My guess is that if any student at Sonoma State University was asked if they would be happier with more money, almost, if not all of them, would say yes. 

Now take Bill Gates as an example who has a net worth of about $81 billion. He seems to being doing just fine. However, if he kept all the money to himself and never donated it or created his foundation, his life would probably not feel as fulfilling. 

This topic has been heavily debated because there is no right answer to it. Its not solely money that decides if you are a happy person or not. 

Take myself for instance; the $40 in my bank account might not may not seem like much, but my happiness will never revolve around just that number. And that’s because there are people around me that make me happy and no amount of money would ever change that. 

If I were to win the lottery tomorrow, there would be debts to be paid off and a car to buy. But after that, it is up to me what to use the rest of the money for. If I just kept buying junk that’s not necessary to my survival, it wouldn’t make me feel any better about myself. What would make me happier and more accomplished would be, to help other people. 

Now, that may sound cliché and hard to believe, but when taking a step back and really thinking about it, there is nothing to buy that would make me a better person. The only way to possibly be a better human being is by helping those in need. 

There are no plans for me to neither win the lottery nor become a mega billionaire in the future, but it never hurts to daydream about it from time to time.

When imagining all the people with millions of dollars attached to their names, all that comes to mind is how much stuff they actually have. Maybe this stuff somehow makes them feel adequate and powerful and maybe that actually makes them feel some sort of happiness. However, my philosophy is that there is a certain kind of happiness that can only be brought on by helping others. 

There are millionaires and billionaires out there that probably lead very unfulfilled lives. On the other hand, there are others that donate their time and money to an organization, and that probably makes them feel better about themselves, which in turn leads to a happiness-filled existence. 

Even though most people will never feel the pressure of millions of dollars on their shoulder, one can only imagine what can be done with that kind of power. Power to some means being in control. However what it really means is a chance to do better. Doing better for the world and others is one of the most powerful notions that can be done.

Materialistic goods will never result to anything if you’re not happy with yourself first. In order to be happy with yourself, you must help others in need. So in technical terms, money does buy happiness. 

However, with the power of money also comes great responsibility. It is with this responsibility that happiness could grow.