# Does Money Buy Happiness? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 2, 2006, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-money-buy-happiness/374952 "2006-10-02T11:08:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![myskepticsight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@myskepticsight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/myskepticsight)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-money-buy-happiness/374952/21 "2006-10-03T00:05:30Z")
I can say that if I had more money, it would improve my happiness. I’m in college, and my tuituion, rent and food is paid for. I have wonderful parents. But anything else I want comes from me. So, like most college students, I have a part time job. If I want new clothes, gotta work. If I want beer or cigarettes, gotta work. If I want a new car, gotta work. If I want to buy more camera equipment (which I really do), gotta work. If I want to put gas in my car, gotta work. You get it. If I just had a nice lump sum of money (say I cleared $50,000 or so in the lottery) I would be happier mainly because my stress level would go down drastically (no more balancing school, work and social life) and for once I wouldn’t have to save to buy a pair of jeans or a new camera lens or a case of beer. I make $8.25 an hour at my current job, but I dislike my job and cannot work too much because my grades are important. This was the only job out of 11 I applied for that I actually got a callback and an offer. Balancing school and work is where the majority of my stress comes from. So if I did not have to work during college and was still able to spend, well that would rule. Maybe I am shallow, buy buying things I want makes me happy. If I could go out and buy the Gap jeans I have my eye on and the North Face fleece I like, and the new wide angle camera lens I really want and the other seasons of CSI on DVD and some new Pumas, it would definitely improve my mood. If I were to buy all of these things, it would take me quite a long time to save up. Just having a lump sum or finding a fun job that didn’t stress me out and that pays more would improve my happiness. But without all that, I survive. If I were at home where my family and friends are, that would also improve my happiness. So it’s not everything. Having more money is just one less thing to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-money-buy-happiness/374952/22 "2006-10-03T00:49:56Z")
Having a happy life is about fulfilling a number of critical needs; security, love, self-worth, family, etc. Actually, those are pretty much the big ones. Lacking any one of them can make you very unhappy indeed. All the money in the world wouldn;t replace my family. On the other hand, if I had my family and no money, the stress of being unable to support them would also make me unhappy. Having some money - to a point, of course, there being diminishing returns past a certain point - is necessary to having a reasonably happy life. But it’s also necessary to have some love, some personal purpose, etc. etc. Unfortunately, you can’t make up for one with another. Who said life was easy? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2006, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-money-buy-happiness/374952/23 "2006-10-03T21:17:13Z")
Paris Hilton? ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-money-buy-happiness/374952/24 "2006-10-04T01:49:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Paris Hilton? I’ve never seen her frowning. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2006, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-money-buy-happiness/374952/25 "2006-10-04T02:03:33Z")
Like the great American philosopher Christopher Wallace once said “Mo’ money, mo’ problems.” Paris Hilton frowns. She’s gotta see a closed Louis Vuitton store SOMEWHERE on the globe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-money-buy-happiness/374952.md?page=1)