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

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

#51

Post by 082349872349872 »

doublerabbit wrote: post #45
082349872349872 wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now you all have nerd sniped me. The question of whether a sentence be grammatical equivales the existence of a parse tree which, when linearised, yields the original sentence. Because the sentence is finite, it has a finite number of components, and hence a finite number of possible parse trees, so we could enumerate them all until we find one that works. Exercise: what is the maximum number of parse trees a sentenc…

QEF? Don't you mean QED?

Having constructed a specific witness (sufficient for existences) rather than a general argument (necessary for universals), I thought "faciendum" more appropriate than "demonstrandum".

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

#52

Post by neogodless »

The short version of this is:

> People are not very good at predicting what will bring them (enduring) happiness / joy.

The bullet list of recommendations are a bit of a sideways approach to lead you into things like building meaningful relationships/connections, experience life alongside people that mean something to you, work towards having autonomy (be efficient with your spending, don't waste money, delay consumption if it means being able to invest and have greater freedom in how you spend later).

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

#53

Post by neogodless »

wing-_-nuts wrote: post #15

I roughly agree with all the recommendations in the abstract, but I think 5 should come with a warning. For all the spendthrifts out there who live paycheck to paycheck, there are savers who go to the other extreme, and that ascetic frugality is hard to grow out of even when it's no longer needed. The best way around this I've found is to give to charity early in the year, and for whatever reason that somehow makes i…

> there are savers who go to the other extreme, and that ascetic frugality is hard to grow out of even when it's no longer needed

How common is this? You're saying that someone, in the pursuit of frugality, begins to pursue wealth accumulation instead, and never lets go of that goal to instead take advantage of their wealth and freedom over what they choose to do with their time?

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

#54

Post by trilbyglens »

n0taHack3r wrote: post #26
itishappy wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's pretty deeply nested, which may be technically correct but is not recommended. It also may be missing a second comma? Not sure... > Money can buy many, if not most, if not all, of the things that make people happy, and if it doesn’t, then the fault is ours. Maybe a parenthetical clause? > Money can buy many (if not most, if not all) of the things that make people happy, and if it doesn’t, then the fault is ours.

What about Money can buy most, if not all of the things that make … ?

I believe the intended effect is that the writer is reconsidering their statements after they are written, giving the text a more spoken quality.

You are all a bunch of unrepentant nerds :D

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

#55

Post by nunez »

re: delaying purchases. Someone I worked with years ago told me about how they shop for stuff that I found immensely helpful.

When they find something interesting online, they add it to their cart but do not check it out for two weeks.

If they're still interested in the thing then, that means that they are more likely to use it, which justifies checking it out and buying it.

If they are wondering why that's in their cart by then, then they avoided an impulse purchase for something that would likely go unused.

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

#56

Post by feoren »

tinmandespot wrote: post #48
aschearer wrote: post #42

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…

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…

I love this reasoning about the espresso machine because it highlights how easy it is to label humans as being irrational when you're just focused on one or two dimensions (cost), but it turns out that humans are generally very rational if you just don't evaluate them on a crappy, limited model of rationality.

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

#57

Post by feoren »

neogodless wrote: post #53
wing-_-nuts wrote: post #15

I roughly agree with all the recommendations in the abstract, but I think 5 should come with a warning. For all the spendthrifts out there who live paycheck to paycheck, there are savers who go to the other extreme, and that ascetic frugality is hard to grow out of even when it's no longer needed. The best way around this I've found is to give to charity early in the year, and for whatever reason that somehow makes i…

> there are savers who go to the other extreme, and that ascetic frugality is hard to grow out of even when it's no longer needed How common is this? You're saying that someone, in the pursuit of frugality, begins to pursue wealth accumulation instead, and never lets go of that goal to instead take advantage of their wealth and freedom over what they choose to do with their time?

Not GP, but: yes, exactly. The old story about the Mexican fisherman and the American businessman on holiday. How else would we get billionaires? These people work to the bone on wealth accumulation far beyond a fortune that they could ever spend on themselves.

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

#58

Post by feoren »

_gmax0 wrote: post #43
wing-_-nuts wrote: post #15

I roughly agree with all the recommendations in the abstract, but I think 5 should come with a warning. For all the spendthrifts out there who live paycheck to paycheck, there are savers who go to the other extreme, and that ascetic frugality is hard to grow out of even when it's no longer needed. The best way around this I've found is to give to charity early in the year, and for whatever reason that somehow makes i…

What does "no longer needed" mean? I think most people who encourage the exchange of money for 'happiness' don't fully grasp the subjectivity of this judgement. A person's preferred strategy for expending and conserving resources is an emotionally-charged choice. Who am I to say anything about their choices?

I have a pretty good nest egg. I owned a home for years before it occurred to me that I could spend <$1000 on a piano to put in my own home. That piano brings me joy every single day. I'm sure there are lots of other thousand-dollar purchases I could make that would bring me lots of joy, but I never do, because I find it extremely difficult to justify spending money on myself. I bought this home so that I could live with my (future) wife and so that my (future) children would have a place to live; it's still very difficult for me to think of it as anything other than "their" house. So these people do exist.

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

#59

Post by wing-_-nuts »

neogodless wrote: post #53
wing-_-nuts wrote: post #15

I roughly agree with all the recommendations in the abstract, but I think 5 should come with a warning. For all the spendthrifts out there who live paycheck to paycheck, there are savers who go to the other extreme, and that ascetic frugality is hard to grow out of even when it's no longer needed. The best way around this I've found is to give to charity early in the year, and for whatever reason that somehow makes i…

> there are savers who go to the other extreme, and that ascetic frugality is hard to grow out of even when it's no longer needed How common is this? You're saying that someone, in the pursuit of frugality, begins to pursue wealth accumulation instead, and never lets go of that goal to instead take advantage of their wealth and freedom over what they choose to do with their time?

Not quite. I think the best example I have is someone who was scarred by hardship early in life and doesn't 'loosen up' when their circumstances change for the better later in life. Those people can wind up very well off, but still overly frugal.
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