Comments on: Will Money Buy Happiness? Who Cares!

By: Nick1254367

Nick1254367 — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:55:27 +0000

Hi Jason, Interesting thoughts! I personally believe that it’s not possible to make a general statement on whether money makes people more or less happy. Money comes with a whole set of new elements that may have good or bad impact on our happiness, and depending on how susceptible we are to every one of them, the conclusion will go one way or the other (i.e. different from person to person). I recently made an effort to provide a more comprehensive picture of what these ad- and disadvantages are.

Thank you, Nick

By: Sheila_D

Sheila_D — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:30:55 +0000

Does Money Bring Happiness?

Does money bring happiness? Hum…that’s an interesting question. First, let’s define happiness. Webster’s dictionary states that happiness is defined as a state of well-being or contentment. So, if money does bring happiness then the rich person or those with lots of money never have a sad day in their life, right? I mean, if something bad happened one day to the person who has the most money then somehow they could use the money to bring them happiness in that situation, right?

Yes, I know—that sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Okay, let’s get a little more serious here. I suppose I could use money to buy me a beautiful ranch home in the country and have a euphoria or happiness state for a certain amount of time. But what happens when the happy-happy state wears off and my dog dies and my cat gets run over by the train passing through?

Money is truly overrated and quite frankly so is happiness. Happiness is a fleeting thing. Happiness is not eternal nor is it lasting. Think about it-we’re happy when we get a promotion; we’re happy when we get brownie points; we’re happy when we’re appreciated and told so; we’re happy when life is problem-free and our days are not interrupted with negative events. So, are we happy when we get demoted; lose a spouse; lose a pet; or just have a really terrible day? Do we need money to buy or bring that happiness back?

I suppose-in a sense-money can bring happiness. You see, money AND happiness are both fleeting; so I guess you could say that they DO go hand in hand. Since happiness is a state of mind that depends on our circumstances sometimes money can change our state of mind from sad to glad or from bored to excited and so on and so forth.

Now JOY is a completely different state. JOY is not fleeting but eternal and it can’t be bought; it stays within the human spirit because it’s not something that we FEEL based on our circumstances OR the amount of money that we possess. Joy is something that can only be received as a child of the KING. It’s not for sale; therefore it can’t be bought. Another great thing about joy is that it can’t be stolen either. Oh, another thing is that no matter what our circumstances are—whether our cat died; our car no longer carries us to places we need to be; or if a family member has died; we can still have joy deep down within our soul to sustain us through all these rough valleys that will come to pass in the life of a child of God. You see, joy doesn’t depend on money, circumstances, or what’s going on in our country but joy is something that the Lord puts in the heart of His children.

So, give me joy that will last through the good times and through the bad times. I want something solid. I want something lasting. I want something TRUE and something REAL. This comes only through the saving grace and blood of Jesus Christ.

By: Christina

Christina — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:46:30 +0000

God is really in control…yes money could do a lot of things but sometimes there are cases that it also bring trouble and weariness. I’m not a hypocrite to say I don’t want to be rich or earn more than I do now…but then I learn something from an old friend, “don’t desire anything you will regret in the end”. We get laid off, we have so little to pay off all our debts or bring our kids to school but then God will always make a way for us…inner happiness can’t be bought, same with love and loyalty.

Great post. Simply love it.

By: Jason @ One Money Design

Jason @ One Money Design — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:41:33 +0000

Thanks everyone for the great comments and for providing such good insight on the post here.

Financial bondage, I actually thought of those who have worked so hard to get “on top” to find happiness, but found it wasn’t there after they arrived.

Joseph, awesome insight. Thanks for mentioning fruit of the spirity. Yes, joy is one of them!

Jason, thanks for the echo on “getting help” or “moving forward”. I think the key thing to remember is that struggles are real and it’s okay to get help to move past them. Sometimes, people can purposefully pursue joy filled lives, but need a Christian counselor to help them get there.

As Erik states above…
“If you’re joyful and you know it clap your hands.”

By: Joseph

Joseph — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:41:40 +0000

Well said Jason,
And it is hard to get joy on your own- it is indeed a fruit of the Holy Spirit according to Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. against such things there is no law”
Therefore until we can connect with the Spirit of God, everything we feel like joy is still the temporal happiness.

By: Erik

Erik — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:36:59 +0000

I suppose now the old song will have to be rewritten: “If you’re joyful and you know it clap your hands”. Only kidding.
I’ve heard it said, “Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure makes it more comfortable when you’re miserable.” This post challenges that thought. When we ‘fear, love and trust in God above all things’ (a phrase from Martin Luther) then how can a person be miserable?
And yet we are often miserable. It’s hard to imagine anyone in American in misery for lack of material things. We’ve got a pretty generous social welfare system compared to many countries, yet how often have missionaries come back to tell my church of the joy of Christians in third world living conditions who are singing God’s praises at the construction of their first 1-room cinderblock church? Compare that to the miserable shufflers we often are in when we pull up to our multimillion $$$ mega churches in our late-model SUVs and I think we get a good perspective on what truly brings joy to a person.
Joy and money are separate issues. The Christian’s challenge is to bring this message to those who do not yet know the joy of Christ, and I include a fair number of people in my congregation in that number. It’s not just the ‘unchurched’ who need the joy of Christ: it’s also your spouse, your kids, the guy sitting in the pew behind you.

By: John @ TheChristianDollar.com

John @ TheChristianDollar.com — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 04:22:04 +0000

I love the contrast you show between happiness and joy. I’ve never heard someone explain the difference, so thank you! Amazing insight here Mr. Price. I’m looking forward to reading more articles from you.

By: johnny davi

johnny davi — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:49:10 +0000

this is a great question , i feel it doesn’t buy happiness but it does make life a little bit easier and i agrree with the difference in happiness and joy. I am currently taking a biblical financial workshop through my church. Awesome 1 book ,2 activity books by CRown Financial Ministries ,the book I recomend is “your money counts-by howard dayton” it is the biblical guide to earning , spending , investing giving and getting out of debt, savings etc simple reading . did you know jesus spoke more on money and possesions than any other subjectg? 16 of the 38 parables were on money and possesions, also there is about 500 verses on faith , the same on prayer and over 2300 on money and possesions! besides the fact 72% of America is financialy illiterate according to Harvard , this is a national crisis and needs to be addressed. I promote financial education. King Soloman stated” just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the poor” Romans 13:8 “owe no man anything” how can we possibly serve the lord housing all this debt and sucking down all of the disposable income, it is like cancer in your finances, but through the struggles rejoice in the lord , jehovah-jireh ( our lord who provides, know this with your heart and tommorrow is a new day

By: Daddy Paul

Daddy Paul — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 01:35:57 +0000

“Submit yourself to God. As I did, realize God is in control and you can find the joy, peace and comfort in almost any situation”
So true! As each day goes by I get the impression that I am going to do this whether or not I want to do this or not so I might as well do it.

By: reviewmylife

reviewmylife — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:08:00 +0000

Money might not make you happy but it can remove some of the things that make you unhappy or stressed. Debts, worrying about whether you will lose your home, stress about how you will pay that next bill, etc, are all things that can make you unhappy, and which money can help with.

If you know about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs then you might be able to see that money will help you with the physiological and and safety needs. It won’t however help you with the higher level needs of love/belonging, esteem and self-actualisation.