How money can buy you happiness | Sandra Matz | TEDxUHasselt

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Published 2017-05-11
Benjamin Franklin once said: “Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants” and so, throughout time the saying that “money can’t buy happiness” took hold as conventional wisdom. Now thoroughly confirmed by science, it is established that a higher income, higher gross domestic product, and higher spending are not necessarily related to greater feeling of happiness in life. However, according to psychologist Sandra Matz, these statements are not completely true.

Benjamin Franklin once said: “Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants” and so, throughout time the saying that “money can’t buy happiness” took hold as conventional wisdom. Now thoroughly confirmed by science, it is established that a higher income, higher gross domestic product, and higher spending are not necessarily related to greater feeling of happiness in life. However, according to psychologist Sandra Matz from the University of Cambridge, these statements are not completely true. At TEDxUHasselt 2017, in her talk entitled “How money can buy you happiness”, Matz will argue that if money is well spent it can be a contributing factor to our general happiness. She will explain that if one stops worrying about making more and more money, but rather focuses on spending it in a meaningful way that meets psychological needs, preferences, and true motivations.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx
All Comments (21)
  • @chrisbaker2669
    Spend money to avoid ads and to listen to music increases happiness.
  • @kalidassj714
    that was really an amazing video really luved it and highly productive👏👏
  • @justinaez4029
    156th like. Very well played. Super clip. Very happy new year 2022. Musically yours. Greetings from Paris.
  • @drsyedabukhari3769
    i think her opinion is true tilld ate finanacial problems cause of major divorce in uk usa pk same
  • @afielsch
    14:06 ...So why u unhappy now with no or little money? Because you cannot pay ur bills, send ur kids on vacation, afford grandmas operation, .... if u have money all this is no longer an issue. I.e. less unhappy therefor more happy (total).
  • @Alexander-rj8rr
    The real question is: how far can depression decrease along with getting poorer and poorer...That would be interesting, to do a survey on suicides in correlation to the wealth of the peoples. Surveys on how to spend money in order to get happy are in a way useless, because you first need peoples with money, in order the draw a comparison...that completely ignores the fact that having no money at alle makes you sad an depressed in relation to richer peoples, to see in rich civillised countries. Where there is no relative pooreness, the peoples are more able to feel happy, like in Bhutan...
  • @BOEHHO89
    My Mother's younger sister was in real estate and said that she's been poor and she is rich and she'll take rich any day .
  • @diegochavez8752
    It's not really about money but social comparison. Y. Harari said poor people might feel worse than wealthier because they compare and see things they can not have unlike richer ones, not because the income they would have. Third world countries today live better than first world countries 100 years ago and probably poor countries would live better in 100 years from now than 1st world countries in the present day, yet they would still feel bad, because they see what's up in richer countries.
  • @Daisy-xh1tt
    I've seen so many poor people that are living the best out of their life,but some rich people are sad but why?why I'm? Rich right,I'm going to use cheslie kryst as an example,she had everything a human could possibly wish for,money, she was considered super pretty, a family,rich,famous etc,but she commit suicide she had all this money she spent it on cute clothes ,always donated,gave to rhe poor,and spend as YOU would consider "the right way",but there was one thing she couldn't spend her money on,and it was happienes,happiness, was battling with depression and she always spend her money on everything a person could wish for ,but money couldn't cover that big hole that was in heart
  • @sleepsmartsmashstress740
    No Axiom quote aphorism is always correct due to exceptions and the context shifts - except this one of course because my conclusion includes room for the exceptions. So never say never but dont stick to always, always either. Exceptions are part of reality.
  • @mfaiqnaeem
    Dead audience. No response to her genuine attempts on humor.
  • @sleepsmartsmashstress740
    Statement that money can buy happiness is firstly self serving and teleologic given that money must be converted into good or service for consumption. Eating the quarters or dimes if hungry does not serve the purpose well. If the subject is morbidly severely depressed and suicidal no amount of billions would ever buy him or secure him any happiness not even drugs. In essence wealth or consumption can only amplify the pre-existing baseline mediocre level of happiness and that happens to a threshold of some $240,000 a year beyond which due to the application of reduced returns rules additional wealth fails to amplify the level of elation or placidity and if things go to extremes of multi-millions or billions sorrow reappears. The superwealthy are superstressed and pretty sad and unhappy and often commit suicide. Things need to be taken with only a grain of salt, consumption of buckets of salt gives one hypertension.
  • @eshwarashawn4493
    Money can buy you sandra...... I love money 💰. Money is more attractive than a girl.