Look, here is what I know about money and happiness. Last year in October I made a couple good trades, made 3 or 4 grand on them. I decided to finally get a friend of mine something I knew she would love for her birthday (which was in October), for her home. https://www.musicofspheres.com/windchimes/search/quartal/tenor/ I felt very happy to be able to do this for her. As I sit in her yard listening to those chimes, I look at them and say to myself..."I was able to get that present for her because I made some good trading decisions. I made money by clicking a mouse a few times. I made her happy, and that makes me happy." I could not have done that without money. The fact that I was able to do it with trading is just a matter-of-fact, because that is how I am trying to earn a living. But without that money I could not have done it. So yes, money can buy happiness. Whether I achieve the money by working for it, or by winning it in a lottery, makes no difference to me. But it took money for that happiness to happen. Anything beyond that, in what it might take to make one happy in general, is best left to folks like Basho. Nah nah nah nah nah! It comes down to a perspective thing I suppose.
For those who haven't experienced the constant anxiety of not knowing if you'll be able to pay rent and food year after year, the fact that money brings happiness is looked like the thought of a greedy person. Being more specific, it's not happiness exactly what money brings, but peace of mind and freedom. Of course, it doesn't work in a vacuum. There are more things needed to be happy, mainly health and feeling part of a group (family, friends,...). The typical unhappy rich person is usually because one of those pillars is missing: -Maybe they get rich at old age and can't enjoy the freedom due to health problems (including beauty!). -Some people work so hard that they don't have spare time. Unless you enjoy your work, this cancels out the freedom part of having money, so it doesn't work the same way. -Some people have family issues that they blame on money, but for example a parent not caring for their children is not due to being rich or being busy, no matter how much they want to justify it. -When you've being struggling with money for so long, dealing with it becomes your main occupation for the day. When you finally break the chains, you might get a feel of not knowing what to do with that freedom. Until they learn what they like to do, one might feel lost and without purpose.
"Whereas our society (practically, if not explicitly) regards professional achievement, wealth, power, and fame as desirable and admirable, Epictetus views these as incidental and irrelevant to true happiness. What matters most is what sort of person you are becoming, what sort of life you are living" ----Art of living
my mom says money will not make you happy - i told her i had rather be rich and unhappy than poor and unhappy.
For those who say money won't make you happy, go into a real poor neighborhood and hand out $1000 to everyone you meet and tell me how happy they are .
Personally, I don't think having a huge sum of money will make me happy. I might get excited for a short while until I realize I am still poor compared to the dude who host his Dom Perignon champagne shower parties in his mega yacht. What will make me happy is having the ability to make all the right decisions in life. You just can't go wrong with that. PA
The issue of happiness has a lot to do with the personal circumstances of the person that won the 20mil. Some may be happy and others it will not change their outlook on life...good or bad. Yet, their may be a small percentage that will grow that 20mil into a larger amount. Some will quit their jobs and others will continue working until retirement. Some will travel the world and others will never leave their city. A few will hoard their money and never spend a penny of it...they essentially take it to the grave with them (a few lottery winners have done such). wrbtrader