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Most of us know deep down that money doesn't buy happiness, but we don't want to believe it. Yet we need only look to see the many unhappy people living at the higher socioeconomic levels. Many wealthy people don't appear to be any happier than people of modest means. These wealthy people don't laugh more, don't jump for joy more, and aren't any more blown away by life.
In fact, rich people rarely experience the happiness and prosperity that are supposed to come with wealth. They may be wealthy by all rational measures, but their state of happiness indicates quite the opposite. A 1995 study by University of Illinois showed that one third of the richest people in the United States are not actually as happy as the average-income person in this country.
It shouldn't be surprising that some of the most miserable and unhappy individuals we meet are wealthy people. Some people become more miserable and unhappy as they become wealthier because of their high expectations for what money can do for them. Originally, these people think that acquiring a great deal of money will make them happy. It doesn't - and then they have no excuse for being unhappy, so they become even more miserable and unhappy.
Should you have the misfortune of being unhappy, and should you be looking to money to change your life, it's time for a reality check. Once and for all time, you are unhappy because you don't have your emotional act together. Don't feel bad about it - just do something to rectify the situation. We all fall into that trap at one time or another. Unless we address our shortcomings in this area, we are destined to be unhappy, even if we end up in the highest socioeconomic group in our country.
Clearly, a lack of money for basic necessities will leave us unhappy and dissatisfied about our position in life. This doesn't mean that having a lot of money will leave us truly happy and satisfied, however. Money may get us to a neutral state, somewhere between unhappy and happy, somewhere between dissatisfied and satisfied. Generally speaking, however, more money coming into our lives won't get us beyond that neutral State. After we reach the neutral state, happiness depends on things that money can't buy.
Money can be a vehicle for enjoying life to its fullest, provided you take the time and effort to get a good grasp on what money can and can't do for you. Riches will enhance your life if you have a healthy attitude toward money and detract from it if you don't. Put another way, understanding what money can do for you can help you get what you want from life. In the same vein, knowing what money can't do for you can save you a lot of disappointment, dissatisfaction, disillusionment, ulcers, and nervous twitching.
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