Happiness and Money

In classical economics, it's assumed that humans have unlimited wishes, we always want more things.
But, with psychology getting better at explaining why we do things, we came to understand that that's not always the case.

So, how are money and happiness related?

How more money can be bad

Sometimes, receiving more money can lead to no increase in happiness or even cause a decrease in how well we feel!

Generosity

Whenever we do a good deed, we feel good because of what we did, not because that will give us the biggest benefit possible.

As such, if someone pays you for 'being generous', it's very possible that you end up feeling worse than if you weren't paid. Moreso if you helped a friend or relative.

Example: If you helped your friend with some of his work and he offered to pay for your time, you might question how healthy this friendship is!

Already Rich

If you have a STEEM or HIVE account worth hundreds or thousands of dollars, getting an extra 0.1 STEEM/HIVE will feel good, but not nearly as much as when you were starting out.

And, if it was a donation from a beginner trying to get your attention, you might even feel bad for them!

How can Money be good, then?

Well, the answer is pretty simple, but has some interesting quirks about it:

Safety

The main objective money fulfills is Safety.

By having more resources, you can secure your future and your family's future. Therefore, the need for money is almost built into our brains.

Sense of Accomplishment

Beyond Safety, money can also bring you a sense of impact in the world. Generally, more money = power influence, as such, money is tied to our feeling of 'leaving a mark'.

Conclusion

In the end, money obviously is tied to happiness, but the fact that most forget is: 'Only to an extent!'

Do you think more money would make you happier right now? Or would your search for happiness be better met somewhere else, such as focusing on being more creative, social, etc.?

Thanks for reading!
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Take a look at my last post, about Foreign Aid!

• How effective is Foreign Aid? - Is it worth it?

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