Money Can't Buy Happiness - Or Can It?

I read an interesting story in Wired today. The name of the article was "Why Money Can't Buy Happiness" by Jonah Lehrer.

The general theme of this piece is explaining why America - the richest nation of this century - is growing more and more unhappy...the richer we get.

This is exactly opposite of what most people believe. There is a general idea among the masses that they will be happy "when...".
A very frequent version of that sentence is, “When I have money…"

Yet, this article reports scientists have proven when an average individual actually starts manifesting more money and amassing greater wealth, they start indulging in the "finer things" in life. This, in turn, causes them to lose their ability to appreciate life's small (daily) treasures.

Where do you fall in this discussion? Do you believe money can create happiness? Or do you believe money is actually the root of all evil, causing one to become bored with - and miss - the "little things" that used to make you happy?

Despite what these scientists have "proven", I have to say that neither of these answers is absolutely correct. Money in and of itself will not make you happy. Being able to buy everything you want, stay at the finest places, live in the grandest house... Yes, all those things will cause momentary "highs" but after a while, they just become "things".

On the other hand, money is not evil either. It cannot - all by itself - turn a person "bad". This literally depends on your relationship with money and what you do with it once you have it. If you use money to enrich your life - and enrich the lives of others - it can bring you great joy. If you respect money, and only spend your money on things that bring you joy because they touch your heart and spirit, money can enrich your life. It's all about perspective.

One thing is certain, however, no matter what... You will never have money if you don't have a healthy respect for both its power for good and it's power for destruction. Once you balance that relationship, you will find money flows to you freely and easily.

Therefore, if "more money" is something you want in your life, don't be alarmed by this study. Simply take a few moments and figure out why you want more money and what you will do with it once you have it. Then, once you know you won't take it for granted - or abuse it - when it comes to you, you will find you have access to more money – more riches – than you ever imagined.