buying happiness

I think we've all tried to buy ourselves some happiness before. Perhaps not in a flamboyant way, I've never put my credit card behind the bar like some of the hot shot executives I've worked for in the past, but I probably do pay more visits to dessert shops, off licenses and the Amazon checkout page more often than does me good. I think everyone is guilty of a "treat yourself, you deserve this" moment, or "buying this thing will make my life better, I'll be so much happier," even when it's never worked out that way before. The cobblestoned path of life is a slippery one, so whether it's some box wine from the corner shop on pay day weekend, or a new Bentley every three years because you've tired of the trim already, regardless of our income, or rather our place within a status system that puts money over the way we treat others, we are all guilty of a splurge. It's so easily done. That's why it's so important that minimalists don't beat ourselves up for slipping here and there.

Innately, we all know that no amount of shit scavenged from the shelves of the homeware department in Next, or uncurbed quantities of takeout food ordered from JustEat will actually summate into true happiness; but as a working-class and financially stable young adult, I do need to take a moment to acknowledge that privilege. Whilst the saying "Money doesn't buy happiness" is a nice thought, flowery and Instagrammable, it's not completely true. You may not be able to walk into a department store and exchange some units of currency for a big jar of happiness, but you can buy medication to keep you well and free from aches and pains, clothing to keep you warm and fresh vegetables, grains, nuts, fruits and meats, or meat replacements, to keep you energised. Money buys newspapers, magazines, books, CDs and DVDs to keep you entertained and informed, subscriptions to the gym, the swimming baths and Zumba to keep you strong and lovely picture frames in which to savour memories with your loved ones. Money buys your drinks at the bar with friends, or your ice-cold tinnies in a blue poly bag, or a Spotify subscription which you can use to dance to Bananarama whilst you cook dinner every night. Money even buys therapy, both physical and psychological, for when eating right and exercising just isn't cutting it.

Then there's the simple things that full-time employees often forget, such as the ability to take paid time away from work, either for holidays or in sickness. I certainly forget that's a luxury not everyone has. Nor is the safety in the knowledge that you'll receive a fixed number of hours from one week to the next. Salaried workers needn't worry about such things. If my boss tells me to leave early, it's followed with a "yippee" and often a jaunt to the pub! But for workers that are paid by the hour, should their weekly hours dwindle, they may find themselves struggling to put food on the table. Zero-hour contracts are dangerous and exploitive and should be illegal - but aren't. Until they are made illegal, the people who are working such contracts will either continue to be amazed that they somehow have enough money to do them... or continue to visit the food banks of a nation that has failed them. 

My point really is that it is bullshit - money does buy happiness! Sure, it is not the catch-all solution for your problems like many seem to think it is, but having enough money goes hand-in-hand with happiness whether we like it or not. In a study conducted in 2010, it was found that "Emotional well-being [also] rises with log income, but there is no further progress beyond an annual income of ~$75,000 [£54,000]," after which people who earn more are not any happier as a result. Paradoxically, this will no doubt be down to the pressure that these high-paying jobs demand from their workers, begging the question - is it really worth it? Can any amount of money buy back a seconds worth of time poorly spent? Of course not.

So I'd argue that the saying, the narrative even, should be changed. Rather than 'Money doesn't buy happiness,' we should say:

Money can buy a healthy lifestyle, ephemeral satisfaction, but can never replace true and lasting contentment. Those with plenty of money will always want more, and those without will always long for enough to get by, but those whom are comfortable and content with what they already have will rarely be seen wanting for more. It's as much about money as it is about your approach to life and how much of it you wish to spend being defined by the number of zeroes on your pay cheque.

~ Aedan.