Can Money Buy Happiness?

I guess it depends on who you ask.

It’s easy to quickly answer no to such a question, especially if you’ve never been money (or food, water, etc) insecure.

When nearly everything in life is commodified – from transportation and food to housing and health to comfort and excitement, a lack of money may mean not being able to participate in large key areas of life.

Money brings security. It has the power to take away worry and fear. It gives people the freedom to leave a bad situation or explore a new opportunity.

As much as I hate to admit that money is a necessary part of life, and as much as I hate the fact that money is distributed so unevenly among different areas of the world, I would be screwed without it.

I know I feel a lot happier if I have the money to eat dinner instead of skipping it entirely because my bank balance is too low. I feel happy when I have the money to participate in my favorite hobbies. I feel happy when I can buy something and not have to worry about overdrafting.

Maybe I don’t want to waste my life away chasing riches in some boring corporate job, but I do want enough to feel secure. I want to know if an emergency comes up, I’ll have the financial means to take care of the situation with ease.

Maybe money brings happiness to a point, but it’s only a tool that one can use to further enhance their own life. The presence of money itself is not enough to make someone feel fulfilled, and if acquiring money is someone’s only hobby in life, it’s likely to get boring after a while. This is why some of the richest countries in the world suffer from the highest rates of depression and suicide.

So does money equal happiness? I’d say no. But money does make happiness a lot easier to acheive.