Happiness can’t be bought with a price tag, but you’d probably be pretty happy if they handed out $20s at the grocery store instead of free food samples. More money, especially if it’s free or inherited, doesn’t necessarily make us miserable, but it sure doesn’t bring total happiness.
Wealth Brings Control, Not Happiness.
The wealthy enjoy control over their lives, or at least the security of not having to worry about how the rent will be paid or if they can afford an addictive habit, like take out pepperoni pizza. They are secure in their jobs and feel financially in control of their lives.
Yet, are the rich really better than those of us who live paycheck to paycheck, praying their ’90s model Ford Escort makes it all the way home this time? Not really. They worry less about day-to-day expenses, but they aren’t necessarily anymore overjoyed with getting out of bed every day, even if they’re golfing with celebrities that afternoon.
Studies show that celebrities, lottery winners, heiresses, etc., only enjoy a bit more satisfaction than the guy sweating away to make a buck selling barn insurance. Sure, an extra digit or two might put a smile on your face, but overall, it wouldn’t really increase your happiness. The high would wear off, and when you came down, you’d be back to life, dealing with your daily, pestering realities.
Perspective. You Can Paint a Picture With it.
Imagination sets us apart from the less-evolved species. We have the capacity to not only imagine skyscrapers and aluminum birds that fly, but we also create our own realities by how we remember them. The human mind can be incredibly inventive, especially when we try and remember “what really happened.”
We assume the big penthouse, a sports car or a nice new dress will bring us the happiness we see pasted all over the Super Bowl commercials, right? They have in the past. When you go buy something new, there’s a natural high that puts a little bounce in your step, right?
Not really. It’s a matter of perspective. You buy something new, the high quickly wears off, usually when you first break what you bought, or you get that ugly credit card bill in the mail. Happiness from material objects is fleeting. The only reason you’re happy with material purchases is because you didn’t have that item previously. If you already have everything, what do you have left to get happy about?
More Money Comes at a Cost.
We tend to forget the problems and hassles we experienced with the new car. We forget the late nights, high stress and time away from our families that led to the raise.
Money Can be Addictive.
What’s wrong with a selective brain that makes us remember the good times and forget the bad? It can cost you. Faulty memory that clings only to the “buying high” makes us do dumb things with our money, and, in a sense, consuming it with an addictive passion, like drugs or alcohol. We don’t buy what we really need, spending on frivolities only to feel temporarily happy until the new toy breaks or the bill arrives in the mail.
In fact, you can build up not only a dependency to money, but also a growing tolerance. It takes more expensive irreverent spending to achieve the high that satisfied us when we were younger, and the spending can easily escalate until it’s well out of control.
How Much Money is Enough?
How much cash does it really take to satisfy? Really, you should strive to have enough to pay your bills while having a little left over for fun. The rest is extra. Will a 20% raise make you 20% happier? Chances are it won’t. You’ll most likely just build an appetite for more, pursuing money interests at the cost of friends, family and maybe even yourself.
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