“Money can’t buy you happiness,” is a saying that many people have probably heard since they could remember. Parents often told their children this so they would remember that happiness comes from within and not from how many things they could buy. Happiness does start with a person’s state of mind, but money can give a person a boost to happiness.
A 2022 Forbes.com study showed that 79% of Americans believed they would be happier if they had more money. The study also showed that 69% of Americans say that their desire for cash influences their daily decisions.
“In simplest terms, this suggests that for most people larger incomes are associated with greater happiness,” Mathew Killingsworth, a senior fellow at Penn’s Wharton School and lead paper author, said. Killingsworth has found that happiness rises to even higher levels for the rich.
Many people expect that if you’re rich you’re unhappy. People believe that millionaires have to work extremely long hours, work in the toughest positions, and have no fun making money, but that isn’t the case for many wealthy people, such as Gene Simmons.
Gene Simmons, better known for his stage persona “the Demon,” was the frontman for the 70s band KISS enjoyed his time singing in the heavy rock band and was able to get a net worth of $400 million by doing so. In an ABC News interview, Gene Simmons explains how he believes money can lead to a more satisfying life. He also argues in his book “On Power” that money and power can make people and those around them happier and healthier. Gene Simmons grew up “dirt poor” as he described it, living off rations of bread and milk in Tirat Carmel, so he knew what it was like to go from having no money to having more than he needed.
Money isn’t the solution to everyone’s problems, but it makes it easier to get through life knowing you have a stable income and can experience things that many people less fortunate can’t.
