If Money Doesn't Make You Happy Then You Probably Aren't Spending It Right [pdf]

I came across this paper a decade plus ago and it stuck with me. Specifically, there were a few things:

1. We derive pleasure from anticipation, so ensure there are a number of things to look forward to.

2. Likewise we derive pleasure from looking backwards -- so the above is a two-for-one.

3. When making decisions in realtime, we tend to slip into "reptile-thinking" and that in turn leads to unhappy-decisions. They cite a snickers bar versus an apple. So try to make more decisions upfront, aligning them with your goals. e.g. bulk cook versus figure out lunch daily.

4. Day-to-day life has a huge impact on our happiness but we often architect it in ways that make us unhappy. e.g. moving into a big house in the burbs and therefore having a long commute. Think about our goals and design daily life so they flow more readily.

Edit to add my own twist on the paper and a challenge:

If you're so smart, why aren't you happy?

> Some part of us instinctively understands that happiness isn't the point and can itself be counterproductive because we need some amount of unhappiness to stay motivated to do what we are actually here to do, which isn't be happy.

I don't think they are saying we're stuck in some endless loop to specifically acquire money or stuff, but that we are stuck in an endless loop to do something, whatever it may be. This could mean acquiring stuff for some, volunteering and donating for some, baking pastries or going fishing for others.

Decline in fertility rates can be attributed to external causes, not because humans fundamentally no longer want to procreate.

Very true, the Amish lifestyle alone debunks most of the telling above as heavily skewed. Implying certain society values and a way of thinking as natural or god-given, while in fact it only summarizes, whats currently pretty famous as western lifestyle.

> Maybe I am naive, but do Amish typically worry about money and about materialistic things?

Imho everyone worries about materialistic things to a certain degree, as a potatoe for example is very materialistic thing and we cannot eat virtual goods (yet). The potatoe example can also be used illustrate another aspect - all materialistic things will decay over time, thus naturally ppl would not hoard tons of goods beside what they need for themselves or for trading for other goods (which will also decay, so it makes no sense to overly hoard traded goods either).

This did not change much throughout history. Also there was only one outstanding exception to that naturalistic equilibrium - land. Even old bronze age societies already fought for fertile land as thats the very base to sustain life and furthermore it provides access to other resources like ore and such, that we learned to process into other goods. So history tells us - yes thats possible, also the Amish kinda still live in that tradition.

What really changed that almost-equilibrium was the invention of the modern money with the bank system. The big difference now is, that this virtual good "money" does not decay naturally (given the economy is stable). Instead the system even boost itself by constantly creating more money de-valuating itself. Most of us love to see the numbers increasing, because we tend to believe we can buy more things from that. But later we realize that goods just get a higher price tag instead (inflation), which furthr boost the money hunger.

Here we are - the big hoarding tendency in western societies has a lot to do with our money system.

I wholeheartedly concur with the gist of this sentiment.

An example from my own life.

I’m an avid coffee drinker, and consume 2 doppio espressos a day.

I’m often asked why I don’t just buy an espresso machine and save some money.

To which I respond: - I look forward to the small interactions when I order coffee - I build a sense of community where I live/work - I enjoy the opportunity to tip and give back( albeit in a very small way) - I’m buying something I like everyday, and this leads to a sense of fulfillment - I don’t accumulate anything that I need to lug around/maintain

When i say it's 'no longer needed' I'm talking about behaviors which were previously useful for survival that have out grown their usefulness.

There is a certain point where one crosses into being grossly over conservative with their spending. I'm not casting any judgements of course, but when you reach that point you should probably stop and draft a will defining what should happen with your money. If you're unwilling to either spend it or give it away in life, know that it will either be spent or given away for you in death.