Are rich and famous people really happy and content?

Rich ≠ famous. I think rich people are happier than poor people because money solves a lot of problems — far more than it causes. I think famous people are generally not any more happy than common folk because fame brings its own set of problems... however, which can be (largely) solved with money.

^ yes

I would far rather be rich than famous. Fame is a disease.

Fame is a curse

When you’re poor, you console yourself with the idea that, if only you had money you’d be happier.

When you’re rich, you KNOW nothing will make you happier.

At least poor people have the illusion and the corresponding hope.

Maslow's hierarchy kicks in.

However, I think it matters when and how you obtained that wealth.

It's different if you're Elon Musk vs. Kendall Jenner in terms of whether you're likely to be happy simply from wealth.

As for famous, needy people like Madonna are happier simply because fame is as important as oxygen. Whereas, other folks, like Michael Schoeffling walked away from fame at the height of their relative celebrity.

Poverty makes you miserable, but that doesn't mean money makes you happy.

On the money side of it the distinction for me is between security and insecurity. Once you're secure, money becomes unimportant. Beyond security, wealth can be pleasurable and enjoyable, but you're kidding yourself if you confuse it with happiness. A hunger for fame could be more easily solved with therapy, if it can be solved at all.

It's better to be rich and miserable than poor and miserable.

THREAD CLOSED

R9, you nailed it. Thank you!

R9 Except you didn’t answer the question of OP, at all….

[quote] I think famous people are generally not any more happy than common folk because fame brings its own set of problems... however, which can be (largely) solved with money.

Famous people usually wanted to be famous, e.g., actors, performers. The desire to be and stay famous is probably a negative (to happiness) right off the bat.

No, if they were they wouldn’t be so fixated on fucking over other people.

Why does JK Rowling need to go on a crusade against trans people? Why is Jeff Bezos such a notoriously cruel and stingy boss? Why is Putin committing mass murder in Ukraine?

R13 Maybe these people just fight for what they believe in…..?

Money is strange. When you don’t have much you’re obsessed with it. Then you make some and it does solve problems but then you make a bit more and you just get bored being able to buy the things you thought would make you happy.

Wealth is very helpful but not everything- duh. Nothing matters for instance without health. Lordy some posts really are lame.

As well, wealth often comes later in life when the urge to spend, like most urges, tends to die down.

I can’t speak to famous people. People who have always been rich can be just as unhappy as poor people, because they have no real frame of reference for how good they have it. People who become rich as adults, in my experience, tend to be very happy, but often mess up their children. Rich people on the whole are less stressed than poor people, for sure.

R15 But when you have lots of money, you must make sure to find the best investments, evade taxes etc. (Sport stars in Monaco, Bono etc.) The wealth distribution among among the upper classes is much more inequal than in the lower classes. So rich people still tend to compare themselves to their well-off friends and colleagues and compete with them.

Or does the fact, that we live in the developed world make us feel better, knowing that there are lots of starving children in Afrika? Not really because their poverty doesn’t affect the people we know….

Yes, we are.

Everything is relative. Once you achieve wealth and fame, that becomes your new baseline.

I may be perfectly happy making $25,000 a year being an anonymous clerk at Home Depot. Five years later I'm making twice that salary and everyone knows me because I manage the paint department but that in and of itself doesn't necessarily make me happier. It just changed the baseline by which I measure everything against. (Ex: I make more money but my spending and debt increased. I have a better job than before but there's more stress - and my boss has an even better job!)

It's the only way to live, even if you have to fuck and suck your way to it, and tell men with an IQ of 90 and an emotional age of 13 they're brilliant.

50 here, I’ll explain like this-

Recently Amex upgraded our status and suddenly we were able to partake of the Delta lounge- I knew it existed but never gave it much thought. Years ago, I’d scramble for the cheapest flight and never thought twice about luxury.

When I stepped foot in the lounge, half of me was excited, then it was quickly replaced by an anger that everyone there took it totally for granted and that I wasn’t smart enough, a conniving gold digger, or whorish enough to have gotten it sooner.

“The man that lives in a mud hut is completely happy until you tell him he lives in a mid hut”.

I don't know if money makes you happy, but I'm thoroughly willing to find out.

Yes - but then deep down I'm really quite shallow.

[quote] Everything is relative. Once you achieve wealth and fame, that becomes your new baseline.

yes, it's called habituation. It's a constant struggle to be grateful for something that you got / acquired 2 years ago.

Rich is ALWAYS better than poor. 80% of my issues would disappear if I had money.

R28, you’re absolutely correct.

Since so many of them turn to drink and drugs I'd say quite a few people who are rich and famous are not what you would call happy, contented people. It is indeed true that money doesn't solve everything.

Money solves the problems of not having any. And they are copious and quite serious.

For one, well off tend to live longer.

rich is better than famous. Fame warps everyone around you, makes people want to spend time with you and flatter you. soon, you get warped by the attention and flattery.

Rich people dont have to worry about basics--shelter, healthcare, dental, food, transportation. Then again, gary shandling said money just gives you more time to focus on your other problems.

R32 I would love the freedom to focus on my other problems.

That saying ‘wherever you go, there you are’ is 100% true. Money fixes problems up to a certain point. You can then use money as a distraction from your problems or you can take your ass to therapy and actually work on what’s wrong with you.

Also, personal opinion only, but the word and feeling ‘happy’ is stressful, at least for me. In my own mental health management I started using the word ‘content’ instead of ‘happy’ as the gauge. It’s a lot more achievable and organic for me because I look at ‘happy’ as moments of excess positive feelings which isn’t really sustainable on a daily basis. We all have to use what works for us, but you do have to do the work if there are underlying emotional or chemical issues that are keeping you in a negative space.

R34--try doing that work with no money.

Fame ruins life. Imagine simply going for a McDonald's but having multiple people screaming your name and taking picture of you without your permission. I would go nuts.

I dated a guy from a billionaire family - 3rd generation inherited wealth. He had massive attorney bills from constant lawsuits. His life revolved around his army of attorneys.

It depends. Money does bring happiness, to a point. Being a billionaire won’t make you happy. But trust me, you will be a lot happier earning 250k a year than you will earning 40k a year. When your basic needs are met and you have money in the bank you won’t be so stressed.

Rarely, as the majority chooses to live on a grand scale. Huge mansions with lots of bedrooms that require permanent staff and maintenance, for example.

You read it so often: “So-and-so has to keep working, even doing B-productions, just to be able to afford his three houses.”

Sad. If you ever come into money: Just pick a nice place with one more room than you really need, invest wisely, and call it a day.

We're superior and that is all that matters.

I know a number of very famous people (I work in Hollywood) -- I would say that most of them area probably less happy than others, given the constant worry about their image, what parts they might get, will their fame fade, will their looks fade, will their partner actually love them, will their friends like them for who they are, etc etc, -- they have a litany of miseries that plague them in ways most people can't understand.

However, those who are just rich do indeed tend to be happier -- not always, because for some, money is a curse, they don't know how to handle it, they worry about losing it, they worry about not getting more, etc -- but for many it really is just a way to lead a healthier, more fulfilling life. Money buys you a great deal in this country.

The happiest person I know is a billionaire who made the money himself and spends it wisely. His kids are normal, he has good friends he knows really care about him, and he gives away money intelligently but not pathologically. I often wish I could be him.

All Humans are close to suicidal most of the time. Money has nothing to do with mood.

[quote]3rd generation inherited wealth. He had massive attorney bills from constant lawsuits. His life revolved around his army of attorneys.

R37 That is the worst generation of inherited wealth. If only some talented researcher would take on this topic. Beer baron grandchildren, pharmacy (drug) company grandchildren, etc. They either sell off what their grandparents worked for or blow it on addictions. Farmers who built small but profitable family dynasties were sold out by grandchildren who sold their properties to suburban condo developers.

[quote[As for famous, needy people like Madonna are happier simply because fame is as important as oxygen.

No one is happier than Madonna!

R43 Alright. You're the grandson. You've inherited the largest share of grandpa's widget factory, with the rest held by your carping do-nothing relatives.

The factory sits on a prime site in central Brooklyn worth a fortune if redeveloped for housing. The factory is old and to compete with Chinese imports you'd have to rebuild with modern equipment in NJ or on LI.

Your choice:

A. Sell the old factory and put the money into a new one outside the city, then spend your life worrying about making and selling those widgets and keeping your relatives at bay.

B. Sell out, pocket the money and retire to a nice mansion in Florida. And never hear a peep from your relatives again.

Whoever would choose A?

R45 Why not keep the original factory and keep the loyal employees, even if it costs money? You've inherited enough from grandpa/great-grandpa to live VERY comfortably and use your ingenuity to expand the original company OR start a new company? Keeps everyone employed and you're able to provide for your own children...who will probably blow it anyway.

who needs money or fame when you have jeebuz or hillary or trump or a coupon for one free drink at happy hour