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The biggest lie the rich ever told? That money can’t buy you happiness (theguardian.com)
26 points by SirLJ on March 22, 2023 | hide | past | favorite | 9 comments



Money buys convenience and it’s damn good to be convenient and free from financial worries (which brings a lot of stress and anxiety).

However, I doubt that money actually buys happiness. You can draw up a long list of centi millionaires and billionaires who offed themselves…


I remember the old Ted talk with Kahneman, and while it may be fuzzy how wealth and happines scale ttogether, I do subscribe to the opposite, that “lack of money buys you misery”


>“lack of money buys you misery”

I'd say neither is guaranteed.

What money does is buy convenience, and in some degree, status, both of which are important. But doesn't solve everything.

Nor does poverty break everything. There's poverty that's stable and people are fine with their lifestyle, and poverty that induces stress and uncertainty.

E.g. poverty as a guy in some village in a nice little community with not a care in the world, because you have the basics covered, and poverty as in homeless in Chicago, with health problems and frequent encounters with law and people beating you, etc. Not the same.


It's a complicated topic because it's not the same for everyone. I see 2 main points:

1. When you have enough money to not worry about your health, food, and other basic needs, you are definitely happier

2. beyond that, the increase in happiness depends on what parts of human existence you value the most. If travelling and staying in luxury hotels are your thing, then you will benefit a lot. But if what makes you happy is just to spend time in nature and with family, you will only benefit a little.


Re 2: Or, if you have been looking at "traveling and staying in luxury hotels" from afar, dreaming of the day you can do it, and you get the money where you can, and you find out that it's kind of nice, but not nearly as wonderful as you expected it to be, then maybe you're miserable, because your dream let you down and you don't have anything to replace it with.


Money can afford you the best healthcare and potentially better health outcomes. If you have good health I'm sure you'll be a happier person.


It may or may not buy you happiness, but it does buy you power and influence. Hence, the vicious cycle we're in.


Quip: "If money can't buy happiness, Mr. Richie Rich, then you have no reason to object to this tax increase."


Money can't buy happiness, but it's more comfortable to cry in a Ferrari than on a bicycle.




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