Financially comfortable woman confirms that 'money does buy happiness,' sparking debate

It's pretty rich to say that "money doesn't buy happiness" and, often, it's the rich who say that. In reality, money is a huge factor in enabling people to find happiness. One woman who was told the phrase all her life found out that it simply wasn't true and took to Twitter to share her thoughts on the matter. The woman said that she was financially comfortable now and revealed that money does play a huge role in being happy. "Now, that I actually have a comfortable amount of money, I can say that it does indeed buy happiness," she wrote.

She then listed a few ways in which money has made her happy. "The guilt-free occasional food delivery, being able to afford going out (with) friends, buying something that makes life easier, health appointments! Hiring a service," she said, before finally adding, "Y’ALL THEY LIED." The tweet sparked discussion on the topic, with some arguing that money in itself doesn't "buy happiness" while others argued that being financially stable allows you to not worry about a lot of basic things including making rent, paying energy bills and paying gas.

When some people shared their own experiences about how having money improved their mental health and asked her about it, she replied, "And for the people saying mental health. That’s dramatically improved with food on the table, housing security, $ to pay for therapy and the financial support to leave a situation you don’t want to be in." Her last point was one of the most important ones, especially for those people in abusive relationships and marriages. Financially independent people are in a much better position to leave bad situations. She finally concluded, "If you can not relate to this now, you will soon! You deserve more than this system can provide in abundance."

One person wrote, "I'm thrilled for you! I suspect only people who never had to deal with food insecurity, lights being turned off and no money for necessities say 'money can't buy happiness.' Enough money to afford to live without stressing over basics is life-changing." Another person explained why only those who have money say the phrase. "If money doesn't make you happy, then it's likely you ALWAYS had access to a fair supply of it growing up. Because money would solve every single one of my problems, as someone who grew up poor," wrote one person. Another person wrote from personal experience that they suspected money would make them happier. "I used to believe that. When I was raising two children on a small income. Eventually, made more, and guess what? I WAS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. Once the worry caused by struggling to make ends meet was gone I could focus on living life with my amazing kids," they wrote.

A study also backs up their claims. Researchers found that earning more than $75,000 a year does make you happier, reported Vice News. More than a decade ago, a study found that money increased happiness but tended to plateau around $75,000. A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that people found happiness through money even as they earned beyond the "threshold" of $75,000. “There was … no evidence of an income threshold at which experienced and evaluative well-being diverged, suggesting that higher incomes are associated with both feeling better day-to-day and being more satisfied with life overall,” noted the study. The research also found that those who conflated money with success tended to be miserable.