to say money does not equal happiness.

[iliketherain]

as title.

I just wish some people would put other things above money....

[lisad123]

Of course it doesn't.
I always think if you have more money, you have more to lose and therefore more stress that's what I tell myself when another bill drops in!

[NinkyNonker]

Of course it doesn't. It can mean more choices or freedom, but not happiness.

[AgentZigzag]

If money equalled happiness, there wouldn't be so many millionaire celebrities in therapy and rehab.

You can't deny that having relatively enough does make life a bit easier though, no scrabbling about for a quid to buy some taties, or endless worrying about how much DC shoes cost.

Having money just means you don't have to worry about it, if you're a miserable fucker, then having 10 mil isn't going to change that.

[handsomeharry]

Having absolutely no money can also cause a huge amount of stress and unhappiness. I'm thinking particularly about people in debt.

Money doesn't make you happy but no money can make you very unhappy too.

[Catslikehats]

It doesn't equal happiness no, but there isn't much that money can't ease so it means less worries and for many that does mean more happiness.

I know it is not a popular view but I would be less happy if I was struggling financially. sorry.

[bemybebe]

Heard someone saying once "Money does not buy you happiness. Neither does poverty." Thought - how true.

[bemybebe]

x-posted with theQueen

[squeakytoy]

I would say it does. It is pretty miserable having no money.

[TheMonster]

I agree with squeaky toy. More money would mean a much better life for us and ds.

[hocuspontas]

I don't have much money but am happy. Of course I don't know but with more money I could be happier . Not a fortune but say double our income. A non-leaking house, a decent annual holiday, a new car, not having to fret about uni fees. That sort of level.

[Insomnia11]

It depends what you mean. I think if we were given a big stack of cash, e.g. won the lottery or something then we could pay off the mortgage, do up the house completely and probably be financially secure for life, which doesn't mean instant happiness but would make life easier!

However - I've just left a high earning job to earn a fraction of what I was earning working part time elsewhere and running my own business, and I feel much happier.

So for me, it depends what you have to do for the money.

[Andrewofgg]

Money can't buy you friends but it gets you a better class of enemy :o

[BrandyAlexander]

Call me suspicious but when lots of people agree with you that money doesn't buy you happiness are you suddenly going to turn around and say so why why do working mothers put money above their children's happiness? If so yawn.

However taking your question at face value.... No, money doesn't buy you happiness but I can honestly tell you that I am happier living in my current home which is a £1m mortgage free house (that I have worked for) than I was in living in one of my previous abodes which was a homeless shelter. Call me shallow but money would have bought my family and the other residents a bit of happiness right about then. Happy to give you the address of the shelter if you want to nip round there this afternoon from your (no doubt) lovely home and tell them money doesn't buy you happiness or doesn't make any difference.

[wigglybeezer]

I read somewhere that money does make you happier, but only up to £50,000 pounds income, after that happiness does not increase much, if at all.

[Maisiethemorningsidecat]

I'd rather be rich and miserable than poor and miserable!

It doesn't necessarily buy you happiness, but it buys you less finanical stress, provides you with more opportunities to do the nice things in life, that sort of thing.

I'm not interested in material goods, but the idea of having money to travel, being able to help my extended family and friends in the tight times, give to local charities who really need it - that would make me really happy.

[inmysparetime]

I think if you live your life thinking that you'd be happy if only... (more money/perfect kids/thinner), you'll always be dissatisfied with your life right now.
You only get one chance at life, learn to be happy with the life you have, not put off happiness until your life is perfect in some way.

[valiumredhead]

Money equals choice and freedom.

[WoodBetweenTheWorlds]

Money certainly doesn't make you happy but poverty definitely makes people miserable. I would say that reasonable financial security is a necessary but insufficient condition for happiness.

[007alert]

There has recently been a study published (which I will now go and find) that shows that money does buy you happiness, and al the things that we think will make us happy - family, job satisfaction etc, do not. In fact, having children makes you generally more unhappy than you would be without them.

It's a difficult thing to measure though, happiness.

My mum always said that while money can't buy you happiness, it allows you to be miserable in comfort. Wise old sage, my mum.

[DawnTiggaWeirdyBeardy]

But it does buy you a better class of misery.

LovesSpikeMilliganTiggaxx

[Flowerista]

I'd like the chance to find out. If say winning 50million on Euro millions made me miserable I could always choose to give it away.

[mankymink]

A lot of the unhappiness in my relationship right now is due to lack of money. As valium said it is about having choice and freedom.

There is no doubt in mind that a windfall would make us pretty bloody ecstatic!

[motherinferior]

Ah, is this because Evil Working Mothers go out and earn money that technically their families do not need as they are not otherwise on the breadline?

I personally am dead chuffed at the moment that I am bringing in more money that I was. It involves - gasp shock horror - working full time outside the home. I am quite a lot happier, and nicer to be around, than I was when I was ripping my hair out wondering where the next pay cheque was coming from.