There’s a term that a lot of people believe is not true. People are constantly trying to disprove the term “money can’t buy happiness” because they wholeheartedly believe that it can. They believe that it buys happiness because it can buy things that make life easier. A bigger house, a new car, new clothes, vacations and financial security can absolutely make someone’s life more comfortable. But comfort and happiness are not the same thing, no matter what people decide to believe. Yes, money can remove certain problems in your life and even give you certain opportunities that you may not have had before, but it can not give you fulfillment. It cannot make you feel loved, understood or genuinely happy.
Money can put you in a trance like state, where for those few minutes you’re spending money you feel amazing, but once you’re not anymore and that bubble has been popped, you feel exactly like you did a few minutes ago. But if money can buy happiness why doesn’t that feeling ever stay? There’s definitely no denying that money can relieve stress. Financial struggles can affect nearly every part of a person’s life, whether that be worrying about rent or even what they’re having for dinner that day, having enough money to meet basic needs does make it easier for happiness to be experienced, but that does not mean that the money itself buys happiness. It just removes the obstacles that you were currently going through and once those are out of the way, your brain finds another thing to be worried about. Emotional problems don’t just suddenly disappear because you have more money in your bank account.
Relationships are a very clear example of the limitations of money. Imagine if somebody was constantly buying their partner expensive gifts, but never showed them any affection. They don’t talk to them, they don’t hang out with them, there doesn’t seem to be any real love there. The person being “bought” out essentially feels empty from this, because they’re not feeling valued, or loved, or listened to or cared for. Eventually the gifts would stop meaning anything and that person might even end up resenting them. There’s a reason people say “you can’t buy my love”. You can have everything you’ve ever wanted materially and still feel lonely. Love, attention, and trust are things that cannot just be purchased. How do gifts even mean anything with no intention behind them? If those things can’t be purchased, then neither can happiness.
None of this means money isn’t important, financial stability does matter and it can improve certain parts of your life, but the problem is treating money like it’s the only source for happiness, or it’s the only cure for something that you’re going through. Money buys possessions and experiences, but it will never buy how you feel inside, it will never buy a meaningful relationship, the feeling of love, or feeling genuinely satisfied with yourself. An easier life does not automatically mean a happy one.