Do you believe the "Rich" are happier than the "Poor"?

[Katebfun]

I truly believe money can buy happiness. Why, Hobbies, Healthcare and having a thriving Social ) ife have been proven to help you live longer. All of the above is expensive too.

If the Rich are happier at what is yearly cap $$ ?

[wolfcat87]

YES. Money can't guarantee you'll be happy, but it is guaranteed to make life easier and better all around. I remember reading an article years ago when we were pretty broke that said happiness increases up until you make $100,000 a year. I looked at my husband and told him we are hitting that number no matter what! And, we did!

We don't have to stress over money much anymore. I still stress over it, but that's just me obsessing. I always move the bar after we hit it and obsess over reaching the next goal. If a $50 dollar problem popped up before, I would cry because I didn't know how we would pay it. Now, a $15,000 problem can pop up and I'm just annoyed. But, there's no problem with paying for it.

I don't have to force myself to get up every morning to go to a job I hate and waste my life just to survive. I can sleep in every day and just be bored if I want to. I don't have to take any job just to make ends meet. I can do volunteer work or dabble in other businesses, job, hobbies, etc. to see what I enjoy and what clicks and feels fulfilling. I took a job for $8 an hour playing with kids all day at school basically because it was fun. I was a board member for a non profit and on the planning committee for another. Then, I created a job that pays $80-$120 an hour to do when I feel like it. Money bought me the freedom to do all of this.

The saying "more money more problems" is also true though. Your old problems get easier or disappear, but new ones tend to pop up that you never had to deal with when you were poor. People problems, increased responsibility problems, love problems, more decisions, bigger decisions, more to lose if you mess up, etc.

I've been poor, and I've been much richer. Rich definitely wins.

I have not hit the amount where life stops improving. I would imagine it depends on personal wants and needs. For example, a massive amount of our monthly income goes back into investment, because we don't feel the need to live an expensive lifestyle. I was poor for years as a kid, so I'd be happy just having a one room cabin and food and water. That means that whether we make 5 million a year or 100 thousand a year, our lives wouldn't change much. So, the only increased happiness is seeing that number on an investment account.

If another person wants to spend 5 million a year to reach their maximum happiness, then it will keep increasing to that amount or more...

[Unit1]

I would love to have absolutely all the rich problems long before dealing with any single problem of being poor.

[Anonymous]

I don’t think it can buy complete happiness but it sure does come close. I mean if I could give my mom a new house, new car, pay off their bills, that would make me happy. Same w my brothers and sisters. Not only that I’d donate so yes it would make me happy. It does open a lot of doors to things you may not have had access to. Don’t have to worry about paying for things like meds, food, etc. I’ve always told people if you don’t think money can buy happiness send me your next check I’ll show you how happy I can be. Most people who say it can’t are usually the ones who don’t have it.

[blueonblack22]

This much more complicated then wealth in itself especially in western countries

Poorer people often have other issues going on the impacts their happiness and earning potential i. e. broken families, childhood trauma, drug/alcohol addiction, toxic living environments, criminal records, single parenthood, severe mental health issues, etc.

Wealth or lack thereof is often a byproduct of other major issues.

[Katebfun]

Yes I agree. Some come from rags to riches ans find a way to rise above too!!

[blueonblack22]

Its much more about personal accountability and decisions than most people want ever admit. Yes luck does factor in for some rich and famous people being at the right place and the right time. But almost anybody can be affluent (not rich but ahead do the game) with right work ethic, self discipline and attitude.

I know because I gone from poor to doing good to semi rich then back to struggling again but recovering and getting my act together.

Every phase in my life had circumstances that I could 80% to 100% control.

But blaming people for your problems is a mental cop out. Part me of wants to blame others for recently happened to me but I damn well I could of made better decisions 2 years ago. But I have made better decisions in the last year and have really got my sh*t together. It’s rough but I know I will get ahead again because although I may bend I will never break.

But some people give up and others buy into the lie that “the system” is holding them down. That’s a huge lie in the western world. And it appeals to the weak minded.

[wolfcat87]

Agreed, even a janitor can become a multi millionaire.

[blueonblack22]

@wolfcat87 if he spends his free time working on an invention, innovation, etc.

I am just sick of people who complain about there salaries yet put no effort into improving their situation in their free time. Instead they binge Netflix during their free time.

[wolfcat87]

Even just investing. A janitor died and donated 8 million when he did. His only real hobby was investing in the stock market, and he lived a simple life. Nearly everyone can get rich doing that.

[blueonblack22]

@wolfcat87 right. While I do believe that some people are born into much tougher circumstances then others usually there is a line of bs somewhere when it’s the “haves and have nots” argument.

If all the wealth was evenly distributed in the USA within 10 years everything would go back to normal (some people say 2 years but that is unrealistic).

This is coming from a person who went through a financial calamity in the last 2 years by the way. But I know it was my own stupid decision making that caused it. Nobody else’s is fault but my own.

But owning up to that gives me AGENCY. And agency is making me improve exponentially. I plan to knock it out of the park next year. Already doing a ton better.

[wolfcat87]

Yup, I fully agree. Best of luck!

[jshm2]

Then you are truly wrong.

Having dated richer and poorer, it's not the wealth but the lifestyle and attitude that makes people live longer.

Rich people may have "more" but they also have more problems to manage, less trust in who they can work with, and a higher pedestal to fall from.

[Katebfun]

💯 I agree

[Unit1]

Of course. Money BUYS happiness. You and I think alike!

Can any of these be for free?

[AmeerX]

After a certain amount of money per year money doesn't motivate you and neither makes you "happy ".

Like, I want someone to like me for me, not my money and I can't find someone like that in my country because everyone knows that I am so and so person.

One of the reason I want to go date out of my country instead of waiting to date in my country 😔. I used to be treated as pretty principled and hard person to deal but then during my university days when girls found out about me I ended up getting hit on by girls that used to avoid me. It's pathetic

[Kaneki05]

Of course. If they aren't that's due to more issues that have nothing to do with wealth, but the wealth should of course make one happier.
A rich person can be depressed but that's cause he needs therapy and has other issues. It's not money that's an issue and whether he admits it or not it will make him more comfortable and happy.

[NathanDavis]

it really depends on the person, and their particular circumstances...

yes, money can "buy happiness" but there's also the kind of happiness that does not need to be paid...

those with a void might remain unhappy and empty either way... with money or not

[Count_de_Monte_Volo]

Money can relieve stress, that’s for sure. The stress of the poor is not felt by the rich. I’m sure the rich have unique stresses as well. The two groups do not have each other’s unique stresses which makes both groups “happy” in some way. Happy doesn’t seem to be the right word though because obviously overall we are talking about people who are overall unhappy.

[Joshydavid25]

No, happiness is a state of mind outside of material monetary things.. There are people who are completely happy and content and don't have much to their name, and there are miserable people who are filthy, stinking, dirty rich... Money definitely makes life easier.. But ultimately you choose to be happy whether you are rich or poor..

[AngryCarl2]

Oh hell yeah, being poor would suck. My parents were dirt poor when I was born, they didn't even have a car or TV between them. Things got better when an Aunt died and left them some money, then promotion, wise investments, yada yada. They managed what little they had well though, and us kids were never hungry.

[Anonymous]

I think a fair bit of research has been done on this and seems to conclude there's a very positive relationship up to about $100K per year (a bit less i think, but let's round up for recent inflation) and after that it's pretty unrelated. Which I believe is part of a larger theme I've observed, which is that for adults in the developed world who weren't severely abused as kids, 90+% of the problems in their lives are entirely their own fault.

[rigmarole]

If you're a happy person, you will be happy regardless of if you are rich or poor. Happiness is a perspective. It's all in your head. It has nothing to do with money.

[rigmarole]

If you are unhappy while poor and think money is the solution to that unhappiness, then no amount of money will ever satiate your greed. You'll always want more an likely be willing to do questionable deeds that will weigh on your conscience in trade for more money. The deeper you entrench yourself into that path, the more unhappy you will get.

[rigmarole]

*and

[zagor]

Not necessarily. Most studies show happiness doesn't increase after achieving upper middle class. Once you are comfortable with adequate food and shelter the extras don't matter so much. But happier than the destitute, yes.

[molonski2]

You have to have enough , so its how you define " Rich " , but Rich v Poor , the poor are extremely unhappy , so most certainly rich are far more satisfied , you dont want to be poor , anywhere in the world.

[Sonorous]

I believe that the rich are generally happier than the poor.

[exitseven]

Yes, but after a certain amount of money the rich do not get any happier.

[hbg84]

I've met rich people who are miserable fucks. A guy i graduated with killed himself and he ran an egg production company

[Anonymous]

I know a lot of rich people, they spent more money but I would say they were any happier than the average debt-feee upper middle class people

[FunkyMonkee]

https://www.youtube.com/embed/UUNk_7sx1YY

Did you ever hear this?

[HouseMoat]

No, I don't look at Kurt Cobain, for example

[DeeDeeDeVour]

I'd have to say "yes" to that.

[riverrat3]

Easier but not happier