To think people who say “money doesn’t buy happiness” have never had real money?

[EdgyRobin]

Poor people romanticising struggle is weird.

I agree money does not buy happiness if you mean simply having a massive amount of capital.

What makes for happiness is having an income (however small or large it may be) that exceeds your outgoing expenses. It's called Micawber's Law.

Well I've known a few people who have had plenty of money but died from cancer and other serious illnesses and have had to suffer the accompanying misery, so no, it can't always buy you happiness. I would rather have my life, where I will be renting forever but have good health.

Its not the only factor in happiness. Like if you're in a well paying job that's making you and your family utterly miserable there can be a case for finding something that pays less but isn't ruining your life because money isn't everything.

I do think poverty brings a lot of misery that could be alleviated with money.

No, it’s the opposite. People who say this have never known real poverty.

I find the whole ‘I’d rather have good health than be rich’ weird. Plenty of poor people have bad health, they’re still skint on top of that. Any situation that’s shit is less shit when you have money. Always.

No, money can't buy happiness: If you can't be happy without lots of money, you'll never be happy with it.

Financial security can make you happy, if your definition of happiness is freedom from that kind of worry. But being so rich that you are making money faster than you can possibly spend it,I’m talking Musk, Bezos here, I’m not sure. Does it not get meaningless then?

I'm sure there was some sort of studying saying that money made you happier but only up to a certain level. It makes sense, it's not so much the money but the security and choices of having enough money.

Well the richest people I know are not the happiest. So money does not equal happiness. But I’m sure they would be even less happy with less money!

I've never heard an honest to god poor person say it. Only people who are comfortable, as though justifying their position. Like when celebs say sickness doesn't discriminate or we're all in the same storm during Covid.

The opposite. People who say that have never been poor.

I have a severe MH disorder.

Being rich would reduce the impact of it by about 98%.

In my experience (which is encountering vv ‘high net worth individuals’ via DH’s job), yes, it does. They very often seem vaguely bored and removed from things. I sometimes think of it as the difference between enjoying a warm fire after you’ve been out in the cold. If you’re always in a temperature-controlled bubble, it’s just how things are.

Yeah I agree, there’s probably a tipping point where wealth becomes abstract and maybe even isolating. My post wasn’t really about people like Musk/Bezos, it’s more about the everyday idea that “money doesn’t buy happiness,” when in reality, not having to constantly worry about rent, bills or emergencies massively impacts mental wellbeing. I just think people sometimes downplay that truth in ways that can feel disconnected from how much money does shape our choices, freedom, and stress levels.

Money buys you security, opportunities and choices.

You may make bad choices and be unhappy, like fall in love with someone who treats you poorly or become friends with people who use you.

You may be bereaved or suffer a terrible injury and be unhappy.

What money does is provide a greater number of opportunities to manage those situations. If you are rich, it's easier financially to walk away from a poor relationship (although not necessarily emotionally easier) or buy in intensive physio or grief counselling to help adapt to your situation.
But it doesn't mean you would never be unhappy.

I don't think it is normally said to romanticise poverty, more used as a way of saying don't damage your health and relationships chasing mega riches?

No it doesnt bring you happiness. I worked for a man for twenty years who owned a thriving coffee shop/restaurant. He also owned a tapas bar and lots of properties. He owned all of these outright so was very comfortable moneywise but what a bloody miserable man!!
God knows why I worked for him so long. He had been married three times and all failed. Everyone who had dealings with him had not one good word for him.
Took him all his time to say Good Morning. He looked for the bad in everyone and everything so in his case.......no money doesnt bring you happiness.

If material possessions are what equal happiness to you then absolutely.

But happiness generally goes deeper than that.

Money can absolutely buy you a better standard of living. Bigger house, better car, better area to live in.

But it doesn’t stop people from falling ill, or dying, or losing loved ones. And before anyone says “but you can buy a better standard of treatment” that is irrelevant if the outcome is the same.

Look at the number of celebrities who die either by suicide or drug overdose for instance. They have money beyond anything most of us could even imagine, and it clearly doesn’t buy them happiness. In fact it buys them the substances which do enough harm to cause their downfall.

I don't think being super rich automatically brings happiness, in fact wealth can be a barrier to genuine relationships and friendships.

However, I think it's practically impossible to be happy if you're broke.

My Grandad, who grew up poor and became quite comfortable used to say "money can't buy happiness, but it makes being miserable a darn sight more comfortable".

Once you have attained a reasonable standard of living (ie able to afford your own home, family, good food and holidays etc) then I don’t believe additional money buys you happiness.

Having money doesn't buy happiness but it does so you worrying where your rent, next meal, children's clothes are coming from.

I find it's the people who have never struggled financially who tend to use the phrase

Money buys opportunity and practical things to oil the wheels. It doesn’t buy health, but it can buy treatment. It buys material goods, but it doesn’t buy love or care or generosity or empathy.

If you don’t have money, many doors are closed to you and make it more difficult to live a fulfilling life. It won’t make you happy but it can provide many of the things that will.

Money doesn't buy happiness, but it very definitely prevents deeper misery and worries.

I think the saying health is wealth has a lot of truth.
No amount of money can buy good health for some ( although it can help alleviate symptoms etc in some cases no doubt ).
So I think if you are comfortable enough and are able to.provide for your families needs and have good health throughout your lifetime you have pretty much won the lottery of life.

I've only ever heard rich people saying it. A poor person wouldn't know, would they?

Money makes life easier in many ways. But there's plenty of depressed millionaires knocking about. Some very rich people have extremely stressful jobs with extreme responsibilities, some might have inherited wealth and feel they lack purpose in life as everything was handed to them.

Being absolutely on the bones of your arse is heartbreaking and incredibly depressing too, and I'd rather be crying in a Rolls Royce than laughing while living in a tent under a bridge.

But I don't think that you'll definitely be happy just because you're loaded.

I think you’ve put it really well - money doesn’t make you immune to life’s pain but it definitely gives you more options for how you navigate it. I do agree that it’s not a magic bullet for happiness but I do think sometimes people use the phrase - “money doesn’t buy happiness” - to dismiss just how much of a difference stability, choices and breathing room can make.

And I totally hear what you’re saying about the intent being to warn against sacrificing health or relationships in the pursuit of wealth - that’s a really fair take. I guess I just push back when the phrase starts sounding like a subtle glorification of not having enough, especially when the people who’ve never truly struggled are the ones saying it.