“If you have money, you have problems!”
When people around the world are asked what would improve their quality of life, the overwhelming majority respond, “more money.” Even people who describe themselves as “fairly happy” believe that “a little more” money would increase their happiness and “make them feel better about themselves.”
The vast majority of people tend to confuse the concept of “quality of life” with that of “standard of living.” Standard of living is primarily directly related to income. In contrast, quality of life, which is an indicator of enjoying life and being happy, is not solely dependent on income. It is true that a very low income at the poverty level will negatively affect quality of life. However, numerous studies have shown that once the poverty level is exceeded, quality of life and happiness do not increase in relation to income.
Trying to buy happiness with money often distances people from what they truly desire. Those who seek greater happiness through earning money find themselves having to work harder, struggling to find time to spend their earnings on activities that enhance their quality of life. Happiness encompasses a wide range of emotions experienced in both the short and long term. These fall along two distinct axes: “pleasure” and “enjoyment.” Pleasure-inducing activities involve excitement, exuberance, orgasm, and comfort, which are momentary and based on physical satisfaction, and therefore quickly forgotten. In contrast, enjoyable activities such as reading a good book, engaging in deep conversation, listening to music with abandon, or even dancing are based on spiritual fulfillment and yield long-term results. These types of activities require accumulation and skill and make the person feel their strengths.
Ultimately, people discover that happiness and meaning are not things that can be sought and found, but that they can only be created by the person themselves. The answers to existential questions such as “Why am I here, how do I want to live, what will I become?” are found not by rushing, but by slowing down and deepening. To delve deeper, one needs tranquility and, above all, patience.
Buying happiness
Those who associate happiness with the pleasure of owning an “object” or “thing” rarely achieve their goal, as the joy derived from a purchase has been found to last no more than eight months. In contrast, it has been understood that experiences that leave a lasting impression in the long term, such as vacations, eating together, and engaging in fulfilling conversations, are much more valuable (1). Working to earn more money can distance a person from activities that improve their quality of life and also has the potential to put them at risk of losing their health.
In a 1997 study conducted in the US, 19% of those with wealth over $500,000 agreed with the statement, “Having enough money is a constant worry in my life.” Interestingly, this percentage rose to 33% among those with savings over $10 million (2). As can be seen, as wealth increases, concerns about money do not decrease but rather grow. Less than half of people with such large fortunes agree with the statement, “I became happier as my wealth grew.” In the same study, an average white-collar worker (adjusted for inflation) described their life without a television, air conditioner, dishwasher, or washing machine as “very happy,” even though their income had tripled on average by 2004. However, only 34 percent of participants who had access to all the comfort-enhancing tools available to consumers said they were “very happy.” At this point, we can say that the philosopher Schopenhauer’s statement, “Money is like seawater; the more you drink, the thirstier you become,” reflects the truth.
Poverty is dangerous to health
This inevitably raises the question, “Is there no connection between money and happiness?” Undoubtedly, the wealthy lead not only a more “comfortable” life than the poor, but also a healthier one. Studies have shown that poor people are more prone to high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and causes of death resulting in chronic pain (3). Growing up in a poor environment causes a slowdown in activity in the prefrontal lobe of the brain, which is known to affect happiness, and makes people more prone to chronic depression (4). Poverty can also cause conflict within families, leading to unrest and divorce. Similarly, those earning less than $20,000 per year are 3.5 times more likely to die in middle age than those earning more than $70,000.
Despite all this, it is not true that those above the poverty line are very happy. One of the classic questions psychologists ask when measuring happiness is, “All things considered, how well is your life going these days?” Participants are expected to choose a response ranging from “(1) to a degree that makes me very unhappy” to “(7) to a degree that makes me very happy.” It has been observed that the Mesai natives in Kenya rated this question at 5.7; the Inuit living on the glaciers of Greenland at 5.8; the Amish, who live a peculiar primitive life of their own, at 5.8; and the world’s richest people on the Forbes 400 list also at 5.8 (2).
Conclusion
One conclusion that can be drawn from this research is this: When it comes to happiness, there is very little difference between those who have all the comforts the world can offer and everything money can buy, and those who drink milk from their cows and live in huts made of dry grass. Money cannot buy happiness. Once you have enough money to meet your basic needs, money brings less “extra happiness” than you might think. Therefore, if you feel there are gaps in your life, don’t fall into the trap of thinking you can fill them with something you can buy.
Sources:
- Futrelle D. Can money buy happiness? Money Magazine July 2006.
- Zweig J. Your money and your brain. Simon & Schuster; 200
- Sapolsky R. Sick of poverty. Scientific American December 2006.
- Tomarken AJ, Davidson RJ, Henriques JB. Resting frontal brain activity: linkages to maternal depression and socioeconomic status among adolescents. Biological Psychiatry 2004; 67(1-2) 77-102.
(*) This article is adapted from the book Akılsız Duyguların Cezasını Kararlar Çeker (Decisions Pay the Price for Foolish Emotions), published by Remzi Kitabevi.
