Does money make you happy? I have often read this headline above an article. Usually the conclusion was: up to a point, about 1.5 times modal makes money happy and above that no longer.
But why is that then, that “one” gets happier with more money up to 1.5 times modal, but not above that? Why is the hard line here, and how would this generality apply to everyone?
Well I wouldn’t be myself if I dug a little deeper into this, because I am insatiably hungry for answers. Well, I wouldn’t be me either if I didn’t turn to philosophy for answers.
So in this article, some favorite topics together: money, philosophy and our quest for happiness.
Epicurus
Philosopher Epicurus, born 341 b. Chr. bent on the subject of pleasure and what gives us humans pleasure, cq happiness, in our lives. He was one of the first philosophers to come out so openly for a penchant for a pleasurable lifestyle, the rest (philosophy colleagues) at the time (and perhaps still today) thought that was swearing in the church. A philosophical disposition, musing on life, searching for answers and explanations: these intellectual pursuits do not rhyme with pleasure.
Or did.
For me, yes.
Ah fine, back to the point.
When are we happy?
First, let’s look at what Epicurus understands by happiness. According to the best man, we are happy when we are not suffering acutely. Sounds fair.
And the core of Epicureanism is the following thought: what really makes life enjoyable are 3 things: friendship, freedom and reflection.
Stuff as a substitute
Anno now, we often think that money makes us happy because we can use money to buy stuff to impress other people. But actually we are looking for close friends with real connection.
We think a flashy career will make us happy, and where we thought an accompanying high salary would make us happy, we are trapped in a golden cage.
We think that lots of Instagram followers, trips to hip Bali or Ibiza, showing up at every festival, hanging out at the pub late into the night every week makes us happy, but actually self-reflection and facing our fears would give us more satisfaction in the long run.
Epicurus’ tripartite division states that happiness depends on some complex psychological possessions and not on material possessions, except of course for the bare essentials (warm clothes, sufficient food, a safe and dry place to sleep).
Attraction of material
But then why is it that we are so strongly attracted to expensive things, to stuff, to superficiality, when we are well aware that it does not necessarily make us happier? Epicurus argues that this is because “things” often seem like an appropriate solution to a problem. We humans are so made that our brain is pretty primitive anyway, and we think we know intuitively what is good for us. True sometimes, but sometimes not. He argues that “stuff,” that “things,” mimic on a material level what we need on a psychological level. We would instead of running to the (web) store and buying new shoes actually crave a good friend.
I now better understand why we are happier with extra money up to 1.5 times modal: it helps us provide for ourselves in essentials (food, clothing, heat, housing, care). Above that, we often spend the extra money on substitutes for happiness.
Conclusion
For me, money means happiness to some extent. And it’s because by making certain financial choices, I strive to have complete freedom in my day job a few years from now, and be able to do what I’m sure will make me happy.
Or is this also a utopian thought, and is this freedom closer than I think if only I dare to make certain choices and create order?
To conclude, happiness is not easy to achieve. The obstacles are generally not financial in nature.
What do you experience, does money make you happy(er)?
