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Money ≠ Happiness


jackg

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I feel like I read/heard somewhere that the peak earnings/happiness were around 75k for the average American family, that it afforded a stable lifestyle and home, but didn't demand excessive work schedules or time away from pursuing goals, something like that. I'm not necessarily sure it's about making more money as it is about being realistic about expenses. I think this downturn in housing will actually net a happier and more stable generation, prob just take a bit longer to see it happen or recognize it.

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great thread jackg, I think advances in neuroscience are especially important when considering happiness, for example the hedonic treadmill idea boils down to neurotransmitter release associated with performing certain actions and activating reward pathways in our brains, after a period of conditioning/brain rewiring or whatever. we can get used to anything if we do it enough times, that's the nature of our bodies and minds, something we evolved to do in order to become the most dominant species on the planet. our reward pathways have always been the same, structurally speaking, but the from birth our wants and desires are modified by the environment around us, capitalist monopolies, mass media, familial values, religious ideals, etc. we don't inherently want money, our brains have become accustomed to the idea that money allows us to be happy in so many ways, and so we feel happy when we find money unexpectedly, since our brains reward system is being stimulated.

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  On 5/24/2012 at 3:34 AM, Vampyrvargfesten said:

i think then the secret to happiness is randomly finding small piles of money on the ground

but not too much money

and not all at once

Yeah thats nice and all but you cant dive scrooge mcduck style into small piles without getting hurt.

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money can buy you experiences you wouldn't otherwise have. at this point in my life, i'd rather work and be "unhappy" (not doing what I want to do at that exact moment) in order to have periods of extreme happiness than live a low work / low maintenance lifestyle but miss out on those big bursts of seratonin.

peaks and valleys versus stable baseline is what i'm saying.

Edited by Stacks
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i guess that assumes that anyone knows what true happiness is (maybe you do). i would think true happiness would mean total peace with oneself and one's surroundings and no regrets. i imagine that any critical thinker (and/or nonbeliever) will second guess their life at some point (the mediocre existence line mentioned in the original post) and whether it makes them happy no matter what they are doing. if i had a stable baseline with low maintenance i expect that I would have deathbed regrets about not having all of those experiences i was curious about.

based on that theory that it is impossible to avoid regrets, i get a sense of fulfillment (happiness?) from

1) having new experiences with the hope that i will enjoy them

2) having "old" experiences that i enjoyed previously

3) living in comfort

some experiences are more expensive than others. #3 is definitely hedonistic treadmill, though.

edit: i'm also addicted to the struggle and want to thrash until the light goes out but this may be a product of relatively youthful thinking.

Edited by Stacks
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  On 5/24/2012 at 1:46 PM, Stacks said:

money can buy you experiences you wouldn't otherwise have. at this point in my life, i'd rather work and be "unhappy" (not doing what I want to do at that exact moment) in order to have periods of extreme happiness than live a low work / low maintenance lifestyle but miss out on those big bursts of seratonin.

peaks and valleys versus stable baseline is what i'm saying.

  On 5/24/2012 at 1:47 PM, jackg said:

but do experiences you may or may not have equate to true happiness?

  On 5/24/2012 at 2:01 PM, Stacks said:

1) having new experiences with the hope that i will enjoy them

2) having "old" experiences that i enjoyed previously

3) living in comfort

some experiences are more expensive than others. #3 is definitely hedonistic treadmill, though.

“To be truly challenging, a voyage, like a life, must rest on a firm foundation of financial unrest. Otherwise, you are doomed to a routine traverse, the kind known to yachtsmen who play with their boats at sea... 'cruising' it is called. Voyaging belongs to seamen, and to the wanderers of the world who cannot, or will not, fit in. If you are contemplating a voyage and you have the means, abandon the venture until your fortunes change. Only then will you know what the sea is all about.

'I've always wanted to sail to the south seas, but I can't afford it.' What these men can't afford is not to go. They are enmeshed in the cancerous discipline of 'security.' And in the worship of security we fling our lives beneath the wheels of routine - and before we know it our lives are gone.

What does a man need - really need? A few pounds of food each day, heat and shelter, six feet to lie down in - and some form of working activity that will yield a sense of accomplishment. That's all - in the material sense, and we know it. But we are brainwashed by our economic system until we end up in a tomb beneath a pyramid of time payments, mortgages, preposterous gadgetry, playthings that divert our attention for the sheer idiocy of the charade.

The years thunder by, The dreams of youth grow dim where they lie caked in dust on the shelves of patience. Before we know it, the tomb is sealed.

Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life? â€

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  On 5/24/2012 at 3:23 PM, sawyer said:

Where, then, lies the answer? In choice. Which shall it be: bankruptcy of purse or bankruptcy of life? â€

if you haven't already shed your financial restraints, feel free to cast them off on me.

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^^^similar idea: http://www.ted.com/talks/sasha_dichter.html

a couple other thoughts:

1. money cant buy lasting happiness, but it sure as shit can buy temporary pleasure.

2. not having money adds a lot of stress and anxiety to one's life which leads to unhappiness

3. discussion on a recent world wide gallop poll on happiness and the effect money has on it:

http://businessjourn...ve-and-75k.aspx

http://www.washingto...0070100039.html

http://www.scienceda...00701072652.htm

4. excerpts from a speech given by writer Charles Wheelan to the dartmouth graduating class of 2011: http://www.dartmouth...11/wheelan.html

im gonna boil some of his main points on happiness down to these...check the spoiler if you would like a longer read.

a. one of the single factors with the highest correlation with happiness is having meaningful and lasting relationships with other human beings (family, friends, organizations, social movements, ect).

b. leading a life of purpose (however you define it) is also strongly correlated with happiness

c. economists have quantified having a happy and successful marriage as having an impact on happiness equivalent to earning an extra $100,000 a year. also, if both spouses have an income then economic prosperity is much easier to attain (duh) so marry someone smarter than you.

d. if you want to do cool shit and be successful no doubt youve gotta work hard, but nothing tomorrow is ever promised today. if you were to get hit by a bus tomorrow, would you regret the way you spend your life (how much you work/what you do for work)? on the flip side if you dont get hit by a bus tomorrow, will you be happy with where your current life path is leading you in 10-20-30 years?

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  On 5/24/2012 at 6:31 PM, american_hearts said:

Not having money is stressful, and I'm basically flat broke. Even so, I've had a number of great moments over the last month or so that made me stop and realize, hey, there's no way that Richard Branson is happier than I am right now. He may be equally happy, but happier? Impossible.

he may not be happier, but he's probably chillin in his private spaceship right now with a topless model clinging to his back

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Buying undercover and visvim makes me happy.

I then post on the Recent Purchases thread hoping that other posters will rep me.

I get unhappy when people ignore my purchases.

So I buy more.

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Getting rep for bragging about my sexual conquests on sufu gives me happiness.

It helps compensate for the inferiority complex I've struggled w/ my entire adult life.

When posters neg rep me and make fun of my posts it makes me sad.

So I go fuck more bitches.

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