Money ≠Happiness

[DJ_Flame]

i feel like one of the most telling things is when you're with anyone - rich or otherwise - and all they can talk about is like just shit they own. like things lying around their house that they bought. it feels so tragic to me? I don't know man there's just like this one kid at my college who has no social life whatever but sits on twitter absolutely all day talking about his apple products and ironically how great or not great aspects of social media apps he's downloaded for them are. he also dresses in bright purple skinny chinos with boat shoes and ray bans so maybe this isn't a completely unbiased evaluation of his existence eheheh... although i remember on christmas day all he was talking about was not getting as much money from his family as he wanted wow man ppl like this break my heart

Sounds like #menswear

[rungo]

can't find the literature right now, but there was an extensive cross correlation study done on money and the relation to happiness with respect to perception and use of money, as well as monetary gains.

Basically, it predicated that experiences make people happy significantly more than material goods or money (the idea of money as power, etc), and those with money, who were not concerned with substantially altering their financial station, but were well serviced in relation to experiences - shit like travelling, recreation, even what food you eat, were 'happier' than those with equivalent expenditure and holdings in physical goods. Notwithstanding, stable family, friends, etc, were significantly more important to happiness than money, adjusting for the ability to maintain a stable lifestyle.

Perhaps it was secretly funded by rich people so they would know how to leverage money into happiness.

[ojsimpson]

i feel like one of the most telling things is when you're with anyone - rich or otherwise - and all they can talk about is like just shit they own. like things lying around their house that they bought. it feels so tragic to me? I don't know man there's just like this one kid at my college who has no social life whatever but sits on twitter absolutely all day talking about his apple products and ironically how great or not great aspects of social media apps he's downloaded for them are. he also dresses in bright purple skinny chinos with boat shoes and ray bans so maybe this isn't a completely unbiased evaluation of his existence eheheh... although i remember on christmas day all he was talking about was not getting as much money from his family as he wanted wow man ppl like this break my heart

you just sound like you're jealous of this dude

[tentpole]

you just sound like you're jealous of this dude

really? not quite what i was going for. I guess condensed, the way i feel is like sure, indulge as much as you want in material wealth but to have it be the focal point of your life and your interactions with others is to me a little unhealthy.

[TTM]

great publication regarding happiness. peer reviewed summarizing hundreds of studies:

http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~dtg/DUNN%20GILBERT%20&%20WILSON%20(2011).pdf

If money doesn't make you happy, then you probably aren't spending it right.

Specifically, we suggest that consumers should (1) buy more experiences and fewer material goods; (2) use their money to benefit others rather than themselves (3) buy many small pleasures rather than fewer large ones; (4) eschew extended warranties and other forms of overpriced insurance; (5) delay consumption; (6) consider how peripheral features of their purchases may affect their day-to-day lives; (7) beware of comparison shopping; and (8) pay close attention to the happiness of others

[Quiver]

Great thread. Topic's real close to heart. Gonna rant.

After finishing uni three years ago and with a high paying job lined up I was imagining all the shit I could buy and the lifestyle changes that'd come with it all. Happened to read Affluenza during that time as well, and it affirmed the notion that money's not happiness. After starting work I told myself that I could live on the same salary for life and be content. The first pay rise and the hit I got from it made me wary though. Dreaded the treadmill idea. Got chatting with an old lecturer from uni over drinks one day. Money was never a problem for him but he had personal troubles at home. He confided that meditation was his out and that he'd been hard at it for years. Strangely, he seemed guarded about practicing it. Didn't think he'd give a fuck bout what anybody else thought. Never got around to giving meditation a go, but the thrill of pay rises has faded. Simple things as they always have, continues to give me the greatest pleasure. And I'm still annoyed to find myself wanting more, and picturing this ever-changing, imagined lifestyle that american hearts' described. I've come to the conclusion that a moderate amount of material ambition isn't anything to worry about. It's only when it becomes an obsession should it become a problem. Nothing in excess.

[epilogue]

So it's "Fuck Money, Get Bitches" now?

nope, the motto is still to fuck bitches, and get money.

[homi29]

I feel as though my generation has more troubling dealing with this existential debate than prior ones. Because we've been exposed to so much more through the media we have high standards for the type of lifestyles and coppage we'd be able to do. I've personally always struggled with career choices for this kind of debate. Do i do what makes me the most money and live in financial stability or do I choose a 'riskier' route and try to make my way through it best I can.

Guess which one I chose? I chose to struggle to do what I really enjoy. To make my own lane (which i am still figuring out day to day). I never wanted to settle into something that felt comfortable that offered just enough money but not enough to buy everything I want or fly private. I see some of my university friends now stuck in fields they don't have a passion for. In many cases they're not even sure what I like. While i've never been more sure of the things in life i enjoy.

Now it's just time for me to find a way to profit and get that fuck you money but in the meanwhile im drinking PBR and eating shitty take-out.

[CBM]

great topic.

i'm currently in my final year of studying journalism and law and I'm trying to decide which field to go into. i know that if i get into law i'll be more financially stable, but i don't know if i'll be happy. i've always found it hard to break apart my work and personal life and i think that whilst i might have more cash i would stress about work constantly. that is, in the minimal free time i actually get away from work. on the other hand, i have always loved writing and print media. i know it would be a lot harder to get even a mediocre job in this industry, and to try would mean moving away from brisbane and struggling like crazy to find my feet. all in all though, i think it would make me happier. decisions, decisions. ugh.

also: since i have been apart from my ex girlfriend i have more money at my disposal, but i am definitely not happier. this is probably just me still getting over her and learning to be alone and content, but thought i'd mention it anyways.

Edited May 30, 2012 by CBM

[julzkind]

I don't agree w/ this at all. There are plenty of rich people I know that are perfectly sane.

you dont know shit

i guess what i mean to say is money is so many things other than happiness to other ppl?

for me money = security. i like to know that whatever happens, ive got backup.

[lmk1995]

saw this in a magazine in the break room at work

personally, i've realized that all i want out of life is to make enough money to have a nice house, some nice things, and have enough money to travel with my wife and kids and send my kids to whatever college they want to go to. I could care less about being a "baller." at a certain point even if you make more money you just spend it on stupid stuff. I don't' want to be wealthy enough to not have to have good taste.

Edited May 30, 2012 by littlemike

[american_hearts]

Don't worry; if you're too rich to have taste, Tyler Brule will tell you what to buy.

[djrajio]

Larry Eliison makes a ton of money and sure doesn't seem unhappy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Ellison

Ellison styled his estimated $110 million Woodside, California, estate after feudal Japanese architecture, complete with a man-made 2.3-acre (9,300 m²) lake and an extensive seismic retrofit (

WikiMiniAtlas

37°24′44.34′N 122°14′51.40′W / 37.4123167°N 122.247611°W / 37.4123167; -122.247611).^{[citation needed]} In 2004 and 2005, Ellison purchased more than 12 properties in Malibu, California, worth more than $180 million. The $65 million Ellison spent on five contiguous lots on Malibu's Carbon Beach was the most costly residential transaction in United States history until Ron Perelman sold his Palm Beach, Florida compound for $70 million later that same year.^[39] His entertainment system cost $1 million, and includes a rock concert-sized video projector at one end of a drained swimming pool, using the gaping hole as a giant subwoofer

[fobsquad]

yes, im told louis xiv lived very happily

[djrajio]

They say money can't buy happiness? Look at the fucking smile on my face. Ear to ear, baby.

Edited May 31, 2012 by djrajio

[lotek01]

money makes most people pretty happy

money makes some people extra happy

I don't really see the problem here...

[IamJacky]

i think it also depends on how you make the money. i would certainly feel happier if i worked hard on something and be rewarded with let's say $20k than if i was to receive the same amount without any effort or contribution.

i have more money than i had 5 years ago but i don't feel any happier, though i do know that if i don't have the money i have now i will definitely feel less happier. i feel happy when i have money and am earning it through a meaningful way or something i enjoy doing.

[zenii]

Larry Eliison makes a ton of money and sure doesn't seem unhappy.

http://en.wikipedia....i/Larry_Ellison

Ellison styled his estimated $110 million Woodside, California, estate after feudal Japanese architecture, complete with a man-made 2.3-acre (9,300 m²) lake and an extensive seismic retrofit (

WikiMiniAtlas

37°24′44.34′N 122°14′51.40′W / 37.4123167°N 122.247611°W / 37.4123167; -122.247611).^{[citation needed]} In 2004 and 2005, Ellison purchased more than 12 properties in Malibu, California, worth more than $180 million. The $65 million Ellison spent on five contiguous lots on Malibu's Carbon Beach was the most costly residential transaction in United States history until Ron Perelman sold his Palm Beach, Florida compound for $70 million later that same year.^[39] His entertainment system cost $1 million, and includes a rock concert-sized video projector at one end of a drained swimming pool, using the gaping hole as a giant subwoofer

because anecdotal evidence about how one person lives can always be generalized onto a larger population right?

[djrajio]

Duh, that's how I logically explain everything in my life.

[Denton]

especially because larry ellison is a known exemplar of how to conduct oneself

[Dropt]

I'm just now coming to grips with the fact that, most of the time, when I'm coveting an object (whether it be jawnz, or furniture, what have you), it's not about the object itself. I'm hoping that, by buying this thing, I'm buying my way, piece by piece, into the lifestyle I imagine it being a part of.

[somethingauthentic]

true happiness is balance. i want to be in the 1% but mostly eat mcnuggets.

[jackg]

side issue but what of the relationship between intelligence and happiness?

Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. - Ernest Hemingway

Edited June 3, 2012 by jackg

[StrangeLove]

i dont know man my friend just hit 6 7 8 suited from black id have to say we're all pretty happy.

always a vamp concept

edit: it was a few hrs ago. it was from the bonus 100 to 1 he bet a 25 dollar chip!

Edited June 3, 2012 by StrangeLove

[evisu 2000]

as far as gambling is concerned the depressio n from losing money outweighs the happiness from winning money unless you're gambling "just to gamble"/"for the thrill"/"to pass the time" aka you're a trust fund kid fuck you

Edited June 3, 2012 by mass

[jackg]

in general terms we feel losses more than we feel gains (of the same amount) as defined by the prospect theory

Edited June 3, 2012 by jackg

[StrangeLove]

alcohol is what you take when you cant feel happy sober anymore. Actually Hapiness is boosted by 80% by alcohol

[okonomi]

side issue but what of the relationship between intelligence and happiness?

Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know. - Ernest Hemingway

I felt like that article missed the point. To me that Hemingway quote is more about 'intelligent' people overthinking and thus being uncertain, uncommited and generally discontent.

[jackg]

yeah to be honest i agree, I feel the article misses the point. I don't think Hemingway is refereeing to something born out of childhood suffering, but instead something more existential. Something more to do with the things that intelligent people will consider and think about but that the common man might just take for granted or ignore completely.

[StrangeLove]

lol