“It's not about money, money, money. . . It's not about the cha-ching cha-ching, it's not about the babbling. . . Why is everyone so obsessed? Money can't buy us happiness." In 2011, these words were written by my Jessie J. in a song called “Price Tag”. Was Jessie J right? Many people say that money buys happiness, but does it really? Happiness is defined as a mental or emotional state of well-being characterized by positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Do millions of dollars bring lasting happiness? Many people think that if only they could get more money, happiness would come, but it doesn't work that way. Famous celebrities who have overdosed and lottery winners who end up unhappier than before, and often bankrupt, are perfect examples of how money can't buy happiness. Even though money gives people access to material and “shiny” things, it cannot buy happiness and actually contributes to unhappiness. Once a person's basic needs are met, lasting happiness, or a state of contentment or intense joy, comes not from money, but from relationships, experiences, and personal freedom. “Freedom and independence are more important than money to people's well-being, according to a meta-analysis of data from 63 countries published by the American Psychological Association (Money Can't Buy Happiness).” In his extensive work The Psychology of Happiness, Oxford University psychologist Michael Argyle concludes that “The living conditions that really make a difference to happiness are those covered by three sources: social relationships, work and leisure. (_______)” Also, a 2002 study by Ed Diener, a psychologist at the University of Illinois, and Martin Seligman, of the University of Pen...... half of the article...... colleagues of one study interviewed about 165 families via an anonymous online survey, and I was surprised to find that while money made many aspects of these people's lives easier, it made others more difficult. Sonja Lyubomisrsky, author of The How of Happiness, states that “. . . Having money increases our aspirations for the happiness we expect in our lives, and these increased aspirations can be toxic. Unfortunately, lofty aspirations not only lead us to take things for granted and impair our abilities to savor them. They push us to consume too much, to tax the planet's resources, to spend too much and save little, to get into debt, to gamble, to live beyond our means and to buy mortgages that we cannot afford”. Material things don't make us happy. Buying things like houses and cars only has a short-term effect on happiness. If you're not happy first, money won't buy it for you.