Woman Sparks Debate About Correlation Between Money And Happiness

Aug 25, 2022 by apost team

As The Notorious B.I.G. once said, "mo money, mo problems." However countless proverbs counter this assertion and suggest that it just might be easier to cry in a Lamborghini than it is to cry on a bicycle. Throughout time, it seems we have been torn over whether or not riches and wealth will bring us good fortune or, ultimately, ruin. Does money always come with a Midas touch? Or could just a little more green really change things? 

With celebrities flaunting glamorous lifestyles, super yachts, and jet-setting vacations to the tropics, it's easy to see the allure of having millions of dollars. However, their equally public divorces and downward spiral suggest that maybe money doesn't exactly make you happy. Perhaps intangible things like friendship, nourishment, security and safety are what lead to a sense of lifelong fulfillment.

In August 2022, one Twitter user @lauryntamiaaa sparked a lively online debate about this age-old question. OP, who, according to her profile, is a "UNCC alumna" and "just trying (her) best," posted somewhat nonchalantly about the effects of what she called "a comfortable amount of money." Given she only had about 700 followers, OP probably did not foresee how far-reaching her musing would be within just a few hours. 

She wrote, "Now that I actually have a comfortable amount of money, I can say that it does indeed buy happiness. The guilt free occasional food delivery, being able to afford going out w friends, buying something that makes life easier, health appointments!, hiring a service. Y’ALL THEY LIED." 

OP's tweet immediately took off. After the initial response, she wrote, "And for the (commenters) saying mental health- That’s dramatically improved with food on the table, housing security, $ to pay for therapy, and the financial support to leave a situation you don’t want to be in." She then added, "If you can not relate to this now, you will soon! You deserve more than this system can provide in abundance."

The thread served as a homing beacon for every internet philosopher and amateur psychologist to chime in on what they felt the correlation between money and happiness was. 

Some agreed with OP in a way, aligning happiness with objects, things and possessions. Happiness was an ability to order from Amazon. It was buying takeout carefree. It was something they could purchase or something sparked by a purchase, thus, money was obviously necessary. 

Some suggested that while money means nice things, it doesn't necessarily fix or better you as a person. One commenter, @Tayos_world, wrote, "Money makes things easier but it can't improve issues like low self worth, low self esteem, anxiety etc." Another commenter, @Zoe_ttv, quickly asserted that "therapy costs money and can help with those." 

This shifted the debate over to how happiness relates to a person's access to basic needs. Yes, money meant UberEats, but for some, it also meant electricity bills, car payments, and groceries. One commenter, @g00dvibesgamong, touched on this connection. She explained how in OP's case, money has "alleviated the many stressors you have when you don't have enough money. It's much easier to be happy when you're not always stressing ..."

While the thread never came to any great conclusion about the source of happiness, there was a 2021 study done that perhaps has more scientific evidence behind it than Twitter. 

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Do you think money can buy happiness? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to friends, family and loved ones!