The False Dichotomy of Money and Happiness

Can money really buy happiness, or is it just something people say? People have argued over this, saying that you need money in life to be happy, or money can help, but it isn’t what is mainly used to give you happiness. Many studies have explored the connection with money and happiness, while trying to figure out how different things can make us feel. This essay will look at how money can affect our happiness, and if there is a limit to how much money can give us. 

A study done by Verywell Mind about “Does money make you happier? Yes, but it’s complicated” shows that money reduces stress, and provides access to healthcare, safety, comfort, and emotional pain by offering financial security, but money only helps to a limit, true well being also depends on things that can give long term happiness, such as, relationships, purpose, personal growth, gratitude, and different experiences in life, like spending time with different people, working on relationships, spending time with nature, yourself, and even more. Spending time and money on these different experiences can be more rewarding than buying different objects that don’t have the same worth. Ultimately, this shows that money can make you happier, but only to a certain limit.

Psychology Today has done a study “Does money really buy happiness?” and it shows that a higher income lets people enjoy the best that life has to offer and it can improve your life by reducing worry and giving more choices, but it also comes with things like stress, overworking, and less ability to savor small pleasures. And after a certain point, the negatives can overcome and offset the positives. Happiness depends more on how you use the money, like using it to help others. According to Psychology Today, sometimes, money can help, but it isn’t everything. 

According to the Greater Good Magazine, “A new way to view money and happiness”, money doesn’t guarantee happiness. Communities with modest incomes, like rural and indigenous groups, often report high life satisfaction. Their happiness drives off of things like strong communal bonds, nature, and low materialism. This shows that you don’t need money in order to be happy.

Forbes has done an article “Four Proven Ways To Buy Happiness With Money”, proving that money can buy happiness, but only if spent wisely. They give four smart spending habits that can enhance happiness. The first one is experience over stuff, which is when you spend money on different experiences, such as hiking, going on a vacation, going to a retreat. The second one is spending money on others, when you buy a gift for a loved one for their birthday or a holiday, donating money to a charity, buying food and clothes to give out to the homeless. Third, small purchases with lasting value, when you spend a small amount of money on something that helps bring happiness long term, not just short term, like buying a journal to write in everyday, buying a book that you can re-read, or even getting a crafting kit or game that you use for a while. And the fourth thing that the Forbes article mentions, is to buy back time via services, this means doing things like paying for a cleaner to clean your home instead of yourself, ordering groceries online to avoid hours of shopping, and even using food delivery services so you don’t have to cook, and take up time doing that. A final thing that the Forbes article mentions, is that newer research shows that there isn’t a limit to how much happiness money can bring. People with very high incomes can still become happier as they earn more money.

Matt Killingsworth, from Wharton School, did a study, “Does Money Buy Happiness? Here’s What The Research Says”, and in this, recent studies show life satisfaction grows steadily with income, with multimillionaires rating higher contentment. And some collaborative analysis clarifies that for most people, happiness rises continually with income. So according to Killingsworth, yes, money does buy happiness, even for those who are already wealthy. 

BBC’s Science Focus article on “Money can’t buy you happiness, a neuroscientist explains why”, explains that although money alone can help meet basic needs like food, safety, and comfort, it can’t create long-term happiness once those needs are met. The neuroscientist in the article says that the brain gets used to rewards quickly. This is called “hedonic adaptation”, when you get something new, like money or even a new phone, it gets exciting at first, but soon your brain goes back to its usual mood. Because of this, even big financial gains don’t lead to lasting joy. You might feel happier for a short time, but the feeling fades. The brain craves new experiences, connections with people, and meaningful activities, not just more money. The article also warns that chasing money too much can make people anxious, damage relationships, and take attention away from the things that really matter. So according to the BBC’s Science Focus article, no, money alone doesn’t bring lasting happiness. 

Fortune Well has done a study in 2025, “How much money do you need to be happy?” PNAS research shows money improves happiness, particularly for those already with moderate well-being. But wealthy individuals with strong baseline happiness keep becoming more satisfied as income increases, while people who are less happy stop gaining as much benefit from money. Fortune Well confirms that both income levels and personal well-being shape how money impacts happiness. According to Fortune Well, yes, money can buy happiness, but it depends on emotional well-being.

Overall, according to all these sources, yes, money can buy happiness, but only to a certain limit. Having more money can help reduce stress, give people more control of their lives, and can even make their daily lives much easier. However, when basic needs are met, things like strong relationships between people, meaningful experiences, personal growth, emotional well-being, and how you spend your time matter much more for long-term happiness. 

Inaya Soni