If money doesn’t buy happiness, you’re spending it wrong | Your Brain on Money

These money experts say you can buy happiness. There are some red flags to look out for, though.

The saying, "Money cannot buy happiness," is wrong. It absolutely can.

Research shows that spending our money on experiences rather than material possessions is more likely to make us happy.

We should reword the maxim to: "If money doesn't buy you happiness, you're spending it the wrong way."

We created this video in partnership with @MillionStoriesMedia.

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[bigthink]

Do you think that money can buy happiness?

[longgiangngo]

As someone who grew up in an impoverished household in a freaking third world country (not that I had a choice to consent to any of that), I can assure you the phrase “Money can’t buy happiness” is bullcrap. Happy means “not miserable”, and there’s nothing more miserable than poverty

[khalidalali]

“If money doesn’t buy happiness, you’re spending it wrong.” Touché.

[raymondtendau]

HAPPINESS ESSENTIALS
1.Something to do.
2.Something/Someone to love.
3.Something to hope for.
-Ikigai

[jobro]

There's one thing that they didn't touch enough in the video: Having enough money to meet your needs remove any financial stress and allow you to actually enjoy the experience you want to spend money on. If you're constantly living paycheck to paycheck wondering how you'll pay your rent or your grocery this month, you'll never be happy spending your money on experiences or things because you'll keep wondering if you did the right thing and should have spent your money on it when you could have spent your money on an emergency fund or pay a credit card debt.

[dorissteve]

There might be an economic turmoil but there is no doubt that this is still the best time to invest.

[sky.island]

Money also buys stability and security, which is happiness within itself. Don't let these people or anyone else tell you that you're unhappy because you're not traveling enough or spending it wrong. Saving money for emergencies, collecting your favorite items, eating out to your favorite restaurants, or even simply having a roof over your head can all give us happiness and is very subjective. Spend money however you want because you worked for it, not because a Youtube video with randoms tell you otherwise.

[azharmuhammedu]

I never regret spending a single penny on travelling and making memories. When I stop and look back, I realize that those memories are all I have and will definitely stay with me forever ❤️

[MichaelIsHiring]

Experiences are ephemeral and the only value you get from them truly are the memories. 
To say that the memories I get from buying a 1-week vacation are somehow more valuable than the memories I made over 3 years in a new car, or the memories I made over 25 years with my synthesizer, or the memories I made from those handful of times someone complemented my shoes - it's patently false and this philosophy enforces the harmful idea that 'you're wrong if you don't think this way'...

I'm so damn sick of hearing this BS day in and day out, and being judged as somehow financially irresponsible or simply 'wrong' by people for not wanting to spend my money on 'experiences', rather than making my everyday life more comfortable, convenient, and fun. I think it's silly to spend $30, 000 a year on 'experiences' like some people I know do - but I don't tell them that because it makes them happy and that's all that counts.,

[alexsteven.m]

The stock market rally run is over but I don't know if stocks will quickly rebound, continue to pull back or move sideways for a few weeks, or if conditions will rapidly deteriorate. I am under pressure to grow my reserve of $250k.

[ericlefort]

Another perspective on buying “things”: they can enable your experiences. Optimizing for buying things that unlock or enhance your experiences can certainly increase your happiness. This also means buying the thing that works, not necessarily the best or the flashiest thing.

[Jleet-]

you got to have money in the first place 🥇 always living in poverty leads to very little happiness 😢

[AB-smqf]

This is true. I grew up in a household that grew up prizing material goods but as a cost we didn’t go out ANYWHERE, EVER. For a kid that’s naturally adventurous, this is and was a nightmare. I even got used to it because my mom was an extreme introvert and my dad went with it to keep her happy. As an adult I grew up to see my natural self as the worst thing because of it and instead tried to focus on creating an inner world and into falling in love with my home. Except I couldn’t. No matter how hard I tried. I learned recently that outside of basic things, you eventually grow out of things to buy and that the driving motor is living. Things that add to the joy. So now that I learned this I’m now unafraid to go out and feed my inner child by spending money on creating the memories I want. But it took me learning this at almost 32. Crazy huh?

[valoriebroderick]

This always confuses me because that toy robot, for instance, is also an experience. Opening the present itself, but also playing with it afterward. Owning a fancy car could be an experience because you get to enjoy driving it around with your friends (think Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee) and if they like cars you could talk to them about cars. So I'm pretty confused by the distinction between things and experiences when it comes to spending money.

[-ten]

"The way we choose to spend our money" ? You get to choose how you spend your money? That must be nice.

[meandyouagainstthealgorith]

Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs applies here. If "stuff" is winter heat and a nourishing meal when it is needed most, then stuff wins. On the other hand, stuff will not lead to self-actualization.

[DenzCasuela]

I don’t buy stuff to make me happy, I buy stuff to enable me to be happy.

[ichigolegend]

Happiness is subjective. Simple as that.

[shinhongkyu]

The great thing about experiences that it's pretty immune to the happiness killer - comparison. If you genuinely enjoyed your experience of backpacking through cambodia on 500 dollars, you won't any feel worse when you hear of someone's million dollar trip to the Swiss alps. But with things, even if you have a 10 million dollar yacht, the happiness vanishes the moment you see a billion dollar yacht.

[J_BALVIN_]

Just remember ‘Don’t pursue happiness, you will never find it. Just be happy.’