“Money can’t buy happiness but it can make you temporarily happy.”
“Money gives peace of mind.”
“Respect, love and appreciation can’t be bought.”
It’s the age-old question – can money actually buy your state of mind? UAE residents have some interesting things to say…
The working parents of two children shared their opinion, with the wife, Sonia, claiming, “Money can’t buy happiness but it can make you temporarily happy. Even if I had $3 million sitting in my account, it wouldn’t make me sleep at night.”
However, her husband, Nader, holds an opposing view: “Money can buy happiness in a number of ways – driving your own car instead of walking to work, a nice dinner or holidays. Money gives peace of mind especially when it comes to unpredictable events, and this brings a sense of comfort.”
Souqalmal.com’s own CEO, Ambareen Musa, thinks along similar lines. “As your responsibilities increase, money can give you the security and protection you need to be happy; for example, giving your child the best education possible.”
People are apparently happiest in either their twenties or their sixties, according to a study carried out by Hanne Schwandt – so we asked Yara, a 20-year-old, living in the Dubai, her thoughts.
“I am happy right now but I don’t think money makes me happy. My happiness depends on the people around me. If you have the right people to help you resolve a problem then that’s way more rewarding than a large bank account. Respect, love and appreciation can’t be bought.”
Qasim, a programmer in his thirties who recently moved to the UAE, adds, “It won’t make your life happier but it will help for sure, because having money means you have fewer things to worry about.”
Mohammad Khan, a newly-wed advertising professional, says, “It can help, but money can’t ever be the whole answer. There are other pieces to the puzzle. How much happiness money can buy entirely depends on what’s important to you in life.”
Marketing manager Sarah, who is 26 and single, gives us her two cents. “Money can get us all the things that we may need or want; however it’s human nature to want more. We are never truly satisfied with what we have. Money can buy us everything but we will never be happy for long.”
Lastly, Rana, a 24-year-old social media expert, adds that money “buys ego and a false sense of fulfillment, particularly living in Dubai. We don’t really need all that luxury and comfort but society makes you feel that, without them, your quality of life is somehow lacking. Happiness is a much more complex state of mind – and it’s in your mind.”
So where do you stand on this debate?