As we get older, many things change. We start getting interested in things that, as a kid, we thought were boring. Getting older also means having to prepare to be responsible and knowing how to handle things properly. A big thing that you have to know how to handle when you are older is money.

Money plays a big part in human daily life, since almost everything requires the exchange of money for something else. The big question is: Does having huge amounts of money mean having true happiness?

This article will talk about Osbourn High School students’ opinions about whether money buys happiness.

There has always been a worldwide debate about whether money truly buys human happiness. Many people argue that financial stability can be the closest thing to happiness that one can have; others argue that money doesn’t necessarily mean everything in life. They argue that family and loved ones have way more value than any other type of material thing.

“Yes, money can buy happiness because people can buy anything they want with the money they have, like imagine this person really wants something and they save up till they have enough money and they buy it, you’ll see how happy they are with the thing they bought with the money they saved up. Also, if someone wants to buy a McChicken from McDonald’s or they are really hungry, they would buy it, and after eating, they will feel happy,” sophomore Keyly Acevedo stated.

Keyly makes a really good point, saying how money can be helpful not only for happiness, but also for a basic human need: food. Meeting those basic needs can make us release dopamine, a hormone that acts as the brain’s chemical messenger, which tells us when we feel good.

But money isn’t always a good thing. Yes, it can buy some necessities, but it has a huge psychological impact due to frequently increasing stress levels, and many times also alters human behavior.

What I mean by “altering human behavior” is that money can many times change how people act towards others and also the way they see the world as a whole. But many people don’t believe this. They argue that money doesn’t change how a person is; it just reveals how a person truly is.

“I think wealth just changes who a person is. Like if a person got really wealthy, they would probably just drop the friends they had or just turn into a different person, like meaner and ruder and not the person they once were. But once they don’t have enough money anymore, they would probably just go back to their old friends asking for help, but some people just stay the same, I guess,” said Keyly.

Money also plays a big role in life as a whole. Many people’s life’s purpose is to get rich or just be financially stable in general. But the question is, what happens when you already have money? Does it make it harder to find a new purpose?

“It is easier as you are able to meet people with similar wealth interests and hobbies, being able to collaborate together in further control over people, further opening any opportunity you desire,” said 11th grader Anderson Rodriguez. 

Many people think that money does buy happiness. But we’ve seen many examples of millionaires who have stated that they suffer from depression and anxiety, like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and J.K. Rowling. So, at what point does money stop “buying” happiness?

“I would say money stops buying happiness when you know you have enough of it. If you believe money buys everything, and you live from it, you will eventually get tired of it if you don’t have real happiness through other methods, such as someone you love. Because if you grow up and no one likes you, even if you have money for ‘happiness,’ you would feel deep down that you are not happy,” said junior Daniel Serrano. 

But money isn’t always something bad; most times, it gets us in a good mood when we have enough of it. Buying things that a person likes can definitely make someone happy very quickly.

“Things that I buy that make me happy would be clothes in general because I like having different options so I don’t repeat outfits that much, and also snacks since I get hungry out of nowhere and I just don’t want to eat real food,” Daniel said. 

Whether money buys happiness or not, it all depends on your personal opinion. Do you think money buys happiness?