Austin Kocher, PhD 🌎The phrase 'money can't buy happiness' is actually super gaslighting because not having money to pay for basic things is a legitimate source of a tremendous amount of suffering and despair.
Remember Breonna Taylor@austinkocher yeah, most of the people who say money doesn't buy happiness already have money. There is a law of diminishing returns. Once you can pay your bills, go on vacations, donate to charity, and save for retirement, any money above that won't make you happier. Not enough people are at that point, though.
shom 🐧📷🤿🏔️🪚✊🏽@austinkocher money can't buy happiness but it can absolutely pay off misery!
Janis@austinkocher About 12 years ago they put the price of relative happiness at about $70K/yr. The problem is that people who have more than that, in today's dollars, still think more money will buy more, I dunno, something, I guess.
So yeah. Science studied that. They did in fact debunk it. You're spot on.
Ian LanghamYup. I had some discussions about this with a few toxicaly positive individuals
Loxley@austinkocher food for thought… Doesn’t cost money, considering real Life is free. Fortunately, it did cost somebody something, now we’re all paying the price. We are the only species on this planet that has to pay to live.
HipsterDM@austinkocher
You missed the point of that phrase.
What they mean is beyond a certain point excessive money doesn't make you happier.
You can't buy love, or accomplishment, or acceptance, or community, or understanding, or joy, or gratitude, or wisdom, or a million other things that actually nourish your soul.
But sure, use it really literally to make a point that we all know, that you need a certain amount of money to survive.
Makes you sound real wise.
You missed the point of that phrase.
What they mean is beyond a certain point excessive money doesn't make you happier.
You can't buy love, or accomplishment, or acceptance, or community, or understanding, or joy, or gratitude, or wisdom, or a million other things that actually nourish your soul.
But sure, use it really literally to make a point that we all know, that you need a certain amount of money to survive.
Makes you sound real wise.
Kagan MacTane (he/him)> What they mean is beyond a certain point excessive money doesn't make you happier.
Then they should say "beyond a certain point excessive money doesn't make you happier" instead. That would make the point they're actually trying to.
But saying "money can't buy happiness" — heck, not even "doesn't", but actually *can't?* That's a very different message. And one that should be fought vociferously, because it's both wrong and toxic.
Sam@kagan @HipsterDM @austinkocher
dude. it's an aphorism, not a statement of fact.
i'm sure it was only ever intended to gently chide the avaricious, and mollify the envious, at a time when the disparity in wealth between working and upper classes was particularly extreme.
dude. it's an aphorism, not a statement of fact.
i'm sure it was only ever intended to gently chide the avaricious, and mollify the envious, at a time when the disparity in wealth between working and upper classes was particularly extreme.
Annika Backstrom@austinkocher There's an app called "Kind Words" where you post and reply to short anonymous messages. Seeing someone explain their family's struggles to make ends meet while saying "money doesn't buy happiness" was heartbreaking
brett@austinkocher You could make this same argument in response to "money can't buy love" and be exactly as wrong.
Lack of suffering/despair is not the same as happiness.
Lack of suffering/despair is not the same as happiness.
Andrew Jon Thomson@austinkocher yeah, it can’t buy happiness, but it is necessary to prevent unhappiness so that’s pretty much the same thing
KaiHaving money doesn't necessarily make one happy. However, without money, one will definitely not be happy.
Dan Neuman 🇨🇦@austinkocher Arnold Schwarzenegger disagrees: "Money doesn't make you happy. I now have $50 million but I was just as happy when I had $48 million."
But of course, that was an ironic joke about needing money before it becomes true.
Alexander Knochel@austinkocher It can absofuckinglutely buy happiness, where happiness is induced by being free of economic anxiety and stress, having to work less hours, less dependence, security, nice holidays, a nice home in a good neighborhood.