Can money buy you happiness?
While growing up, we have often heard our parents and the people around us talk about ‘money’ & ‘happiness’ in a way as if it’s interconnected. Especially if you are from a middle-class family, a major chunk of your problems in life are financial problems or at least you believe it to be so.
Lack of money and happiness tricks us into believing — money is the only way to happiness. Movies like — ‘The Wolf of the Wall Street’ to studies based on a small set of people, all show that money is linked to happiness.
Being poor has its own set of ‘additional’ problems that can be solved with money — no place to live or a low-quality lifestyle, no food on the plate, etc. all the ‘money-related’ problems.
Sure, you can solve all these problems using ‘money’.
But the question is — Can money buy you happiness?
The answer lies in how you perceive money. Money is a resource to get access to other resources.
Most people see it as an end, an outcome, which is not the case.
You can use the money to satisfy your needs faster and in a better way, you can also fulfill some of your wants and maybe all of them if you have enough money and limited wants.
As a kid, what was the one thing that used to excite you the most? You didn’t know about money as a kid, and even if you did, it was not in the way you see it now.
Most kids are excited about new toys, if you’re coming back from school knowing that a new toy is waiting for you in your home, you’re excited. While you’re playing with it, you’re happier than ever. Then after some time — days/weeks/a couple of months — it doesn’t excite you anymore.
A toy means a lot to a kid, and while the parents can get him/her another toy the same process will repeat. And this is the same with money, with money you don’t have to worry about if there’s any food left for dinner, you have to worry about what to eat for dinner, there are way too many options. It will give you momentary happiness but long-term happiness depends on a lot of factors other than only money.
The relations you build over the years, the people around you, the way you deal with problems, etc.
Not all problems are ‘money problems’, and you can’t solve all your problems using only money, you will have to involve yourself.
There are many rich people in this world who are not happy with their lives and I’m not the one saying this, they did.
While some controversial influencers might tell you that making money somehow is the only way, you need to focus on the other things that will make your life worthwhile, money is just a byproduct, it’s a resource to get access to other resources.
