Spoiler! :
The answer of “yes” seems to spring irresistibly to a lot of people’s minds when they are posed with this question, but I think the answer goes much deeper than a one word statement. A lot of people don’t take the type of person, the circumstance of the money and the general views and personality traits of the person. For example, is an extremely optimistic person likely to be miserable if he or she is a little poor? To counter that, will a horribly pessimistic person be driven to ecstasy simply because they have come into some money? This is unlikely- the only time where these ideas do apply is in extreme cases such as when a family are so poor that they are driven to poverty. This does not help us with the question, as who’s going to be overly happy living with poverty?
Also, consider this. A wealthy family member of yours has recently died and left you a large sum of money in their will, making you extremely rich. Surely this money is going to make you miserable? Surely spending this money is going to remind you of your deceased family member? Inheritance is one of the largest causes for wealth- most people these days who own large businesses, for example, have probably inherited them from their parents.
Although; it may be argued that the money will remind you of your family member in a good way. You’ll be pleased that they left you this money to honour their name by using it for good, and this will make you very happy indeed.
But you will always have the emotional burden of a dead family member on your shoulders.
And say it isn’t a family member. What if an obscure friend of yours has no family to give his money to, and so leaves it to you. Wouldn’t this make you feel guilty about the circumstances of the money? The guilt could gnaw at you for life- you barely knew this guy, and yet you have gained a substantial wealth from him and are spending it on pleasurable items.
We should also take into the account of personally earned money. If someone earns a lot of money doing a job they hate, they won’t be happy, will they? When looking at this question, lifestyle is key. Some people, strange as it may be, are simply born happy. A recent study shows that Nigeria is the happiest country out of over 65 of the biggest countries tested- this tells us that, strangely, maybe some people are just born happy. If a person is born into a family with an amazingly sunny outlook on life, this will affect that person- they’ll be more likely to grow up to feel happy and good about themselves, no matter what income they earn.
I think people should also consider how intelligently people spend money. An obscenely rich, but unintelligent man could waste his wealth on things that won’t boost his morale; won’t make him feel any better. Everyone has heard of the stereotype of an incredibly rich person who just buys useless things, doesn’t find true love and ends up hated and alone. Stereotypes are, of course, unreliable sources, to say the least, but it can’t be argued that this example is often the case.
Although you often find people who are incredibly happy who have lots of money. Making you obscenely rich doesn’t always make a man unhappy, it simply what you do with the money. That’s what people should be looking at when asked this question.
In addition to this, it’s also about how you manage your money. Someone who hasn’t got very good skills at organizing things, is going to have trouble keeping up with, say, their mortgage. This could be one of the most stressful experiences someone can face. An emotional person faced with an overdue mortgage is going to be faced with immense stress, and this is all to do with the amounts of money that they do or do not have. Someone who is unwise with money could buy a terribly expensive house, only to find that they do not have a substantial income to keep up with the mortgage and bills. They could end up juggling and opening multiple savings accounts, having to stay up late sorting through seemingly endless piles of late bills and this has the potential to plunge someone straight into a very depressed state.
All because of money.
So I think, in conclusion, money can sometimes imply happiness, and, in some cases, it does indeed equal happiness, if someone has been especially careful with how they use their money. And that’s what it all comes down to. Using money. Happiness from money can be gained incredibly easily, simply if you use your money well.
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