Money Can’t Buy Happiness But It Can Buy You What? 9 Ways to Find Happiness

Last updated on February 29th, 2024 at 07:40 pm

In this article, we will discuss an old belief that “money can’t buy happiness” and 13 reasons for it. You’ll also learn 9 tips on how to find happiness outside of money.

Money helps us purchase different things like food, clothes,  house, vehicle, and many other things we want to buy.

But whether money can buy happiness or not.

In this regard, there are different opinions of people. some say that money can buy happiness while others negate it. On both sides facts and proof are present.

 So let’s discuss it in more detail.

What is the meaning of “money can’t buy happiness”?

It is a proverb that exists as a belief in society for centuries. According to this adage, happiness doesn’t come from money and material things but instead from within yourself. 

And the happiness you get from purchasing and paying for material things is short-lived. For example, if you pay monthly utility bills, buy a car, afford household expenses, and buy a house is all short-term happiness. When you’re used to these things then your happiness graph starts to decline. 

Robert Kenny, EdD a psychologist surveyed 165 people with over $25 million net worth. According to the results, these people answered that money helps them with good schools, travel, security, and varied experiences but not in all concerns. Instead, they want to become good parents because if their child is doing drugs and bad habits that will hurt them more as compared with poverty.

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Can Money Buy Happiness?

Getting happiness is the final goal for many people. It’s the reason why we work hard and buy things. 

But, does money really buy happiness?

Earning money makes you happy and increases your well-being up to a certain level. After a specific amount of income, your happiness didn’t increase further.

A study by Princeton University found that there is a threshold of wealth at which point more money doesn’t lead to more happiness. They found that people who are worth $75,000 a year or more are much happier than those who make less than $10,000 a year. But beyond $75000 there is no improvement in their emotional wellbeing.

However, it’s not always easy to know where this threshold is for you, and it can vary depending on what you spend your money on.

Money buys happiness for you when you spend it on material items. For example, that new car model you wish to buy, a house, an expensive watch, and many others. And happiness from materialistic things is short-lived. When you use them for a certain time then your criteria of happiness change. You through those things and purchase new fresh models. 

In simple words, money can’t buy happiness but it can buy material goods. Now it’s up to you how much those things make you happy and how long that happiness last.

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13 Reasons Why Money Can’t Buy Happiness

Money can’t buy happiness. That is a common saying that we often hear, but what does it really mean? This saying means that if you have more money, then you will be happier.

There are many other things in life that contribute to happiness: family, friends, hobbies, etc.

Rich people have a tendency to have less time for their families and friends because they are too busy working to earn more money. They tend to spend less time on hobbies and fun activities because they need to focus on their career to make even more money in order to afford the lifestyle they want.

Here are some other reasons why money can’t buy happiness:

1. Materialistic things can’t make you happy

As I early said money can’t buy happiness but it can buy you material goods.

As we grow up, it’s easy to fall into the trap of believing that materialistic things will make you happy. But it’s not true. The feeling of being loved and cared for has a much greater effect on how happy you are than any material thing could ever do.

When you try to find happiness in materialistic things like a new iPhone, laptop, that 40 inches LED, an expensive car, etc then your happiness is temporary. After some time of using them, you start to realize that something new should be purchased. The existing items get old and devalued in your eyes. 

For example, if you purchase a Lamborghini car you’ll be happy until the new version came to market. Because you start thinking about throwing it out and purchasing that new model to stay happy.

2. You cannot buy loyal people and friends with money

Money cannot buy loyalty. There is a reason why people work for free, even if it’s not financially beneficial for giving respect to their relationship with others.

You can build a base of loyal friendships by building strong relationships and showing sincerity and empathy with others. Money can only help you do a launch with your best friend at your favorite restaurant.

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3. Things you love to do bring happiness

Spending time on activities and things you love is a great way to find happiness. Whether it’s playing sports, reading books, watching a favorite TV show, or traveling. But they’re a great way to feel happy and enjoy your free time.

The reason is that if you aren’t interested in any activity or event you don’t enjoy it. When you feel bored and have no excitement about anything then happiness will also become zero.

4. Money is unable to buy time

You may have thought that time is money but it turns out that time can be worth more than money. It is a commodity that is invaluable to the people who have it and those who don’t. And your money can’t buy time for you instead it can save you a lot of time.

The time of your life that is passed away can’t be recovered with money. It’s gone and doesn’t come back forever. The best you can do is to hire people to work for you or put money into work for you to find maximum time for family, friends, and entertainment.

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5. The greed for accumulating money never ends

The greed for accumulating money never ends. It’s a never-ending cycle. Whether you’re the CEO of Pepsi Co or an aspiring entrepreneur, your desire to accumulate wealth is never satisfied. 

But why is that? Why can’t we just stop once we have enough?

We are constantly striving to find the next best thing. But is there ever enough? Some people think that we should just stop once we have enough. They can’t answer the question “How much money is enough?”. So they never stop earning more. as a result, they don’t know how to stay happy.

6. Money is a tool, not a shop for buying happiness

People often think they need to earn more money in order to experience happiness. This is not true and has been proven by many studies. Money, as a tool, can help us achieve our goals and live comfortably but it cannot make us happy. 

Using this tool you can satisfy your needs and wants to live your life. But you are unable to buy love, health, relationships, and joy because tools have limited use. And money is a medium of exchange that helps you fulfill basic necessities plus materialistic wishes.

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7. Money doesn’t give purpose to your life

Money, while it can help you purchase goods and services, cannot establish purpose, goals, and objectives in life. You need to find the direction in your life on your own. because money has no emotions or feelings. It’s a lifeless piece of paper that is a medium of exchange in daily life.

For staying happy you need to set meaningful goals and objectives. A purposeful full life not only provides happiness but lets you see yourself as important in your eyes as well as in society.

8. Money isn’t a solution to all your problems

Money is not the answer to all of life’s problems and questions. In fact, it might just be the problem. Money is a complex issue that affects everyone in different ways. For example, some people believe that it is the only measure of success while others believe family, relationships, and beloved ones are everything.

In my opinion, money helps you solve those problems where material items are needed. For example, car, house, traveling, and building a business.

The relationship is going bad with your parents, wife, and children or they’re not happy with you because you aren’t giving them enough time. Here you need to deal with things like love, carelessness, and by dealing with good behavior. 

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9. Money doesn’t help you feel positive

If you’ve money then this doesn’t mean that you feel positive about everything in life. There are lots of other factors other than money which play a major role in your positive attitude towards many things. This can be your family, friends, colleagues, social relationships, happy life, children, parents, and yourself.

10. Money can’t be eaten to have good health

You can’t eat money. This phrase is often used to illustrate the idea that money cannot buy health or happiness and that food helps you stay healthy and powerful. And good health plays a key role in staying happy in life. A sick person either physically or mentally usually has anxiety, depression, and a poor attitude which blows away their happiness.

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11. You don’t get free up from anxiety and depression

Living with anxiety and depression can be exhausting. It’s one of the most common mental health disorders in America, affecting nearly 18.1% (40 million) of adults in a given year. Symptoms are often debilitating, but unfortunately, just money can’t solve this problem.

You need strong relationships with relatives, family, and friends to freshen up your mind through away the tension that’s causing the disease. If you’ve money but stay alone that will build up more depression and anxiety.

12. Rich people are emotionally immature

It is an irrefutable fact of life that rich people are generally more emotionally immature than their less fortunate counterparts. Because from their childhood and teenage, they enjoy all of their wishes and spend money foolishly. This creates more and more wishes and if they can’t get any then the result is unhappiness.

13. More money attracts bad people

Some people face this problem when they become a millionaire or have more money. They get surrounded by bad, greedy, foolish, and dishonest people. When this reality opens, you feel insecure which automatically makes you unhappy.

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9 Tips on How to Find Happiness Outside of Money

Money can’t buy happiness. It is a truth that money is a tool that can give you happiness for a limited and temporary time. For living happily most of the time you need to implement other tips and tricks. Let’s discuss some of them below:

1. Learn and do things you like 

The things that make you happy and have passion for are not always the same. For example, if you love to cook but hate doing the dishes, then it might be a good idea to spend more time cooking and avoid washing dishes.

We need to learn what makes us happy and do more of those things. The first step is figuring out what those things are. And the second step is to start taking action and have fun doing them.

2. Find happiness within yourself

It may be difficult to find happiness within yourself. But it is possible. All you have to do is analyze what you did best in life and remind yourself of past successes. This motivates you to do current and future tasks for achieving bigger goals. And with each success, you have the more happiness it brings.

The idea of finding happiness is not as easy as it sounds. In fact, it can be a very difficult task to undertake. Happiness is such a subjective thing that no one can really tell you what will make you happy. 

You have to find what works for you and live with that. It’s not about getting everything you want, but about being content with what you have now and realizing that the journey to happiness starts with yourself.

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3. Don’t think wealthy people are happy and lucky

It is true that they don’t have the same difficulties as poor people, but they are not immune to life’s challenges, like tension and anxiety like poor people.

Wealthy people are not always happy. They have to deal with a lot of tension and anxiety. These life challenges can make them more vulnerable to mental illnesses like depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety.

This section is about the argument that wealthy people are not happy and lucky.

They have a lot of pressure to maintain their wealth. They have to plan for the future, invest in their children’s education, and take care of their parents. They also have security issues like getting robbed or kidnapped.

4. Budget your money to manage it wisely

Managing your money can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. If you want to take control of your finances, then you need a budget. 

A budget is a plan for how to spend your money that helps you decide how much income to take in and how much to spend.

You should always have a budget because it will help you manage your cashflows and keep track of expenses. It will also help you save money for emergencies and build retirement funds. When your monthly financial needs get fulfilled then you’ll be happier and satisfied with your monetary performance.

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5. Have children and family stay happy

Children are not only a great source of joy and happiness, but they also contribute to the happiness of your family. You have an emotional connection and their smile and achievements in the future make you happy. Their love and affection lower your tension and helps you stay cool when you came back home after a long day of work.

6. Build strong relationships 

We all want to be happy, but we often forget that happiness comes from our relationships with others.

A strong relationship with friends, family, and colleagues is what makes us feel alive. We need to invest in these relationships and make sure that we are not just living for ourselves.

We should try to spend time with our loved ones and make a good understanding with them. So they become close to you and spread happiness. Remembering to say “thank you” or “I love you” can go a long way in strengthening our relationships.

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7. Avoid working for long hours to earn money

It is not necessary that if you work more hours in a day, you will earn more money. It is better to work fewer hours and have enough time for the other aspects of your life. You can spend that time with your family or go on a vacation.

8. Use the money to pay debt and lower financial stress

Paying off debt is a great way to reduce financial stress. Debt eats up your income regularly as long as you owe it. Whether it’s a credit card loan, student loan, mortgage, or personal loan, debt is dangerous to your happiness and well-being. 

Make frequent monthly payments and devote extra money towards paying them. As a result, you pay less in interest and save more to use for savings, emergency funds, and retirement investments.

9. Give money to charity to help others

Giving money to charity can make you feel happy if you do it with good intentions. It is not just about donating money, but also about being aware of what the money will be used for. The more you help others the more you feel positive about yourself.

What Does Happiness Mean to You?

The answer to this question is different for every individual. Many people think that happiness is the absence of pain, sadness, and suffering. Others mean finding joy in the little things in life like a walk in the park or a good conversation with a friend.

Now for answering this question for yourself define and list down things that you stay happy with. After that practically do those things to really enjoy the happiness.

The basic necessities are important

Materialistic thoughts are a huge problem in society today. We often find ourselves thinking about the latest car, phone, and house. But, these things are not really important. 

The basic necessities of life like food, shelter, family, relationships, and health are far more important. If you can’t achieve bigger thoughts don’t feel shy or unhappy instead stay cool in the current situation and try your best. 

Experiences are always better than material goods, so use your money to buy a trip, concert tickets, or something else that will bring you joy. Experiences will make you happy and won’t take up any space in your home.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is it true that money cannot buy happiness?

It is a common misconception that money can’t buy happiness. Money is not the key to happiness, but it does affect your life in many other ways. It can buy you a more comfortable lifestyle, which will make you happier. But this happiness is long-term financial and short-term for all other things.

It can also provide opportunities to do things that would make you happy, like travel or pursue an education. It’s true that money cannot buy everything and there are many things in life that cannot be bought with money. But if you’re looking for a way to improve your quality of life, then money is one way to do it.

“Money cannot buy happiness.” It’s been around for centuries and has been scientifically proven as well as disproven by psychologists and economists alike. The truth lies somewhere in between-money does not guarantee happiness but it does

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Can we buy happiness with money?

Some people think that money can buy happiness, while some people think that money can’t buy happiness.

In general, having more money will lead to more happiness. But the correlation between wealth and happiness is not linear. The wealthiest people in a society are not necessarily the happiest. And there is a point at which having more money will no longer make you happier.

The key to understanding this paradox lies in the difference between what economists call absolute and relative wealth. 

Absolute wealth is how much you have in terms of material goods and services – your salary, your savings account, your house, etc. While relative wealth is how wealthy you are compared to other people in your society – how much better off you are than others who have less than you do.

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What is the concept of happiness?

There are many ways to define happiness. Some people believe it is a state of mind, While others think that it is an emotion. Some people believe that happiness is a feeling of contentment or well-being, while others think that it’s about having an optimistic outlook on life.

The more time we spend with our loved ones, the happier we seem to be. And when we have close relationships with our friends and family, we’re less likely to experience feelings of depression and anxiety.

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How do I buy time with money?

We might not be able to buy time, but we can buy things that save us time. For example, buying a car to travel faster, hiring employees to work for you, and investing to earn more in less time.

Why money is not the key to happiness?

The key to happiness is not in the money, but in the way we spend it. People who spend on others are happier than those who spend on themselves.

Happiness is not about how much money you have, but about how you feel about your life and what you do with your time.

What money can do to a person?

Money can do a lot of things for a person. It can make them happy, it can make them sad, and it can even change their lives. 

But what does money mean to people?

Money is an object that has no intrinsic value but is used as a medium of exchange to purchase goods and services. It is created by governments or central banks when they print paper currency or mint coins, and it’s stored in digital form by banks.

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Can money change your personality?

Yes. Money gives you autonomy and control over how want to live your life. People with little money have life according to others’ orders while rich people have their own lifestyle they want. So it highly influences how you live, eat, sit and stand, and communicate with others in society.

What is a person obsessed with money called?

Someone who is obsessed with money is called a “money-grubber.”

What are the three elements of happiness?

The three elements of happiness are:

1) The feeling of being alive and awake

2) The feeling that one’s life is meaningful and has a purpose

3) The feeling that one’s life is satisfying.

What is more important money or happiness?

Money is a necessity to be happy. However, the happiness that you get from money is short-lived. Happiness is not a destination; it’s a state of being. 

People who are happy don’t necessarily have more money than those who are unhappy. But they do have healthier relationships, more fulfilling work, and more time for themselves and their families.

In short, happiness is more important than having more money. Because without your life cannot be joyful and entertaining.

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Conclusion

In this article on “Money can’t buy happiness”, we looked at why money can’t buy happiness and ways to stay happy. There is no direct correlation between how much money someone has and how happy they are. 

This means that people who are wealthier don’t necessarily have a higher chance of being happier.

We also found out that people who are more satisfied with their lives tend to be more satisfied with their jobs, even if they’re not making as much money as other people.

In the end money, I came to the point that your happiness depends on several factors. Some of them provide short-lived or temporary happiness while others are permanent. 

And money is one of the factors which provide happiness by helping you get materialistic things.

Now tell me in your comments what’s your opinion “money can’t buy happiness”.

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