Do you often work hard to make more money? Do you think money is the measure of success? Do you think you can live a happier life with more money? If your answer is yes, then you may need to rethink your relationship with money and happiness.
The paradox of money and happiness
In our society, many people use money as a motivation and goal to pursue success. They believe that as long as they have higher income, better jobs, and more consumption, they can improve their social status and quality of life. They are always looking for the best option, constantly comparing and competing, hoping to get the greatest return.
However, social psychology research has found that this choice-maximizing strategy does not necessarily lead to higher happiness. In contrast, choice-maximizing people tend to feel more dissatisfied with their jobs and consumption, and more likely to experience stress and anxiety than those who only seek satisfying alternatives.
This is the paradox of money and happiness: more money does not necessarily lead to more happiness. So, does this mean there is no relationship between money and happiness? Is the saying ‘money can’t buy happiness’ true?
How to buy happiness with money?
In fact, there is no connection between money and happiness, but it depends on how you use money. As Timothy Wilson said: “If money doesn’t make you happy, then you’re probably not spending it right.”
So, how can you spend your money right? Research in social psychology offers some helpful suggestions:
- Spend your money on experiences, not products. Research has found that compared with purchasing material products, purchasing experiential purchases, such as traveling, watching performances, learning new skills, etc., can bring people a more lasting sense of happiness. This is because experiences can enrich our lives, increase our self-identity, and improve our social interactions, while products can easily be adapted and compared, losing their novelty and sense of value. For example, spending money to celebrate Carnival in Rio de Janeiro may leave you with unforgettable memories, but spending money on a big-screen TV may soon feel like it’s not worth it.
- Spend money on others instead of yourself. Research has found that compared with consuming for oneself, consuming for others, such as sending gifts, donating, treating guests, etc., can bring a higher sense of happiness to people. This is because consuming for others can strengthen our social connections, satisfy our altruistic motives, and enhance our self-esteem and pride, while consuming for ourselves can easily lead us to selfishness and greed. For example, during that vacation in Rio de Janeiro, treating your friends around might make you feel happier, while buying cocktails just for yourself might make you feel emptier.
- Buy many small items instead of one big item. Studies have found that buying many small, cheap items can bring people more happiness than buying one large, expensive item. This is because buying small items can increase our consumption frequency, prolong our consumption pleasure, and prevent us from adapting to consumption, while buying large items can easily make us feel regret and disappointment. For example, when buying drinks, it’s better to buy a few small ones rather than one large one so you can enjoy more flavors and variations instead of drinking the same thing all the time.
Summarize
Through the above analysis, we can see that money is not the only factor that determines happiness, nor is it an insignificant factor, but a factor that depends on how we use money. We can buy happiness with money if we can spend it on experiences, people, or a variety of small pleasures. If we just blindly pursue money without paying attention to how the money is used, we may lose happiness.
So, next time you want to consume, you might as well ask yourself whether such consumption can bring you real happiness, whether it can make your life more meaningful, whether it can make your interpersonal relationships more harmonious, and whether it can bring you real happiness. Can make you feel happier. If the answer is yes, then go ahead and spend with confidence, your money is not in vain. If the answer is no, then consider whether there is a better way to spend your money that will make your money more worthwhile.
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Judgment based on consumption
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