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How much money do people need to be happy?

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Re: How much money do people need to be happy?

#191

Post by johnmax »

cdoxsey wrote: post #185

I'm always struck by this proverb: > “Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. One thing I didn't see in the comments here, though I may've just missed…

i agree in general.

i think it has been proven in studies that being altruistic gives you more happiness than doing something fun (see martin seligmans boom on authentic happiness).

HOWEVER, from my personal experience, I do not derive happiness by giving just money away (eg to a stranger who asked me), but rather through helping her at an errand or bigger problem

Re: How much money do people need to be happy?

#193

Post by johnmax »

My life experience fits with those studies.

You get used VERY FAST to money (and sensory pleasures which come with it), which is why they dont make me that happy (anymore).

However, I am very grateful for the additional free time that I can buy with my money, eg by working less.

The latter would of course not hold for someone earning 2m USD per year, but constantly working 70+h/week to keep it that way.

Re: How much money do people need to be happy?

#195

Post by aianus »

LaurensBER wrote: post #161
howeyc wrote: post #17

Kind of makes sense to me, once you get to a point where you're set. That is you can easily afford the main things (housing, food), plus the extras (electronics, vacations, hobbies) you need a much larger income to "move the needle" so to speak. You still need to work 40 hours a week or whatever, and only get X weeks of vacation. Having a 180K salary instead of 150K doesn't change any of these obligations, or change…

> Of course, stepping from 40K to 100K in salary is practically life altering. Unless you absolutely suck at budgets you can easily get out of debt and start having real vacations. You can afford hobbies, etc. I live in the Netherlands where 40K is quite a reasonable income. I really dont get why you would need 100k to do the things you need. Perhaps people need to become a bit more frugal? People here in general don…

Just a house for your family will eat up all of that 40k here in Toronto (that’s basically interest-only on the average $1m house in the suburbs). You’d have nothing left.

Although we still live very well in absolute terms, a lot of people I know have and will have a worse quality of life than their parents did, despite being more successful and earning more money! It’s kind of depressing.

Re: How much money do people need to be happy?

#196

Post by DanBC »

chii wrote: post #175
phaemon wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Bread" is also a colloquialism for money. It's the same joke.

I have never heard any rapper refer to money as bread!

https://www.etymonline.com/word/Bread

> Slang meaning "money" dates from 1940s, but compare breadwinner, and bread as "one's livelihood" dates to 1719. Bread and circuses (1914) is from Latin, in reference to food and entertainment provided by the government to keep the populace content. "Duas tantum res anxius optat, Panem et circenses" [Juvenal, Sat. x.80].

Re: How much money do people need to be happy?

#197

Post by johnmax »

monkeyfoop wrote: post #147
dgacmu wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You say this, but you offer no evidence to contradict the study, which is based on ... evidence that you're wrong. But think about it: A single person making $105k is just touching the top 10% of income earners in the US: https://dqydj.com/income-percentile-calculator/ Having spent some time in about that bracket in an average cost-of-living area (earned slightly more, but I'd spent the previous few years being a bro…

You felt rich at 105k? We're talking about human happiness, the capacity for love, freedom, and self actualization. Happiness. We're not talking about buying overpriced liabilities such as fancy cars, furniture and clothes. I make over 150k and it's awful working 160 hours a month. Think about why this study is messed up: Wage earners spend the Best part of day typically indoors, taking orders from another person. Wa…

well I have had all this opportunity (raise my kids, do charity, do yoga 3 times a day), but for me, a nice job (be it for my own company or for someone else) brings more happiness.

the first things become very boring, very fast. i am speaking for me.

if you look at most millionaires, they continue working full-time. it just needs to be a good job, of course

Re: How much money do people need to be happy?

#198

Post by icebraining »

meuk wrote: post #181
LaurensBER wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Of course, stepping from 40K to 100K in salary is practically life altering. Unless you absolutely suck at budgets you can easily get out of debt and start having real vacations. You can afford hobbies, etc. I live in the Netherlands where 40K is quite a reasonable income. I really dont get why you would need 100k to do the things you need. Perhaps people need to become a bit more frugal? People here in general don…

I also live in the Netherlands and feel the same. I make less than 2k a month and already don't know what to do with my money. That being said, it probably helps if you have a reasonable healthcare system. If you get ill in the US, you're basically screwed.

I make less than 2k a month and already don't know what to do with my money.

In my experience, the best way to fix that "problem" is to get some kids :)

Re: How much money do people need to be happy?

#199

Post by AstralStorm »

drukenemo wrote: post #172
monkeyfoop wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You felt rich at 105k? We're talking about human happiness, the capacity for love, freedom, and self actualization. Happiness. We're not talking about buying overpriced liabilities such as fancy cars, furniture and clothes. I make over 150k and it's awful working 160 hours a month. Think about why this study is messed up: Wage earners spend the Best part of day typically indoors, taking orders from another person. Wa…

I'm totally with you here. But we need to realize very feel people perceive/realize the world under these terms. Most people feel like they are destined for a job their entire lives and that extreme wealth are for the few lucky/extraordinary other ones. Even in an YC forum.

The perception does not matter in as much as it is actually aligned with reality. Which I suspect it actually is if you're not one of the initially rich.

Few can produce ground-breaking ideas or are lucky enough to actually earn a million dollars quickly (as opposed to stealing it).

Re: How much money do people need to be happy?

#200

Post by RobertRoberts »

Scarbutt wrote: post #99
Bucephalus355 wrote: post #81

There are a lot of posts, articles, and general interest over the last 15 years (compared to before) on “being and maximizing happiness”. At face value, this seems very natural. However I think a lot could be gained by tackling the necessity of even asking that question. Nietzsche has this really interesting point that every philosopher since Plato was most interested in “the truth” without seriously considering if “…

Christianity, suffering is turned into a much more worthwhile and meaningful pursuit Can you elaborate on that? not a christian, just curious.

From my personal experience, you are going to have misery no matter what in life. But it's amazing how often times some misery is bimodal, either you choose your misery, or it's forced on you.

As an example, you work and get paid (a form of misery because you don't have control over your own time), or you don't work and have all the time you want in the day (the misery is you are hungry cold and wet).

I found that self sacrifice in relationships almost always pays off, and is very biblically based concept. For example, being patient with a spouse you are angry with actually hurts emotionally (chosen misery), but you resolve things this way. The opposite would be to blame or fight back, and extend or lose control of the misery (ie, forced on you).

I've learned to chose my misery. Save now (misery chosen), spend now (misery forced later), etc... Maybe suffering would work equally well with misery.

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