The Truth About Wealth and Happiness

[Scepcop]

Check out these great points about true wealth and happiness.

http://postmasculine.com/minimalism

Happiness studies consistently bring back a couple of findings: 1) that we derive far more happiness from experiences than we do from possessions, and 2) that we’re better off investing our energy in our relationships than the things we own.

Getting rid of unnecessary possessions can therefore indirectly improve our quality of life through the following ways:

1. Frees up more time and money to spend on experiences and with people.
2. Forces one to invest more of their identity in their behavior and attitude and less in objects around them.
3. Removes the stress of loss aversion and trying to hold on to what one already has.
4. Saves money (always a stress reducer).

http://postmasculine.com/wealth

Psychological studies on happiness in the past couple decades has supported this. Research shows that money correlates with happiness up until a middle-class income and after that, there’s no correlation between money and happiness. Happiness flatlines.

Money buys happiness only when it is spent on experiences and earned without costing too much time. This is why I find it less useful to define wealth in terms of money, and define it instead in terms of the quality of life experiences.

Wealth is having the freedom to maximize one’s life experiences.

Money is a requisite for wealth, but so is time and so is efficient use of that time and money. Money gives one opportunities for more experiences. But one must also have the time to pursue those experiences. Having the money to travel to Australia isn’t worth anything if you can’t ever take time off work to go there.

Your fundamental needs take precedence: health, food, shelter. If these three needs are not met, then nothing else is going to make you happy and not having them is going to make you miserable. But assuming you have those needs met, then research indicates that the experiences which create the most happiness are:

1. New and unique activities.
2. Shared experiences with others and building relationships.
3. Passion activities.

[NinjaPuppy]

Which brings up the old saying:

"If you have the time, you don't have the money
and if you have the money, you don't have the time".

[Scepcop]

Exactly. Life is full of ironies and oxymorons like that. lol

[issem]

Winnie buddy, experientialism is no different at all from materialism.

This world is an elaborate illusion. Only our minds synchronize an inner reality we habitually refer to which makes it appear and feel real to us. The intellect is inherently limited as it is completely relative and unable to decipher any kind of context. Going beyond the mind is how we can see the world for how it really is, and see that humanity is caught up in unending distraction. Do we really wish to waste our time here on earth in future life-times? If not, then we must overcome experientialism which is a form of self-possession.