Have you ever thought that if only I had something, then I would be happy. Whether here “something” is a bigger house or anything else, it may make you happier once you obtain it. Can money really buy your happiness?
Researchers at Princeton University surveyed 1,000 people in 2010 and found that self-reported emotional well-being increased a higher salary - but only up to $75,000 per year. No further effects on happiness were found past that amount. However, other studies suggest it isn’t the dollar amount that boosts happiness but rather how the money is spent.
Money reasonably spent can indeed buy you some happiness.
We all want some sense of control, because it makes us happy. And while many people like to say “Money doesn’t buy happiness”, it can, in fact, buy you some happiness if you know how to spend it. You can use it to support some causes close to your heart, go on a vacation with family or friends, or get a gift for a loved one. All these things can make you feel considerably happier. What I tended to do here was save up little bits of money that came as change in my purse and when it built up to a certain amount, would use that money for the feel-good factor.
It could mean buying myself something, but most of the time, I suppose because of self-esteem issues — I actually enjoyed spending it on other people. I was never a shopaholic but I remember buying my elderly neighbor a hairdryer because she had never had one and I had seen her sitting with wet hair even on a winter’s evening. Did it make me feel good? You can bet your life it did because when you do good things, you feel great about it, especially if those that you treat are happy with what you bought.
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