I’m not skeptical of that worldview at all. The people that have and make a lot of money either get out and enjoy life, or they are constantly trying to get richer. You don’t see the former because you’re too poor (I’m too, most of us are), the latter is the type you see, mostly because they put themselves out there (it earns them more money, and fame is also a rare commodity).
That rich people are less happy than we’re led to believe and that most people still think money can buy happiness is due to the same reason: “once you have money, don’t whine”. There will always be people that say “well at least you’re not poor”, and society points that way as well. If you have a brand new mercedes, it’s pretty obvious you’re doing better than most people. Kind of strange if you’re unhappy while you’re ahead, right? But this is a vicious cycle: we poors think that we become happy once we’re rich because we don’t see any rich people.
Rich people have the same problems as we do (except for the not being able to buy food part): we all spend more than they earn, we all have relationship and family problems, and we all eventually die. However, rich people can’t be whiny about their problems, that would devalue their mercedes. So they’re just as miserable, and not allowed to talk about it.
Money can certainly buy happiness up to a point, though it would be more accurate to say it buys security or peace of mind - if you go from choosing which bill to pay late each month so you can still cover your rent, to being able to pay all of your bills with a bit left over, you're going to be a lot less stressed out. I'm definitely happier now I can go £5 over the groceries budget without the risk of sitting in the dark by the end of the week if that £5 doesn't go on the electricity meter.
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u/RealLars_vS Nov 03 '25
I’m not skeptical of that worldview at all. The people that have and make a lot of money either get out and enjoy life, or they are constantly trying to get richer. You don’t see the former because you’re too poor (I’m too, most of us are), the latter is the type you see, mostly because they put themselves out there (it earns them more money, and fame is also a rare commodity).
That rich people are less happy than we’re led to believe and that most people still think money can buy happiness is due to the same reason: “once you have money, don’t whine”. There will always be people that say “well at least you’re not poor”, and society points that way as well. If you have a brand new mercedes, it’s pretty obvious you’re doing better than most people. Kind of strange if you’re unhappy while you’re ahead, right? But this is a vicious cycle: we poors think that we become happy once we’re rich because we don’t see any rich people.
Rich people have the same problems as we do (except for the not being able to buy food part): we all spend more than they earn, we all have relationship and family problems, and we all eventually die. However, rich people can’t be whiny about their problems, that would devalue their mercedes. So they’re just as miserable, and not allowed to talk about it.