Does money buy happiness? Yes, if it's used to buy memories | Hacker News Reader

Does money buy happiness? Yes, if it's used to buy memories

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64 pointscwan25 comments

Looking back at my life, when was I the happiest? It certainly wasn't when I got the paycheck or got a new job with better pay, or bought a new car, or bought second laptop.

I remember my happiest memories to be in school, surrounded by careless, daring, funny, and oft-swearing people. In classes, but not only in them.

I remember I was happy when I was running track and cross-country. A bunch of guys and girls running on the side of the road on a sunny day at a decent pace: chasing cars and talking. We didn't give two shits about money or things, these things seemed to have fatten us, make us less free. Even shirts were too much!

Yes, social situations around physical activities were peaks of my happiness.

Me too. My fondest memories were coming home to a fraternity house where 40 of us lived together. There was always something going on. What great times! We were either learning something new, hanging out together, playing football in the yard, playing bridge, fixing up our house, partying, chasing women, etc., etc., etc. Lunch and dinner served every day in the dining room. No shopping, no mortgage, no one depending on us for so much, and no cubicle!

I've been trying for years to recreate that atmosphere in my adult life, but without much success. I haven't given up, though...

I think you pretty much have to go back to school for that. That's my plan for when I have enough money to not have to work for a living, I can then go and be a professional life long student.

I've found traveling, and staying at hostels and partying with other backpackers, is really good about recapturing that college feeling.

Looking back at my life, when was I the happiest? It certainly wasn't when I got the paycheck or got a new job with better pay, or bought a new car, or bought second laptop.

Looking back at my life, I find that this is exactly opposite for me. Every period in my life that I was really happy, I had just gotten or was still in a high-paying job, had low stress and no worries (because of the aforementioned good job), was able to buy a new car or new laptop, etc.

Most years of my life, I made less than 20K, and the happy times were (and are, because I'm damn happy right now) all above 50K.

I've read bios and/or seen interviews with a lot of famous older people. Invariably they mention that the best things in their lives were not about money at all. Just today I was reading that Edith Hamilton ('Mythology') was happiest about being made a citizen of Athens. Joe Campbell mentioned a race in college. Etc.

Money seems to be the best thing for people who need to feel secure. But for many people, who thrive despite the ups and downs of an insecure life, 'happiness' is found in intangibles... relationships instead of things. Family. Friends. Music. The outdoors. The arts.

My own 'best time' actually happened when I'd just left college and had almost nothing. 'Travel' meant thumbing a ride. Of course, being young, healthy and free is great. Also you don't know so much, and sometimes ignorance IS bliss. And sometimes we let ourselves get saddled with too many responsibilities, which can be a burden for a conscientious person.

These surveys on 'happiness' are done by asking people taking part in the survey to rate their 'happiness'. How is this information going to be more useful to me as an individual who reads the results of such a survey ? I could answer myself whether I derived more happiness by spending on goods or experiences in the past. And that analysis is going to be more appropriate than predictions from a survey.

The point is, I am doubtful if we can use the results of such a survey to direct our actions rather than relying on our own thoughts.

Indeed, these statistical surveys are telling you less than you already know.

They might have heuristic value, though: you might not previously have looked through your own experience to see if durable goods or experiences brought you more pleasure.

So you're saying that we should not or can not learn from the experiences of others. The idea that most people are wired roughly the same holds no sway with you, and that only personal experience can possibly show you how things work. This means you never take into account reccomendations for movies, or books or restaurants. Never learn from others' mistakes right? Thats what you are saying.

Of course none of the above takes into account the fact that you are biased to judging yourself well (my actions were of course right). Your analysis could be based on some flawed assumption (the happiness i get from X is the maximum of happiness, maximizing the little happinesses reaches a global maximum, not a local one, etc). Or that other people could possibly know more than you.

Not that this comment matters, only your judgment and thoughts could possibly be correct in the end.

Memories are things of the past. They might comfort you when lonely or make you nostalgic. More important than searching for what brings us happiness would be knowing what happiness itself is. Is it just a feeling of elevation, of euphoria? I would consider a person happy if his mind is calm, devoid of regrets of the past and anxieties of the future.

"I would consider a person happy if his mind is calm, devoid of regrets of the past and anxieties of the future."

Then you've mistaken tranquility or equanimity for happiness.

That sounds rather boring to me...

Its not definitive, still experimenting. Might change my mind you know. :)

For maximum efficiency, buy stuff that's used to generate memories. For example, a sweet pair of rollerblades.

heck yeah!!! in addition to roller hockey, that also buys you roller frisbee, 4-court roller tennis and shortcuts.

ps - roller hockey sunday 2pm at ahern in cambridge, ma

This is news? I thought everyone's mother gave them this advice (possessions won't make you happy, you should live life instead).

I was half expecting memory implants and a reference to Philip K. Dick and 'We Can Remember It for You Wholesale' short story (basis for 'Total Recall' movie, story is good and differs from the movie).

That said, I don't regret a single over the budget experience I've had.

I wonder how they measure happiness in those trials. Is there some kind of 'Happy Unit' metric to measure happiness?

They probably used the distance-from-lip-edge-to-ear metric.

Money doesn't make me happy, but I'll tell you what makes me unhappy: working on salary for some fucking asshole.

Therefore, money makes me not unhappy. Which is good enough for me.

Or, rather, having a source of money aside from working on salary for said asshole makes you not unhappy.

This post is only a comment. Read the original source instead:

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/08/23/...

Things can make you happy if they hold sentimental value. That Timex or Rolex could hold significantly higher value if it was a gift from someone you hold dear. Of course you could argue that it's the same thing since it has a memory bonded with it.

The Boston Globe article is only a comment. Read the original source instead:

http://www.psych.ubc.ca/~edunn/publications/dunn_aknin_norto...

I can understand the saying "money can't buy happiness", but when you're broke and behind on bills, that lack of money sure does create unhappiness.

I've talked to a very well off person about this, and they said that not having to think paycheck to paycheck certainly does alleviate a lot of stress that most Americans deal with.

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