Can money actually buy happiness?

Maria Barnes said:Let’s break down the points from the first post. Once you hit that $75,000 mark, the happiness boost from extra cash basically flatlines. We don't know the exact correlation between money and happiness below that threshold, but we can make an educated guess—and honestly, we've all felt it—that it's roughly proportional. So, the graph of money versus happiness would look something like this:



A few things to take away here. First, for those of us living on an average American salary of $2.00, if two people in a household are working, their combined income is about $4.00 a month, or roughly $24,000 a year. That means they are still in that zone where more money directly buys more happiness. Because that proportional climb lasts a while and many people find that threshold unreachable, we live under the illusion that the relationship is linear all the way up. It isn't. Makes sense, doesn't it? A good meal makes you happy if you're starving, but eating ten meals won't make you any happier. At $24,000, you've barely finished the appetizers. 🙂

So, folks, if you're banking on getting rich as the foundation for your happiness, think twice. Once you cross that tipping point ($75,000), you're better off being a philanthropist and giving money away than hoarding it; you won't feel the difference, but giving actually brings joy. It's even worse if you sacrifice the things that *actually* guarantee happiness—family, friends, travel, free time, culture—just to chase a paycheck. Look at wealthy people; they often don't seem happy at all.

To answer the question in the title: money doesn't guarantee happiness (there are too many other factors), but it can buy it up to that threshold. After that, there's zero impact. (By "happiness," I mean "well-being.")

It would be interesting to hear from someone who has actually crossed that line. $75,000 is a solid benchmark for an average American family, though it can be adjusted up or down depending on the cost of living in a specific area and what an individual needs to lead a fulfilling life.

Reading your post really got me thinking...
You know there's a lot of truth in all of this.

Throughout my life, and even now, I am in close contact with extremely wealthy people—by our standards—who blow past all those limits mentioned in the post.

And honestly, once they pass the point of having enough wealth to live comfortably, they don't really care how much more they have. Now, "living comfortably" is subjective; everyone defines it differently. But essentially, it's about being able to afford a life without financial stress—eating at a nice restaurant without needing to check the prices on the menu, traveling the world for vacation without taking out a loan or saving up for six months, and so on. That’s the threshold where every extra dollar definitely boosts your happiness because it provides new experiences and reduces survival anxiety.

But once you can afford all of that, any additional earnings aren't a source of happiness anymore—at least not lasting happiness. In the end, it doesn't matter to them if they're driving an $80,000 car, a $200,000 car, or a $500,000 car. At least, that's how they see it. Maybe a new luxury item makes them happy for a few days, like a new toy, but they get bored of it quickly, and I have truly never seen it cause lasting joy. It's the same with boats, houses, clothes, and stuff like that. A designer suit doesn't make any of them...$10, just like how a designer shirt from $100 isn't going to make my life complete. I honestly couldn't care less. I buy things because I need them or because I have the cash, but owning stuff doesn't magically spark joy for me.

And seriously, since I’m constantly chatting with people in that circle, money beyond a certain point just isn't their source of happiness; it's basically nothing to them. To those of us looking in from the outside, it looks like they've hit the jackpot, and we envy them for being able to afford everything, but to them? It's just Tuesday. It's like how it's totally normal for us to grab three meals a day without feeling an extra burst of euphoria every single time, even though someone starving in a developing nation might see a full plate as the greatest blessing on earth. Okay, maybe the food analogy is a bit heavy-handed, but you get my drift. What I'm trying to say is that once you cross a certain threshold, wealth and luxury become baseline expectations—it's just what's "normal," and it doesn't bring a single ounce of extra happiness.

True happiness is likely found within the struggle itself—in the pursuit, the growth, and the eventual triumph of reaching a goal.

Once a reward hits a certain threshold where it becomes impossible to measure—say, when having five houses feels no different than having ten—that sense of value simply evaporates.

It’s why so many of the ultra-wealthy struggle with deep depression or anxiety; they lose their driving force. When there isn't a bigger prize waiting at the finish line, what's left to trigger that adrenaline rush or push them forward?

That’s precisely why I agree with what Anderson is saying. For these individuals, philanthropy becomes a new reason to get out of bed. Finding joy in helping others provides that renewed sense of purpose and reward that they thought they had lost forever.

Jamie Bishop29 said:True happiness is likely found within the struggle itself—in the pursuit, the growth, and the eventual triumph of reaching a goal.

Once a reward hits a certain threshold where it becomes impossible to measure—say, when having five houses feels no different than having ten—that sense of value simply evaporates.

It’s why so many of the ultra-wealthy struggle with deep depression or anxiety; they lose their driving force. When there isn't a bigger prize waiting at the finish line, what's left to trigger that adrenaline rush or push them forward?

That’s precisely why I agree with what Anderson is saying. For these individuals, philanthropy becomes a new reason to get out of bed. Finding joy in helping others provides that renewed sense of purpose and reward that they thought they had lost forever.

And I totally agree with you there. The way you stack your cash matters immensely. If you earn it through pure grit and hard work, that success keeps feeding your soul even after you've hit the "enough" mark. It's not that you *need* the money, but knowing you crushed your goals and grew your earnings by 20% over last year? That feels amazing! It's about that personal win.

But if the money just falls into your lap—say, from collecting rent on ten luxury condos in Manhattan without lifting a finger—you lose that sense of pride. You have nothing to truly be proud of.

Michelle Cooper3 said:Look, I make more than the average person, so I feel like I’m in a good position to say this: money can absolutely buy you happiness and better health, up to a certain point. But let me tell you, it can also wreck your social life. That happened to me. Honestly, I never ran into this issue when I was living abroad where the average income is way higher—it’s just been an issue here in America. People around here can be incredibly dependent, and if they see you're pulling in more than the norm, they immediately label you a snob or a thief. They actually want to see you fail and try to turn everyone else against you. I’m speaking from firsthand experience.

I can say that I have crossed that threshold here on several occasions and found myself on the other side for many years now, though experience suggests those were not particularly happy chapters of my life... The initial impression is, naturally, one of pure ecstasy, but you quickly find yourself making a series of flawed judgments that lead you straight into both financial and emotional misery.

One fundamental issue within this narrative is that once you reach a level of significant wealth, there is no guarantee that such high earnings will last forever, so out of a fear that the well might run dry, people attempt to secure their future by making incredibly foolish and expensive mistakes... This is why almost everyone who hits the jackpot in a lottery ends up far worse off than they were before, much like those arrogant entrepreneurs—Ivanka Trump, Milton Kuperman, Robert Bork, Stephen King, John Kerry...

If I were to come into a massive sum of money again today, I believe I wouldn't change my lifestyle or my spending habits at all, because there is nothing wrong with being modest... The founder of IKEA used to drive an old car and carry his own goods, whereas almost every famous professional athlete owns several luxury vehicles and designer suits... It seems Ingvar Kamprad clearly understood the limitations of what money can actually do for one's happiness... It isn't that an expensive car is inherently better, but rather that it elevates your status and invites envy from others, which is never the path to true contentment.

https://s9.postimg.org/3w2sjizwv/quo...ow_have_50.jpg — looks like that theory was actually spot on 🤔

Maria Barnes said:The research cited in the first post comes straight from Kahneman’s book (published back in 2011). It was conducted in 2010 and is mentioned in the exact article you shared. Honestly, thanks for posting it—it helps us track down the original Kahneman study. In the article you're citing it states:

Those results are remarkably similar to the correlations reported in a 2010 study that found that people don't get happier after $75,000 a year.

This newer study isn't actually that different from the old one:

The difference the marginal dollar makes in reducing negative emotions starts to fall off around $70,000, is very low by $160,000 and hits zero around $200,000.

The recent study focuses on how money affects the reduction of negative moods, not on increasing overall well-being. The sharp decline starts at $70,000, and once you hit $200,000, money doesn't help reduce bad moods even a tiny bit. There's a graph for it.

And honestly, they also point out that while more money might not buy you extra joy, having too little definitely "buys" you a whole lot of misery.😁

Low income exacerbates the emotional pain associated with such misfortunes as divorce, ill health, and being alone. We conclude that high income buys life satisfaction but not happiness, and that low income is associated both with low life evaluation and low emotional well-being.

Happiness? Not quite. Satisfaction, though? Absolutely.

True happiness requires a target to aim for, and there’s a certain joy found in every step taken toward that goal.

If you were to wave a magic wand right now and grant everyone on Earth an infinite bank account, you wouldn't create a utopia. In fact, you’d probably end up with more miserable people than we have today.
Most people—even those grinding away at jobs they don't particularly enjoy—are driven by a sense of purpose. Someone is working toward a new iPhone, someone else is saving for a Jeep, another is eyeing a house in the suburbs, or just trying to provide for their kids. If you hand them all the cash upfront, you strip away their direction. Suddenly, the drive is gone, and along with it, their sense of fulfillment.

The same logic applies to money as it does to any other resource humans crave.
Take, for example, a woman who is head-over-heels in love. All she really wants is her partner's attention. If you asked her how much of it she’d like, she’d tell you "all of it."
But if that man actually gave her every single ounce of attention she could possibly desire—if he met every whim instantly—the spark would likely fade. Why? Because the pursuit is over. There is no longer a goal to chase.

Money is essentially the siding on a house. It can make a functional structure look much better, but it can't build the foundation.

I just want enough to stop feeling like I’m working purely to keep my head above water. I want that sense of freedom—the kind where you aren't constantly stuck in survival mode. Honestly, it feels pretty degrading to tie happiness to material milestones, or any goal that makes joy feel like something I have to earn later. It shouldn't be about achievement; it should just be about existing right here, right now.

I mean, honestly... if you really look at what's going on here, it’s almost funny—in a dark, "everything is falling apart" kind of way. You see people acting like this is some massive, unprecedented crisis, but anyone who's actually paying attention can see the patterns. It's all just cycles, isn't it? We keep making the same mistakes, expecting different results, and then we act shocked when the whole thing hits the fan... It reminds me of that one time back in Chicago—you know, that mess with the transit strikes? Everyone was screaming about the future of the city, but deep down, everyone knew it was just the same old bureaucracy grinding its gears. And now? Now we're seeing it again, just on a much larger scale. It’s exhausting, really. Just... exhausting. I don't know how people stay so optimistic when the math just doesn't add up anymore. Or maybe they aren't optimistic... maybe they're just too tired to care. That might be it.

Jamie Bishop29 said:True happiness is likely found within the struggle itself—in the pursuit, the growth, and the eventual triumph of reaching a goal.

Once a reward hits a certain threshold where it becomes impossible to measure—say, when having five houses feels no different than having ten—that sense of value simply evaporates.

It’s why so many of the ultra-wealthy struggle with deep depression or anxiety; they lose their driving force. When there isn't a bigger prize waiting at the finish line, what's left to trigger that adrenaline rush or push them forward?

That’s precisely why I agree with what Anderson is saying. For these individuals, philanthropy becomes a new reason to get out of bed. Finding joy in helping others provides that renewed sense of purpose and reward that they thought they had lost forever.

This!

And that link from Anderlon...

The amount of cash you need before that linear growth finally hits a wall... I mean, it's probably not some fixed number, right? It likely shifts depending on where you're standing—you know, the local landscape and all that—but hey, what do I know... that’s just me getting all philosophical on you... 👍

It isn't about luck.

It’s an issue of existence.

A certain level of stability provides you with that existence.
If that foundation isn't guaranteed—if your very survival depends solely on whether you succeed or fail—then there is no room for "happiness," regardless of how much money you make.

You can't claim to be happy when every single wrong move could send your entire life into an absolute abyss.

And I bet they’re footing the bill, aren't they?

People always love to say that money can't buy happiness, but honestly, I’ve never felt luckier than when I have the freedom to do whatever I want, buy whatever I feel like, and travel wherever and whenever the mood strikes me.

To me, money is basically synonymous with happiness. I feel like all those arguments against it are just stuff people have been conditioned to believe since they were kids—mostly pushed by religious institutions like the Catholic Church—just to keep everyone quiet and feeling grateful for the crumbs they're stuck with...

Thomas Hernandez10 said:People always love to say that money can't buy happiness, but honestly, I’ve never felt luckier than when I have the freedom to do whatever I want, buy whatever I feel like, and travel wherever and whenever the mood strikes me.

To me, money is basically synonymous with happiness. I feel like all those arguments against it are just stuff people have been conditioned to believe since they were kids—mostly pushed by religious institutions like the Catholic Church—just to keep everyone quiet and feeling grateful for the crumbs they're stuck with...

Even if you end up totally alone, does anyone actually give a damn about you?

Money equals happiness. Every other argument against it is just something they've hardwired into people's brains—mostly by the Catholic Church—just to keep everyone quiet and "grateful" for the misery they're stuck with...

Look, money means more options and more opportunities, but that doesn't mean it's happiness for everyone.
Just like how I'm not the center of the universe, you aren't either, so it's pretty silly to generalize and say "money equals happiness."

Everyone has their own set of priorities and wants. For some, it's all about material stuff; for others, it's about having solid relationships.
If you fall into that first group, then sure, money might be absolute bliss for you. But if you're in the second group, it's just a tool to help you survive and grab a little comfort while you work on finding what actually makes you happy.

Jamie Bishop29 said:True happiness is likely found within the struggle itself—in the pursuit, the growth, and the eventual triumph of reaching a goal.

Once a reward hits a certain threshold where it becomes impossible to measure—say, when having five houses feels no different than having ten—that sense of value simply evaporates.

It’s why so many of the ultra-wealthy struggle with deep depression or anxiety; they lose their driving force. When there isn't a bigger prize waiting at the finish line, what's left to trigger that adrenaline rush or push them forward?

That’s precisely why I agree with what Anderson is saying. For these individuals, philanthropy becomes a new reason to get out of bed. Finding joy in helping others provides that renewed sense of purpose and reward that they thought they had lost forever.

This hits the nail on the head, at least for those of us who didn't come from money.

mistyotter44 said:Your answer is shaped by your own modest perspective, which leads to a limited conclusion. I have already explained the full scope of this: money serves as a milestone of pure energy.

Sorry, but that's total bullshit. You could have billions in the bank, but it won't turn you into a painter if you don't have the talent. Only someone with an infinite ego—which, let's be honest, might actually be infinite—could claim that growth is endless.
Look, our basic needs are pretty much the same for everyone; the only real difference is how much we set aside to cover them. Everything else? That just comes down to who you are as a person. For some people, wealth brings happiness because it opens doors, but for others, it just breeds anxiety.

velvetcobra65 said:Sorry, but that's total bullshit. You could have billions in the bank, but it won't turn you into a painter if you don't have the talent. Only someone with an infinite ego—which, let's be honest, might actually be infinite—could claim that growth is endless.
Look, our basic needs are pretty much the same for everyone; the only real difference is how much we set aside to cover them. Everything else? That just comes down to who you are as a person. For some people, wealth brings happiness because it opens doors, but for others, it just breeds anxiety.

I am fairly certain I can prove you wrong on this one.

It reminds me of a story about a guy who drove the first BMW into town; ten years later, everyone else owns a model that’s far superior to his original.

Look at the landscape today: there are millions of independent authors publishing on Amazon. Sure, about ninety percent of those books, movies, or scripts might be absolute junk, but they still find a way to sell and reach their specific audience. To maintain a decent standard of living in this world, you don't necessarily need a genius-level intellect.

mistyotter44 I guess I should start by saying that what was just said is pretty much nonsense. Honestly, it’s hard to even know where to begin with this kind of logic. Maybe I’m being too harsh, but I really can't wrap my head around how anyone could look at the facts and come to such a wild conclusion. It feels like we're just spinning our wheels here.
I'm gonna prove you wrong.

It’s like that one guy who rolls into town in a brand-new BMW, acting like he's king of the world. Fast forward ten years, and suddenly everyone else on the block is driving an even better model than his.

You’ve got like a million self-published authors on Amazon these days. Honestly, probably 90 percent of the picture books and movies out there are straight-up junk. But that’s just how it works now—everything sells because there's always some niche buyer for even the worst stuff. I guess it just goes to show that you don't really need any actual intelligence to make a living anymore.

You just proved my point exactly—it’s all about having too much time, way too much money, and zero self-awareness. We have thousands upon thousands of people out there calling themselves "writers" these days. You see this exact correlation between wealth, ego, and the supposed "evolution" of art and personality playing out every single day. Take Kim Kardashian, for example. My honest guess? She’ll end up right alongside the Kardashians as one of the greatest literary figures of our time, standing shoulder to shoulder with legends like Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Steinbeck.😁

velvetcobra65 said:

mistyotter44 I guess I should start by saying that what was just said is pretty much nonsense. Honestly, it’s hard to even know where to begin with this kind of logic. Maybe I’m being too harsh, but I really can't wrap my head around how anyone could look at the facts and come to such a wild conclusion. It feels like we're just spinning our wheels here.
I'm gonna prove you wrong.

It’s like that one guy who rolls into town in a brand-new BMW, acting like he's king of the world. Fast forward ten years, and suddenly everyone else on the block is driving an even better model than his.

You’ve got like a million self-published authors on Amazon these days. Honestly, probably 90 percent of the picture books and movies out there are straight-up junk. But that’s just how it works now—everything sells because there's always some niche buyer for even the worst stuff. I guess it just goes to show that you don't really need any actual intelligence to make a living anymore.

You just proved my point exactly—it’s all about having too much time, way too much money, and zero self-awareness. We have thousands upon thousands of people out there calling themselves "writers" these days. You see this exact correlation between wealth, ego, and the supposed "evolution" of art and personality playing out every single day. Take Kim Kardashian, for example. My honest guess? She’ll end up right alongside the Kardashians as one of the greatest literary figures of our time, standing shoulder to shoulder with legends like Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Steinbeck.😁

I'm not quite sure what kind of logic leads you to rank the classics above modern voices, but I suppose it doesn't really matter.

If you were faced with that dilemma right now, what would your move be? Would you just sit around hoping that money isn't a necessity? It's worth remembering that money represents built-up value; you can think of it much like you would distance or time. Just as five billion dollars carries a specific weight, it's comparable to saying a bridge spans five kilometers, and so on...

Thomas Hernandez10 said:People always love to say that money can't buy happiness, but honestly, I’ve never felt luckier than when I have the freedom to do whatever I want, buy whatever I feel like, and travel wherever and whenever the mood strikes me.

To me, money is basically synonymous with happiness. I feel like all those arguments against it are just stuff people have been conditioned to believe since they were kids—mostly pushed by religious institutions like the Catholic Church—just to keep everyone quiet and feeling grateful for the crumbs they're stuck with...

Are you absolutely certain about that?
Is it really true that you can buy anything you desire, or are you just choosing from what you can actually afford, even if you don't realize it deep down?

Thomas Hernandez10 said:People always love to say that money can't buy happiness, but honestly, I’ve never felt luckier than when I have the freedom to do whatever I want, buy whatever I feel like, and travel wherever and whenever the mood strikes me.

To me, money is basically synonymous with happiness. I feel like all those arguments against it are just stuff people have been conditioned to believe since they were kids—mostly pushed by religious institutions like the Catholic Church—just to keep everyone quiet and feeling grateful for the crumbs they're stuck with...

Honestly, if everyone just shared the wealth... we'd all be living our best lives forever...🤣

Look, if you're talking about a Catholic church that isn't actually out to protect its hoard—one that doesn't want to turn everyone into paupers but instead focuses on finding that sweet spot between being successful and actually giving back to the community... then honestly, your whole argument just falls apart. There are at least two big reasons why your logic doesn't really hold up...

Look, first off—if you just do whatever you feel like, buy whatever you want, whenever you want, without any restraint... you’re basically checking out of reality. And once you lose that connection to the real world? Everything just goes south fast. Honestly, humans aren't wired—mentally or biologically—to live like that. It's just not how we're built. You end up crashing because there's nothing pushing you to actually grow or evolve. There are no hurdles, no real struggles—everything is just handed to you on a silver platter. You basically turn into a lazy house cat, just lounging around all day, eating and getting soft until you're nothing but a lump of lethargy... and that happens to your mind, too. It applies to people just as much as anything else...

Look, there's another thing—your whole theory doesn't even hold up in the real world. I mean, for you to actually enjoy any of this stuff, someone else has to go out and build it just to hand it to you on a silver platter... So, sure, maybe you can play the spoiled princess role if you want, but that’s only possible because of everyone else—the people out there actually working their tails off to fund your little whims and all those resources you're burning through while doing nothing... The truth is, none of us can live like that. Just because you think you can exploit other people's kindness or naivety to make your life easy doesn't mean that's how things work. That's just an outlier, not the rule...

At the end of the day, I think true happiness is all about that sweet spot—finding that perfect balance between the material stuff and the spiritual side of things. It’s about balancing the rewards you get with the actual grind you put in... plus that emotional equilibrium where what you give to others feels right compared to what comes back to you. You've gotta hit those core human needs first, though... otherwise, nothing else really sticks...

So many celebrities just completely lose the plot because they end up with everything they could ever dream of—it's wild. It’s actually pretty interesting to watch how life has a way of balancing the scales... honestly, any kind of extreme usually ends up crashing and burning pretty fast...