness, but an inability to pay your bills and feed your kids is definitely a recipe for unhappiness.

Money buys you freedom, and new experiences can make you happy. Using your money to continually acquire stuff is a pretty empty use of it though, imo. Using your money to help others is more likely to bring you lasting happiness.

That's basically what I was hoping people might take from the video.

To buy, or bring for a better word, happiness to your life, it can be more effective to spend money on treating others rather than yourself!

CIP4

As the saying goes money doesn't buy happiness but it's alot easier to cry in a Mercedes than on a push bike :pac:

My view on it is while it doesn't necessarily make you happy a lack of it can lead to a stressful situation in which it's very difficult to be happy.

Wigglepuppy

Rezident wrote: »

Money only buys short-term happiness. Long-term happiness comes primarily from the quality of the relationships in your life. Billionaire but alienated from friends and family = miserable. Broke with excellent relationships with all fam and friends = happy as Larry.:)

Yeah but, billionaire with great family and friends - much happier than broke person unable to sleep because they can't scrape enough money together to pay their bills/rent.

lawlolawl

Rezident wrote: »

Money only buys short-term happiness. Long-term happiness comes primarily from the quality of the relationships in your life. Billionaire but alienated from friends and family = miserable. Broke with excellent relationships with all fam and friends = happy as Larry.:)

I'll take the billions and alienation, thanks.

I'll buy new people to keep me company.

TSMGUY

I don't particularly give a **** about money. Whether that's because I'm too enlightened for materialism or because I'm a depressed **** I don't know, but money seems..... irrelevant to me beyond a basic amount. How much **** do you really want/need?

It is very context dependent. A person living in a tribe in papua new guinea, in absolute poverty as we would describe it, would not suffer from their poverty to the same degree that we would if placed in their position after having grown up under the relatively (and absolutely) luxurious conditions which we have. There are also many studies which highlight how much less depressed people living in tribes in such places are compared to those of us living in places like Ireland.

You would imagine that if you were living in Silicon Valley, worth say $5 million you would be happy - but what would really happen is that you would find yourself living amongst other people worth considerably more and so would feel relatively inferior to them, and human nature being what it is your mind would hone in on the negative instead of appreciating constantly that you have more money than most people who have ever lived. The human mind doesn't like it when everything is actually okay, it wants to generate things to worry about.

The best way for money to make you happy is to force yourself to live at a lower living standard than you "could" afford, therefore forcing you to not lose your head and to still be able to appreciate the small things.

Wigglepuppy

TSMGUY wrote: »

I don't particularly give a **** about money. Whether that's because I'm too enlightened for materialism or because I'm a depressed **** I don't know, but money seems..... irrelevant to me beyond a basic amount. How much **** do you really want/need?

Depends on the person and what they're into I guess.

Yeah I don't have an interest in having loads of stuff but I don't want the stress of struggling financially either. A person would be happier non broke than broke. It need only be as basic as that. Or even if it's not as basic as that, having a lot of money increases options. E.g. if a person has an illness, having plenty of money removes the healthcare cost worries. So in a context like that, it certainly buys an increase on peace of mind.

Spudgun

money won't buy you happiness but it can help. It would be lovely not to have to worry about how I'm going to pay bills sometimes