Happiness Is the Ability to Give and Help, Not to Buy and Own

So many people struggle to achieve material success that we all tend to believe that there is a direct link between wealth and happiness.

The media, together with our governments, are struggling to convince us of this because they need us to continue to earn and spend to maintain economic growth.

From school itself, and even earlier, we are told that long-term prosperity can only be achieved through successful career growth or, say, becoming the owner of a thriving business, accumulating more and more money, achievements, and measurable success.

The truth is, once our basic needs are met, wealth has very little effect on our sense of well-being. Thus, for example, research results show that, in most cases, people who win the lottery do not become much happier than before.

Even very rich people - the same millionaires and billionaires - cannot be happier than the lowest-ranking official who works for them.

Also, according to studies, for example, Americans and Britons today are much happier than they were fifty years ago, although their material well-being has grown considerably since then.

Yes, internationally there is some correlation between wealth and prosperity, but it is largely because, unfortunately, there are many countries on our planet where most of the population cannot meet their most basic needs.

But this correlation is not at all direct, because richer countries are, at the same time, much more politically stable, with a calmer and more democratic environment, with a high level of respect for human rights and personal freedom. - and all these are very important factors that determine the feeling of well-being.

Then why do we make such an effort to accumulate money and material wealth? This desire can be compared to the strange behavior of a man who keeps knocking on someone's door, even though his neighbors have repeatedly told him that this man is not at home now.

"But how, he must be here!" He shouted and went into the house to look for him from the porch to the attic. He runs away from the house, runs around it, and, after a few minutes, returns to the door to knock again. Attempts to achieve prosperity by obtaining only material wealth are just as irrational.

To get something, you have to share it.

If there is a kind of dependence in this area of ​​our lives, then there is between our sense of well-being and the immaterial attitude towards the world.

Yes, possessing material wealth does not lead to happiness… but if you give it to someone, this action can make you happier. No wonder generosity (in any form) is directly associated with a sense of well-being.

Thus, the results of surveys of people who regularly engage in volunteering show that they are in much better physical and mental health and also live longer.

The benefits of volunteering are greater than in the practice of many sports, attending church services, or performing rituals of other religions, and even greater than in the case of smoking cessation.

Another study showed that when someone earns or receives a large sum of money, they can significantly increase their well-being if they spend it not only for themselves but for others or, say, to donate to charity.

A feeling of well-being is more than a feeling that everything is fine with you. It comes from a strong and deep sense of connection with other people and an empathic transcendence of the space that separates us.

A study by Dunn, Gilbert, and Wilson also showed that money is much more likely to make us happier if we spend it not on material wealth but new experiences.

And another study by John Chancellor and Sonya Lubomirsky suggests that a conscious life in the style of "strategic underconsumption" (in which we do not spend all the money we earn just because we can) can increase our sense of well-being.

So, if you want to make your life happier and more prosperous - and if your basic material needs are already met - don't save money in a bank account for the sake of the process itself and don't buy what you don't need.

Be more generous and altruistic, donate more money to those who need it, volunteer, help others more, and be kind to everyone around you.

We should all think carefully about the words of the American Indian, Ohiesa, speaking on behalf of the whole Sioux people:

"I have long believed that the love of material goods is a weakness that must be overcome. It appeals to our materialistic side and, over time, disturbs the spiritual balance. Therefore, children should recognize the beauty of generosity as early as possible. They are taught to share what they value most so that they can taste the happiness of giving. "