Does Money Make You Happy?

Yes, and then no after a certain point. 

Yes to a degree but the valuable relationships / real connections in life make you happy.

I 

Money makes me pretty happy. I can go do whatever I want without having to worry about it causing a serious dent in my life. Also gives me the peace of mind knowing I’ll be able to provide for my future family and kids and give them a great life.

My issue was that although you can make the most money in NYC / SF, you can't really have fun with it in many ways. Hear me out, you can go to brunch on the weekend, go buy a new watch to wear around, maybe play tourist and go to a museum, but what else? In my opinion, when you leave those heavily congested areas there are better ways to have fun with your money (golf, skiing, beaches, driving cool sports cars, having a cool big house instead of a small apartment that costs $6,000 / month, etc.). 

Is it really worth grinding to make $5M if you just sit around in a dark 1,000 sq ft apartment all day on the weekends? In my opinion no - 

it provides comfort and stability to your life and reduces one area of stress. Money will never be fulfilling, so it will never make you happy. But it might provide you with a foundation to live a fulfilling life (family, travel, etc.)

Havin' money's not everything, not havin' it is

Not directly.  But it gives me control over my time and the ability to do what I want with my time.  Having $10,000 doesn't give me any kind of visceral joy, but the ability to spend a week in Europe with my wife does.

Yes, unequivocally. I had little and was miserable, then I hustled and am on track to earn 6 figures in my first year, and I couldn't feel better. Money is power, it's self-confidence, it's like heroin that raises you up instead of keeping you down, it's the sign to the world "this person is worth something". Sure, in "reality" you might be a good person, but that's between you and God only, you will not have anything from that in this life. If you don't have money, you are getting crushed by life - of course with more money comes more problems, but those problems will be solvable (lawsuits, business wars, etc) instead of unsolvable (rents are rising, employer laid me off, etc). Call me superficial, I never, never want to go back to seeing my mother cry because she had to go to a workplace she detested just to feed my siblings and I, and didn't know how to make ends meet. 

It’s not black and white. Like someone above said, not having money is everything, but having money isn’t everything.

I make 6 figures - it’s nice, but my lifestyle is the same except for the fact I no longer have a roommate. I don’t worry about spending too much when I go out to eat - this is due to the fact I rarely go out to eat. I spend my money on stuff I really want, and I don’t want much so it works out well

In seriousness, it doesn't buy happiness. It pays off anxiety and buys security so you can then do whatever.

I don't think anyone truly cares about money in and of itself. Not even that sociopathic MD/Partner that will sell his own family for the chance to win a big name client. At the end of the day, money is just a means to and end and that "end" is different for everyone. For just about everyone, money is important to a point because it affords you a lifestyle that makes you happy. What said lifestyle is that makes people happy varies greatly. For example, a lot of the really successful people I know in finance wouldn't be happy unless they're eating $300 sushi at Michelin restaurant, owning a $100K+ sports car, wearing designer clothes, etc. and are willing to make the sacrifices necessary in their personal life to work a job that gives them that.

For me, I want to be challenged by my job, but I'm not willing to grind out 70+ hour weeks constantly just so I can afford a bunch of luxuries goods or bottle service every weekend. I'm perfectly happy with earning enough to travel internationally once in a while, buy nicer but not designer clothes, and would rather save and invest as much as I can so I can semi-exit the corporate grind early. A lot of the things I enjoy, like music, hiking, health/wellness aren't expensive, so I'm not going to sacrifice my body and sanity just to buy shit I don't need.

Even for the psycho MD you know, I don't think it's really money they're after at that point. I think for them, money is just a proxy for how valuable they think they are and/or how good they are at what they do. I have to imagine once you're making 7 figures a year and can afford just about anything you want, it's more a contest to see who's the best and is more an ego thing than anything to do with money itself. 

No, but it provides security. Just spending money on random shit gets old real quick. 

Financial stress is awful. It's the first and last thing you'll think about about, every day - so removing that stressor is a huge relief, if you've ever been in the position of experiencing financial (di)stress.

Of course, one could argue that money can buy you stuff and experiences which brings you happiness, but there are lots of free alternatives that will do the same job, it really comes down to what you enjoy...

"every broke 20 year old wants to be a millionaire and every 50 year old millionaire wants to be 20" 

If a problem can be solved with money, and you have money, you don't have a problem.

Naval says it most eloquently in two separate quotes.

1. Money will solve all of your money problems.

2. A fit body, a calm mind, and a house full of love. These things cannot be bought - they must be earned.

No but the process under which you go through to make money does.

Whether you're negotiating on something will directly impact your compensation, trading, building a business, one if many scores you can measure yourself with is $ value. 

How much revenue are you generating, what's the valuation (personal wealth or your company or whatever), etc...

But I think at a certain point, other scores start to matter more like - how sustainable is your practice, how much output can you get per unit time (another way to ask this is how much did you scale your or your team's or your organization's practices), and ultimately how much you're enjoying things.

‘Money does not buy happiness’ - agreed, money does not directly buy happiness. However, money buys convenience, and convenience gives one more control over their time, and that convenience / additional control inherently reduces stress. Less stress, less strain on important relationships which are the source of happiness. The ability to freely employ hired help - assistants, au pairs, maids, tutors, coaches, housekeepers, property managers, etc. can create additional time for activities that drive happiness. Money essentially enables relationships to function without many obstacles less privileged people encounter, and that translates to a generally happier long term state of being.

I’m not super materialistic, but would be happy to have billions for power and control (and to buy and sell companies).

As others have mentioned already, yes but to a certain point. I can only imagine and assume what those on the top of Forbes’ list feel on a day-to-day, but I would think they experience the same emotions as the rest of us (albeit with less stress of financial burdens, but stress nonetheless from other areas). I mention that because I’m sure there are a few from that list that think breaking into the top-10 will all of a sudden supply them with a feeling of accomplishment and joy, which very well could be true, though for a fleeting moment until they realize they’re #9 and want to be #4. 

I’ve fallen trap to this line of thinking before, having started working a retail job, getting my first raise from $7.25/hr to $9/hr. Then moving to a valet position at a prestigious golf club and seeing $300+ nights. I’ve been able to slowly move my way up and into a FO position last year that was where I could only dream of being, after only having learned about these types of finance jobs after transferring from a community college. I’ve gotten caught up in feeling stressed about small things that are really meaningless. I’ve let work dictate my life at points and affect my relationships. I’m being paid very well, but that money is meaningless to me if I can’t use it to provide experiences I really care about.

Recently I’ve begun to  think about the things in my life I haven’t fully appreciated as of late (mainly my wonderful SO, and the friends and family I rarely get to see.) I think part of the problem was self-comparison, and seeing where others were in their career, what they were earning, and able to spend on - influencing my decisions and thought process of always chasing that next gig and pay raise. It ultimately comes down to focusing on the intrinsic things mainly, along with realizing I’m better off than I was 8, 5, and even 1 year ago. The movement towards a better work-life balance only enhances that mindset, but it’s because that allows me to do the things I love doing with the people I love doing them with. Whether it’s traveling, surfing my home break, getting together with old buddies just to shoot the shit - money helps with this, like being able to buy my mom a ticket to Paris since she’s never been. Don’t mind my rambling, sometimes it helps to write these things out to refocus and keep my priorities in check.

Having money can create the macro-environment your life needs in order to pursue the things that actually give you fulfillment and let you achieve self-actualization, but having money itself does not provide accomplish those things.  

Aristotle put it well when we said:

No one tries to live well for the sake of some further goal; rather, being happy is the highest end, and all subordinate goals—health, wealth, and other such resources—are sought because they promote well-being, not because they are what well-being consists in.

I think this is one of those things that a lot of people cannot be just told and something many can only actually internalize by experiencing it themselves. 

yes

No. But it sure buys a shitload of unhappiness repellent.

I am not wealthy, but I come from a wealthy family.

Security is purchased with money. You have much less to worry about when you never have to worry about not being able to pay a medical bill or defaulting on your mortgage.

For the majority of people, less worry equals less stress. Less stress frequently leads to more happiness.

So, in most cases, money can make you happier.

However, many people are narcissistic who would be unhappy regardless, and money just makes them feel entitled to have everything go their way... and when it doesn't, they become unhappy.

So it all depends on the individual.

I'd also like to add that I believe happiness is often more about our interpersonal relationships than it is about material possessions. After all, what good is a nice boat if you can't ride it with your friends and family?

I believe that many wealthy people who are unhappy are unhappy because their wealth has put strain on their relationships. Your son purchases drugs; your cousin begs for money; you want to help someone in your family but are afraid that if you do, everyone else will want you to help them; and so on.

Fun coupons

Travel and new experiences make me happy. Travel and experiences cost money :)

I’d say that my biggest tip for maintaining good mental health is regularly reminding yourself of the impact of your work. If you can’t identify that clearly, you should probably switch careers

More money, higher quality girls, and less problems for me. So yes. 

No.

Money is just a means to an end, and the most important ends are to survive, sustain a home, and help your community. The only thing that truly satisfies is love, and you can't buy that with money. In cruel irony, the more you chase after materialism, the further you drift from the satisfaction of true, honest love.

If people are only around you for your wealth, are they really friends? If you put money over family, how can you have warm and loving home? Contrary to appearances, you can succeed in the world and still live in an upright (not crooked) way. It's just a lot more difficult, as there is much more temptation. You really have to struggle against the grain, like foregoing excess in exchange for things like helping your community or spending time with loved ones.

To whom much is given much is required. If you can succeed at a high level but live humbly, the world is your oyster. It is possible to have power, which is what money really is, and still live in a way that is just. It is just really, really difficult, because the world is corrupt and power corrupts. If instead you sacrifice this power (wealth) for the poor, by truly giving what you don't need to those who do, then you will very quickly learn what true happiness feels like.

Not talking bougie charity for political influence, but actually giving up your wealth and channeling your success into helping others. That is love and sacrifice, that is one form of what truly satisfies a human being. It will cause your heart to explode, in a good way, whereas something like a coke addiction will cause your heart to explode in a bad way. Materialism is just an endless path into a deeper and deeper pit of meaningless emptiness. Find out for yourself if you don't believe me, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Just my two cents, and also the meaning of the story of the two cents.

To a certain degree yes but it cannot buy me eternal life.

not every time, yes money is helpful at the time of emergency and to get valuable things but as we know the saying money can't buy the happiness !

"Money is not going to solve all your problems, but it's going to solve all your money problems"

-- Naval Ravikant

Money is a prerequisite for happiness, because it's the medium we use acquire services and goods. Some these products are necessary to cover physiological needs and carnal desires which we use money to acquire in an industrialized society. 

Once you're financially sufficient and secure, then you can focus on other avenues such as relationships, emotional development, artistic taste, and experiences that will lead to fulfillment and self actualization.

It is impossible to land on an answer for this because the answer is highly, highly impacted by your background and life. If you don't come from money your view on this is going to be completely different (not better, not worse) than someone who does come from money. Also, what is "a lot" of money? That will vary from person to person and also affect this answer.