"Money Can't Buy Happiness" has never been a favorite saying of mine. Probably because I've never had enough money to test this theory out. In fact, I'll admit that when I hear well-to-do folks say this, I kind of want to throw something at them.
The truth is, social class and access to resources is complex and not easily distilled down to a supposedly enlightened saying. To understand this relationship between money and happiness let's start at the top, which is really the bottom. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in psychology, proposed by Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation. This theory proposes that there is a hierarchy to human needs such that, we cannot actualize higher functioning if our lower, most basic needs are not met.
The first, most basic needs include:
Physiological: breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion
When these needs are met, we seek
Safety: security of body, employment, resources, morality, the family, health, property
With these needs met, we seek
Love/Belonging:friendship, family, sexual intimacy
when these needs are met, we seek
Esteem: self-esteem, confidence, achievement,respect of others, respect by others.
When these needs are met, we seek
Self-Actualization: morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice acceptance of facts
One does not literally need to fully actualize one level before moving on to the next. for example, during times when I've been financially impoverished I continued to explore my creativity through writing poetry. But, the overall idea is that humans can't fully work on higher order needs--the very higher order needs that create happiness--if our basic needs for survival are not to some extent met. That's what I mean by money can buy happiness.
The most blaring example to me is the homeless men and women that I pass on the street. Lacking security of body, of belonging, and of food, water, and sleep, these people are unable to dream about what will make them happy or to strive to achieve this. This to me is tragic.
I believe it is our birthright to be happy. And our society should provide the circumstances that allow us to claim that birthright.
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I believe there's quite a bit of research out there that supports what you say. I would still take issue with "money can buy happiness" and restate it as "money can provide the foundation for creating happiness" where money gives us access to decent food, shelter, education and healthcare. If you come into money, you can feel happy for awhile, but we humans tend to become disenchanted with the status quo after awhile. But overall, I hear you. I think the political questions comes in when you start asking who should be responsible for providing those "basics". That's where it gets really thorny.
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