Does Money Make You Happy? Let’s Find Out

There’s no arguing money makes many aspects of life easier, but does money make you happy?

Does not having money make us happy? Does having money make us unhappy?

Depending on how you are feeling today, you might come to different conclusions. One thing is certain, there may not be a direct causal relationship, but we all know there is a correlation between money and happiness.

Does Money Make You Happy?

What do the statistics say?

Studies indicate a direct relationship between annual salary and happiness up to about $75k. After that, the relationship becomes less relevant. Once you discover what financial independence means and start making progress, focusing on happiness along the way is of the utmost importance.

After all, isn’t happiness the point of it all? And if, after a certain point, it becomes less about the dollar amount, it makes sense to focus on the subject of happiness separate and apart from net worth.

Achieving Financial Independence will NOT make you happy!

A side of happiness does not automatically get delivered along with your Financial Independence.

Your pursuit of Financial Independence is based on a math problem. Once you determine how much money you need to become financially independent and how you are going to accumulate that amount, the journey becomes a series of actions. That’s it.

One of the benefits of pursuing Financial Independence may be that you are able to focus on living a happier life. The point I’m trying to convey is that they are different pursuits. They are two different objectives. Money and happiness may be related but you should pursue both concurrently.

Finding happiness is more important than qualifying for a double comma club membership card. If you are reading this, then you have the desire and ability to live a financially stable and happy life.

Read:

• Money can buy happiness, but only to a point  by Mark Fahey of cnbc.com
• Happiness is the Only Logical Pursuit  by Pete Adeney of mrmoneymustache.com
• The Secret To Happiness… And Why It Has Nothing To Do With Money  by Todd Tresidder of financialmentor.com
• How Does Valuing Money Affect Your Happiness? | Greater Good …  by Jill Suttie of greatergood.berkeley.edu

Watch:

• How to be Happy, Rich, and Save the World  by Pete Adeney of mrmoneymustache.com

Take Action:

1. Watch 10 Habits of Happy People – How To Be Happy  by Practical Psychology on YouTube and in conjunction with what we discovered in the other resources in this lesson, put a process in place to do something different than you do now with the intent of increasing your happiness level.

Additional Resources:

• The Practical Benefits of Outrageous Optimism  by Pete Adeney of mrmoneymustache.com
• How to Be Happy: 23 Ways to Be Happier  by Tchiki Davis, Ph.D. of psychologytoday.com

Quote:

“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” – Abraham Lincoln