Can too much money make you unhappy?

1. 55

   Joan Kingposted 12 years ago

   Can too much money make you unhappy?
   
   You hear some awful stories about people who win the lottery or who have lots of money but nothing seems to go right for them.While this may not apply to everyone with money,do you think if you had a lot of money it would make you unhappy?
   
   

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2. 60

   jdeliasposted 12 years ago

   This question roots to the idea of what is happiness? Is happiness having tangible, materialistic items, or is it a spiritual venture that transcends what we know as life? My humble opinion is that you can have all the riches in the world, but they will be but lost memories when you are dead. The only way to happiness is through Christ and by living for Him.

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      sayus2884posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      jdelias, it is true that when we die we can't bring all the things we own but I think it's much more sadder if we do not own anything that's making us happy when we're still breathing. Thus the saying goes, "It's not a fault for being born poor but i

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3. 59

   kgarcia1113posted 12 years ago

   I think the main issue with people's happiness and coming into a lot of money at once is that they don't know how to handle it. When people are use to balancing check books, paying off cards and going without some things just to pay all the bills they get overwhelmed with in quick influx of money. Many people who slowly earn their fortunes tend to be happier at least on the outside it appears that way.
   
   Having a lot of money would make me a happier person at least happy with my finances. My family has a lot of money related stress at times and reducing that stress would be nice. The big thing is to see how they got their money. The faster the money comes in the more likely people are to be irresponsible with it.

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4. 91

   cperuzziposted 12 years ago

   People who say that too much money will make you unhappy either don't know where to shop or have no discipline with their own finances.
   
   Seriously, we all need money nowadays to survive... just as we need food or air. 
   
   Secondly, define what "too much money" is.  A million dollars?  You need that for a retirement.  A billion dollars?  You'll never have to work another day in your life and you will get the opportunity that very few people get - to find your bliss and personal fulfillment.
   
   Can too much money make you unhappy?  Sure, if you spend it on self destructive things like illegal drugs, alcohol, or gambling - or if you build a lifestyle where you can't live without it.  However, the first three things would be detrimental to anyone regardless of wealth.
   
   Please bear in mind that most people who say that too much money will make you unhappy have either never had it (and are talking from an orifice that should never speak) or have had it and spent their money foolishly in a self destructive manner. 
   
   Most people upon gathering a fortune would put it in a place where they can draw from it responsibly and never have to worry about the hustle and bustle of life's drama again.

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      Poisonfaxposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I do not see any evidence supporting your claim.

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   2. 83

      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      THANK YOU, there is NO SUCH thing as too much money! The MORE, the BETTER.  With expenses the way it is today, one needs ALL the money possible!

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   3. 0

      Kevin Goodwinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I understand your comment and I agree with you on this topic.

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5. 57

   sayus2884posted 12 years ago

   if you hate money, then you'll be unhappy with it, obviously. But those people who won the lottery were just in a shock because they never had experienced holding 1M or so. There's just one major problem to it - they're having trouble on how to spend it and since they don't know how to spend the money, they usually end up buying expensive stuff without thinking and the lottery money goes poof. The result is unhappiness and regret.There was an article once that a teenage girl had won a lottery but what's left was $10 from her lottery money, in just a short amount of time. She was just spending way too much without thinking about her future plans and ended up regretting winning the lottery. That should not be the case though, it would be one's fault for being extravagant. But if you ask me, I would be happy to have lots of money in my pocket because I have so many plans for it.

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6. 60

   rtaflooringposted 12 years ago

   It depend on how I invest them and how my family give value to money, if everything goes right then chance of unhappiness is less..

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7. 60

   wingedcentaurposted 12 years ago

   My understanding is that there is some research out there that suggests that after one reaches a certain threshold in terms of income (and wealth) and material possessions, the happiness one can derive from those things plateaus. Your happiness does not increase with increased revenue and wealth after that.
   
   At this point, one accumulates out of a fear of being overtaken by the 'Joneses', as it were (you know 'keeping up with the Jonses'?). There are complicated reasons for this, but it is not only greed, at this point, driving the relentless accumulation but fear as well. You don't want to be the 'loser' to oversimply -- in relative terms, that is.
   
   As for the lottery, my understanding is that no one ever gets it all at one time. It is distributed to them in installments. In the meantime they run up credit all around the town, and people are happy to extend it to the lottery winners, knowing that they are 'good for it,' and so forth. They get in over their heads with credit.
   
   As to your last question.... I may be strange, but I think having a fortune would make me a little sad. It would compromise my feeling of righteous indignation toward the top one percent!
   
   Take it easy.

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8. 64

   Ramsa1posted 12 years ago

   A lot of money would make me very happy indeed. I know exactly what I would do if I won millions in the lottery. I am older, and perhaps wiser, so I would not do the dumb things most lottery winners do.
   
   And btw, there is no such thing as too much money. Don't believe me? Just ask Bill Gates or Warren Buffett.

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      gmwilliamsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      EXCELLENT response INDEED!

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9. 68

   recappers delightposted 12 years ago

   I think lack of wisdom in dealing with a windfall can make you very unhappy.  Money can create great freedom, but freedom requires good choices.  If you invest the money wisely, if you use it on good projects that help you realize your dreams or bond with your loved ones, then the money will be a great blessing to you.  If you spend it foolishly, it can create great problems.
   
   If I came into a windfall, I would use it to pay off my current house and send my children to college.  Then I would invest a lot of it in blue chip stocks for a steady income and enjoy just writing all the time.  I think that would make me very happy.
   
   Many of the horror stories I have heard about rich people who were unhappy comes from terrible decisions.

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   1. 0

      Kevin Goodwinposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Very well put and I totally agree with you on this subject.

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10. 78

    Catherine Kaneposted 12 years ago

    I'd say no.
    
    Studies find that having less than a certain amount of money can cause unhappiness, because it puts people in survival mode, but once you get above enough money to meet your basic needs, happiness is an inside job.
    
    At that point, we're happy or no, not because of the amount of money we have, but because of our beliefs and whether we choose to be happy. That's why two people can have the identical experence, and one is content while the other is traumatized.
    
    We're all about as happy as we allow ourselves to be....

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11. 61

    HarperDavisposted 12 years ago

    I've found when I'm doing well financially it just takes care of the specific problem of having no money. My other problems are still there.
    
    As far as having to much? Hmmm...I can see how it creates problems, but I've never had that much to know what that feels like.

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12. 79

    JessicaSmetzposted 12 years ago

    I think too much money can make a person disorganized and they dont know what to do with it. I always know what i want to buy when i dont have money but when i have money i cant find anything i want LOL

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13. 83

    gmwilliamsposted 9 years ago

    
    
    What?  Again, WHAT?  Now that I have contained myself, "does too much money make people unhappy".  No, just THE OPPOSITE occurs.  I would like to interject that there is no such thing as too much money. Having wealth means financial security, a civilized, cultivated, cultured life beyond mere primitive survival, more life choices, and options.
    
    Having immense & enormous wealth means being able to help others by building schools & centers that will help indigent & other disadvantaged people to live a better life. It also means helping more indigent family members, giving them opportunities that they would not have otherwise. It means having the monies to hire a private nurse/caretaker or several to care for an elderly, incapacitated parent instead of putting them in a nursing home.
    
    Having immense & enormous wealth means security.  One is assured that he/she will have a roof over one's head w/all the rudiments being paid.  One also never has to worry about bills again.  One does not have to worry about doing without something in order to pay a bill.
    
    Having "too much" money do not make people unhappy, it having TOO LITTLE money that makes people unhappy.  Having too little money means constant worrying, cutting back, even doing without the rudiments.  It makes life a harrowing, uphill hell, constantly wondering if one is going to sink into the socioeconomic abyss of utter penury.

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14. 59

    Jan Lovaposted 9 years ago

    I think having too much money will make me happy for a while until I get used to it. What will definitely make me unhappy is that I might probably get lots of friends and I won't know who is genuine and who is after my money)

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15. 0

    marcuscaineposted 7 years ago

    I would say that it depends. If you know how to manage your money and you don't flaunt your riches to everyone you meet then you should be Ok.
    
    I think the reason that people who have lots of money are unhappy is because they believe that money itself will get them happiness automatically.
    
    Studies have shown that once expense are met, more money does not do anything to make one happier.
    
    To answer the question, I don't think I will be unhappy with loads of cash because I know where to turn to for advice on how to manage it and I have a small but growing group of friends as well( I might not tell them I was rich right away because I want to know their character. I don't want to be close with anyone sleazy because I don't want to be taken advantage of or have them constantly ask for money)

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