Does money=happiness?

Originally Posted by Viktri

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+1
Now we know why Connie's such a revolutionary -- he thinks single, childless, college-educated professionals earning $50K are near the bottom of the socio-economic heap.

I felt that the "near nothing" = 50k comment was what sealed it for me. I didn't know people like that seriously existed. I mean, people joke about it but most people who aren't earning 50k/year should really know better.

There's been quite a bit of research on this. For some enlightening reading, look up Ed Diener's work. He studies subjective well-being at UIUC.

Originally Posted by Connemara

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Then there's folk like me. Frankly, my dad makes a lot of money. He owns numerous companies. Until I was 7 or 8, putting food on the table was a real concern for him and my mom. Through incredibly long hours and a lot of sacrifice, my father and mother were able to build a life for me that I am just realizing 99% of the globe will never experience.


This is strictly based on my experience. "Folk like" you are different than folk like me.

I was born poor, I was raised poor, and I spent the first 30 years of my life digging myself out of poverty and into upper-middle class-dom. I know money does not make you happy per se, but I also know that poverty and misery and/or hard times pretty much go hand in hand.

Folks with wealthy parents, for some reason, often seem to undergo meaningless existential crisis after meaningless existential crisis over issues such as "does money bring you happiness?" It is one of those things where only those with the luxury of having it seem to question its worth. You see, you do not have money. Your father does. I think much of the angst is brought on because wealthy children take money for granted but their parents control the money tap. It creates the ambivalent feelings about money.

To the question:

Money cannot buy you happiness. However, it does allow you to be miserable in nice clothes, while eating good food, drinking good wines, in very nice places.

****Delicate sensibilities alert******

Life is a **** sandwich. If you have enough bread it masks the taste of the ****.


PS Connie, if you dont stop drinking you are going to become an alcoholic. If you become an alcoholic it will not matter at all how much money you have, you will be unhappy.

Money does not automatically lead to happiness, but having it is better than not having it.

I make a good living providing for my family. We have a roof over our head, daily meals, transportation, and occasionally are able to indulge in finer things. That's good. I'm proud to give my family a good life.

I also grew up quite priviledged, not wanting/needing anything. I attribute that to the hardworks of my parents.

Kids need to know the value of money. My kids when they are older will work to learn that valuable lesson.

Garsh, I make a typo and the whole forum ***** their pants!

Her salary has been more like $30K, not 50.

Money just makes some things easier, and allows more freedom.

You can be happy or sad, with or without money.

Originally Posted by Connemara

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Garsh, I make a typo and the whole forum ***** their pants!

Her salary has been more like $30K, not 50.

If you don't understand why so many of us were appalled, you're really missing something. Or really drunk.

A distant cousin of mine is a highschool teacher, he makes less than $40k/year. His wife is a gradeschool teacher, and she makes slightly less. Both have Masters degree. He moonlights as a tutor to the rich kids in the summer to make up for his low salary while his wife stays at home to watch the kids. They have an adopted boy (4 y/o, I believe) and a 2 y/o old girl of their own. They live in a cute little house in western Mass and just bought a Honda minivan last year so they can drive their kids around the country to visit relatives in the summer. They're far happier than most of the people I know with a lot more money.

i dated a girl whose father was a wealthy doctor. he paid for her cars, education, and everything else. she was one of the most unhappy/unstable people i know because she thought she would never be as good as/meet the expectations of her father. she was an A student and rookie of the year in two sports in college. goes to show you that money doesn't buy happiness. part of it could have been some mental imbalances though...i dunno.

The main reasons id like to make more is just so i could travel more, eat at nice restaurants, and spend more money on my numerous hobbies.

I've been told by an ex "you don't make what an adult makes" at that point I was making 50K CDN and doing well compared to the place I worked and lived(rural small town), unfortunately she lived in one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Canada and was "from money".

I am now working on my MBA with my goal being to work for 2-3 years and try to earn as much as possible so I can then move into a place where I can work 6-8 months of the year for 50-60K. I think this will make me happier than making tonnes of money and not having time to do things I like to do, when I want to do them.

As for up bringing, I grew up dirt poor, worked on farms as a kid (for $2.50 an hour when i was 12 years old), gave my mother an entire summer's earnings to pay the rent. While I would not give up some of my expereinces, I hope that should I be lucky enough to have a family they won't have to relive my childhood(popcorn for dinner, peanut butter sandwiches for lunch everyday for nearly 10 years)

When you don't have to worry about the basics, it is easier to be happy.

Considering we are on a board discussing 300 pairs of jeans and 5K suits, i assume we all have a base level of income that could permit one to be happy, if they truly wanted to be.

Originally Posted by doink

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I've been told by an ex "you don't make what an adult makes"

That is so incredibly cold, especially from someone who is supposed to care about you.

Since the question is stated as a mathematical formula: Money does not equal happiness but it is a large factor in a complicated equation. Happiness can be acheived in the absence of money and one can have a great deal of money and find happiness unobtainable, but this is just an illustration of the other factors at play.

$30,000 would be a difficult income to live on in California.