**TL;DR - Money cannot buy TRUE happiness** I recognise that money is a necessity. However I believe that true happiness doesn’t derive itself from money or what money can buy you. Evidently money can make life that bit easier and financial freedom is something most people strive for. Yet, I believe that to find how money can make you happy, you have to know [what makes you happy] (https://time.com/collection/guide-to-happiness/4856954/can-money-buy-you-happiness/) in the first place. Happiness comes from the experiences you have, people you surround yourself with and the life you lead, regardless of making the ‘big bucks’. There are studies that show that earning over $90,000 leads to increase in stress, anxiety and other mental health issues. We, as a society, overestimate how much money can help us be happy. People bring you happiness not money and you cant buy true friendships, relationships or family. Appreciating and admiring what you have brings happiness rather than attempting to buy what you don’t have. [A study from the University of California] (https://time.com/collection/guide-to-happiness/4856954/can-money-buy-you-happiness/) explained that those who regularly appreciate, note and write down what they are happy with or grateful for are healthier, happier and have more energy than those who don’t. When you realise what makes you truly happy, you realise that you don’t need excessive money to achieve these fundamental things.

**TL;DR: Below a certain income, concerns about money affect happiness. And above a certain income, the happiness gains are vanishing. Money *does* buy happiness** The [largest global study,](https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2018/Q1/money-only-buys-happiness-for-a-certain-amount.html) by Purdue University showed the ideal income for an individual is $95,000 for life evaluation and $60,000 to $75,000 for emotional well-being.

**tl;dr -- You don't always need money to buy happiness, but it definitely has the potential to. In fact, money buys happiness more often than you would think.** The statement is "money *can* buy happiness," not "money *always* buys happiness." If you take this phrase at its most literal value, then it is undeniably true. True happiness is subjective. For some, true happiness comes from things which can be considered "free," like emotional support, time spent with others, enjoying nature, the experiences they've had, etc. (although I can -- and will -- make the argument that even these things are not always free). But for others, true happiness comes from places that, unfortunately, do cost money. For me, true happiness comes from sharing what I have with others. Whether it be money, gifts, food, or even just something I made -- if they need it, want it, or just plain deserve it, then I want to provide what I can. I do this not so I can feel good about myself, but because I genuinely want them to be fed, out of debt, less stressed out, have more opportunities to enjoy the "free" things in life, etc. I want them to be happy, and when they are, then that makes *me* happy. Unfortunately, doing this requires me to have something to give. Sure, that something can be one of the "free" things previously mentioned. But most things which can be given are not free -- like groceries, money to pay the bills, money for medical care, gifts, etc. Even small gifts that you'd think would be free (or at least save money) can be expensive, like making a gift instead of buying one. To make a gift, you need the materials to work with. Sometimes these can be free, but depending on the gift, they can also be expensive. I make jewelry out of semiprecious gems that I tumble and polish myself, and I give these as gifts from time to time. You'd think that it would be cheaper than going out and spending a hundred or more on a commercial necklace made from the very same gemstones. You might even think that it would be free because I could go out and pluck rocks from the ground for free. But the stones cost a pretty penny to shape, polish, and cut -- I need a rock tumbler, the rocks themselves, at least three grit sizes (one for shaping, one for smoothing, and one for refining), polish, a drill press and a Dremel, drill bits and cutting wheels (which often need to be diamond-tipped to cut harder rocks), jewelry wire, findings, special jewelry glue... it has cost *hundreds*, and I don't even have all the machinery I'd like to have to make rock tumbling, cutting, and bead-making a whole heck of a lot easier (those machines would cost over a thousand bucks). All that, for just *one* necklace or bracelet -- a so-called "free handmade gift instead of a bought one." Okay, what about a smaller gift, like a drawing or painting? Sketchbooks, pencils, paints, brushes, canvases, misc. art supplies, digital art apps, the devices to run said art apps on, etc. all cost money. If you want to get *really* technical, even something that you can make from things you find for free requires labor, which requires energy, which requires food, which requires money. Emotional support also requires energy (and in many cases, a lot of it). Spending time with someone might require travel or taking time off of work, which costs money. Experiences and memories made often required money to make them happen in the first place -- even a learning experience you had in school (which was free for you) was paid for by taxpayers and/or the government. Look, I'm not saying that money can *always* buy happiness. Sometimes just basking in the sun makes me happy -- and as much as I'm sure some people would love to, there's no one who can charge me for that. And sometimes, money can even cause grief or harm. But, again, the key phrase here is "can buy," not "always buys" -- which is (in my opinion) indisputably true.

WHAT THE HELL? Money can NOT buy you happiness!!!!! It can't buy you family or friends or fun or ANYTHING really! Nothing good has ever come to some random cruel money making man!

Though money can play a large role in attaining many of the qualities associated with happiness such as good health, a comfortable lifestyle, and material desires, it cannot buy happiness in and of itself. In other words, it is undeniable that money can provide a good foundation for what could ideally be considered a content person, but said person could face other obstacles in their life such as a lack of motivation, lack of purpose or identity, loneliness, or face struggle with a mental illness. A source of financial stability may not be directly adding onto any suffering but it also cannot guarantee happiness itself.

**TL;DR: Money can indirectly buy happiness, but only to a certain point.** Can money buy happiness? Not directly since happiness is not a product one can purchase at a store. However, money can unlock many resources for happiness. To explain this idea, one must understand a few concepts. The first concept is budget constraints. Budget constraints dictate one’s ability to consume. Basically, it represents the products one can buy with all their money. The concept is indifferent to individual preferences. It does not matter what kind of consumer tendency one has. How much one likes apples does not change how many apples one can buy. However, the constraints will determine how many apples one will buy, especially considering one will want to buy other things with their budget. When budget constraints increase, in other words when one person has more money, they can buy more utilities with their money. More utility means more happiness. Hence, preferences do not really matter in terms of the utility buying power of money. With more money, one can realize utilities in their preferred ways. What about matters such as love or family? One cannot just buy these things. Well no. However, these things all take time, and money can buy time. The budget constraints not only dictate one’s buying decisions, but also their labor decisions. A person with more money can choose to substitute labor with more free time. They can then spend the time with their loved ones to cultivate their non-material preferences. Hence, when one establishes the connection between money and time, money becomes indirectly but strongly related to happiness. However, the marginal utility of money becomes less useful as one becomes richer. This concept goes up the name of diminishing return. When one already has an abundance of a product, an additional one becomes less valuable to them. Imagine buying your first laptop. You likely will put thoughts into your choices since a laptop is very useful. Now imagine buying your 11th laptop. You may not care too much about your choices since you already have ten others. Hence, all products become less marginally valuable as their base number goes up. By extension, the more money one has, the less valuable an extra dollar will be for them. Imagine the difference between having no money and having $100 million. The lifestyle difference cannot be more steep. Now imagine the difference between having $100 million and having $200 million. A difference of lifestyle may still exist but pales in comparison with the previous one. Hence, as one gets more money, the more it becomes less useful and less efficient in leading to happiness. For this reason, money can buy happiness to an extent.

**TL;DR** - **Money and what it offers can provide the illusion of happiness.** We have all been in a situation when we are about to buy something and there is a sudden rush of excitement. It is the prospect of getting something new, taking it out of the packaging and then using it is what brings us back to shopping. This is only natural. Shopping [releases dopamine] (https://www.elle.com/fashion/shopping/a41845/shopping-dopamine/) which is the chemical that plays a role in feeling pleasure. This temporary rush of dopamine gives us the feeling of happiness and therefore leads us to associate being able to spend money with happiness. Yet, this cannot be considered be considered true happiness. Indeed, defining true happiness is perhaps impossible as it will mean different things for different people. However, there are some core tenets that can be applied to provide some form of definition to happiness (please note that this all just supposition). This can include a general sense of comfort in oneself and security in one's life. Of course, money can contribute to reach this state but it is not the deciding factor in whether someone is happy. To that end, money can either provide a temporary rush of happiness or be a contributing factor in an overall state of happiness. Money does not, however, equate to happiness.

I agree to an extent, having money reduces money worries and stress as well as providing more disposable income for people to spend on experiences, opportunities and hobbies that make them happy. However, research has shown that experienced wellbeing increases with income up until a certain amount a year (which is dependent based on cost of living), this amount of money provides them with most of what they want, after this point them happiness usually does not increase and can actually decrease. Money does not directly make people happy but instead provides the tools such as financial freedom, more time and opportunities which makes people happy.

Money rents happiness