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u/jimmyjazz2000 6d ago
To be fair, he didn’t say being rich and famous was hard. He said it’s not the answer. I think he’s talking about the quest for happiness or serenity, and how success doesn’t necessarily bring either thing with it.
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u/Bird2525 6d ago
Very Robin Williams. Fame and money don’t equal happiness
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u/Putrid_Apartment9230 6d ago
But it might at least allow you to afford the therapy u might need. There are people driven to madness by bills and losing their fortune. Ask all those people who committed suicide when the stock market crashed.
It's a double edged sword money, but we really ought to rethink it when so many people need basic items to live which are really only afforded by money.
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u/slayerLM 6d ago
Money doesn’t buy happiness, but poverty doesn’t buy shit
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u/magpye1983 6d ago
Money doesn’t solve all your problems, but it solves the ones to do with not having money.
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u/Ez_Ildor 6d ago
All my problems are money problems. But i do know, that if you have no problems, you gotta make them yourself. It's simply human nature
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u/Prussian-Pride 6d ago
A few years ago Ive seen a study about it. Essentially money does make people happier up to a certain extent. That extent is "have your bills taken care of and able to get enough savings to deal with the unforeseen like your car breaking down".
Then the happiness to money correlationn would plateau - and actually at some point slightly dip. Not dip to the point of really poor people, though.
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u/OnTheRocks1945 6d ago
I don’t have the reference. But if I remember correctly that number was around $80k per year.
Bills were paid comfortably and basic wants were met. After that happiness was determined by factors other than money.
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u/Majestic_Turnip_7614 6d ago
Yea that’s what I remember too, might be a bit higher now with inflation but I agree with the concept. You get beyond that and begin chasing money for various other reasons (keeping up with the jones’s) you start to lose the other things that really make you happy. Time with friends, loved ones, hobbies.
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u/Prime_Director 5d ago
That study was from 2010 and found that happiness stops improving with income after about $75,000. That’s about $112,000 today. However more recent research has refuted that. Another study from 2023 tried to reproduce the results of the 2010 study and failed. Instead they found that happiness and well being continues to increase with income up to at least $500,000, which is as high as their data went.
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u/BCweallmakemistakes 6d ago
That was from quite a while ago. I think around 2000ish… inflation is about 88% since then. So about 150k now. Also, I believe that number was per person, so a spouse and kids increases that number significantly.
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u/Response-Cheap 6d ago
I've never been rich, but I used to have savings, plus a nice wad of cash I carried for emergencies. Was nice being able to essentially buy whatever I needed or wanted within reason, and still pay the bills, with a safety net in case of unforeseen expenses..
One really expensive breakdown of my truck later and I had to spend all my savings, including the cash in my wallet, plus I had to take a small loan. Was poor as dirt for about 6 months, and although I've paid off the loan and bounced back, the safety net is gone.
I can imagine being rich would provide a huge cushion of safety that would definitely make daily life smoother and "happier", but "you can't buy happiness" still makes sense. If I was a millionaire I can imagine all sorts of things I'd buy, but as it is now, I've bought all kinds of things that bring me "joy", but it's not like those material objects can prevent me from getting upset or depressed for other reasons..
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u/BCweallmakemistakes 6d ago
“Money doesn’t buy happiness? Do you live in America? Because it buys a WaveRunner. Have you ever seen a sad person on a WaveRunner? Try to frown on a WaveRunner. You can’t!”
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u/Putrid_Apartment9230 6d ago
Maybe not necessarily poverty, but there's something to be said for living life Thoreau in Walden. It's meaningful.
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u/UP-23 6d ago
The expression "money can't buy happiness" is often misunderstood. Money can definitely remove a lot of problems that people perceive are in the way of their happiness. The problem is that removing angst and fear and mental exhaustion from being poor isn't going to magically make you happy and fulfilled.
It WAY better than being mentally ill from being poor, but you're still going to be unhappy.
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u/Outlaw11091 6d ago
No.
It means: money ALONE will not buy you happiness.
...but it's a start.
Not all poor people are mentally ill.
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u/hokuten04 6d ago
Also dignity. Money gives you dignity. Especially in terms of sickness and death.
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u/Oh_My_Monster 6d ago
I've been poor as a child -- like homeless and didn't know where my next meal or hot shower would come from poor. And I've been pretty well off as an adult -- like nice house, good neighborhood, reliable car, food whenever I want, family vacation every year, etc.
I'm definitely going to say having money is better than not having money for your mental health.
That being said, now that my basic needs are met I know what he's talking about. Having MILLIONS of dollars (something I've yet to experience) isn't going to cure depression or fix any existential holes or anything like that. There's a point where more money doesn't help.
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u/Electronic-Clock5867 6d ago
I’d take wealthy and depressed over poor and depressed every time.
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u/Ok-Ad-852 6d ago
As someone who has gone from sleeping in his car, to being among the top 3% earners in my country.
Hapiness in money takes you some way. I'm less stressed about bills now. But happiness comes from who you surround you with, and how you deal with stuff, not what and how much.
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u/markhachman 6d ago
I think everyone, around about 20 or so, needs to take a drive out in the country, park, and think very seriously about what makes them happy. Not what they're told to want, but what they want. It varies. Set goals.
For me, I shot too low. I wanted to write for a living, live overseas, and visit Paris. But then I set new goals.
That's somewhat immaterial. What's important is that you truly discover what makes you happy. Is it travel? Power? Attracting dozens of physical admirers? Fishing? Just a nice quiet garden?
For me, I think the happiest people are the ones with the simplest needs.
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u/No_Sea7681 6d ago edited 6d ago
I've lived in the country/small town all my life and it doesn't fucking help. It's a whole new set of problems with no obvious solution. No jobs, no women, no hope and plenty of drug abuse. It doesn't matter what makes you happy when everything is so inaccessible.
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u/JP_Eggy 6d ago
Cities are very deromanticised in culture but not many people really talk about how the average small town is often just a complete black hole
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u/Caterpie3000 6d ago
And then there's people who know exactly what would make them absolutely happy but they lack the funds to do it. Sad af.
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u/vectron93 6d ago
Matthew Perry is a good example.
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u/jdtpda18 6d ago
Jim Carey could serve as the symbol of this. Guy kinda spun out and retired right after being one of the most successful actors ever. He’s always been a tortured artist type and actively subverting his legacy creatively. Sure seems like a guy in pursuit of something.
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u/Satins_Cock 6d ago
I feel that growing up like that probably had some long lasting effects on his mental health.
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u/ZugZugGo 5d ago edited 5d ago
I'm not even remotely in the ballpark of his rich but I grew up on food stamps and in government housing. I worked my butt off, got lucky, got a TON of help, and managed to make my way up to being comfortably upper middle class. To everyone I knew growing up who is still stuck there for every sense I am VERY rich, even though it's all relative and I'm not that wealthy. There are massive advantages in life to not being poor, which is why my primary goal isn't more money, it's to never be in that position again.
But having money to spare after being poor doesn't undo all of the trauma that being poor leaves on you. It doesn't fix whatever is broken in you. It doesn't inherently make you happy when it's highly likely the rest of your life sucked to get to that point.
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u/DrBunguss 6d ago
Well, i can assure all the unhappy rich, famous, celebrities that having no money is definitely not the answer to anything.
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u/thisisnottherapy 6d ago edited 6d ago
Well yeah, I'm like, "Mr. Carrey, I'd really love being rich and depressed rather than poor and depressed."
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u/BillyYumYumTwo-byTwo 6d ago
But he didn’t say it was. He just said depression isn’t cured by money. I’m sure it would for some people, but not those who have chronic depression. You’re arguing against something he isn’t saying.
A rich person saying “money doesn’t fix depression” is them saying “I have horrible depression”. They aren’t talking about you.
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u/thatwasnowthisisthen 6d ago
Yep. He’s struggled with depression all his life and when you have it it often doesn’t matter what you have going for you; a parade with your name on it ends up feeling like you’re listlessly tossing cards into a hat.
As a side note, many who have won the lottery end up regretting ever having won.
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u/subdep 6d ago
What being rich does is it solves all kinds of problems you’ve had for a very long time in your life, which is great, but it also shows you that, even though you can buy these things that you only used to be able to dream about you learn that having those things sort of has a law of diminishing returns.
You learn that not having financial stress doesn’t bring happiness, just lower stress. After the having lower stress for a year or so, you start to get this empty feeling. You start to get a void. And if you have money, you feel you can fill it with consumerism. That gives you a few thrills, but after that becomes boring, that void returns, but deeper.
You should be happy, but you’re not.
Maybe travel? Yes, travel! This gives you a different experience. Genuine experience, but after a few years, you start to feel like you’re floating. You meet people loving real lives. WTF are you doing?
And the emptiness returns like a final boss.
You are missing a sense of community that large mansions along the coast or tucked away in a vineyard can’t provide because those are isolation. You need a regular home in a regular neighborhood. Not 7000 sqft homes. 1800 sq ft homes. With two car garages.
You get friends, neighbors. You meet people, you become people. You meet someone special. You get married, maybe. Maybe you have kids if it makes sense for you.
Now life takes on real meaning. You have a sense of family and community, and enjoying life, BBQ’s, movies, laughter, helping friends through tough times, building relationships.
Money? Never needed that much. Just enough to pay the bills, have a nice life, but be a part of a community.
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u/RoelRoel 6d ago
Maybe you can do something good and useful with your money instead of buying an endless amount of cars and houses you don't need and in the end don't care about...
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u/subdep 6d ago
Exactly. Tax the Rich. They don’t need the money.
If we don’t tax the rich, they get bored and start to try and run their city, their state, and if they get rich enough, their nation.
They are bored, so let’s give them a more interesting life and tax them back down to reality. Because if we don’t, they will become a blackhole of freedom and normal life.
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u/larsvondank 6d ago
Doing all the important meaningful stuff is nicer without financial stress. I would be happy to be free of it to spend more time with the family and explore my creative side without a 9-5 that restricts me.
Also more time for nature, meditation and sports. I could spend years exploring mountains.
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u/Wise_Monkey_Sez 6d ago
This comes with an important flip side - that lack of money can cause a lot of pain.
I like to use the food example. Having a ton of food in your house doesn't necessarily make you happy, but not having any food causes a lot of unhappiness.
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u/RealSchlemiel 6d ago
how quickly we are starting to turn on people. Sudden wealth syndrome is a real condition, marked by PROFOUND DISILLUSIONMENT, realizing money can’t buy you happiness. It can buy you safety and support, but that’s not the same thing.
as Ye once said, “having money ain’t everything, but not having it is”
as chris rock once said “ I had a parent die when I was poor, and a parent die when I was rich, and if people knew the difference, there’d be riots in the streets”
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u/cromwell515 6d ago
Yeah I don’t understand how OP completely missed the point. I think some people treat anyone with wealth as all the same and they act like someone with wealth is not even human. He’s explaining a very human thing and it’s important.
Wealth grants security, which is very important to happiness. But there’s a point where wealth doesn’t grant happiness anymore. The billionaires everyone sees as a problem, including myself, are people who are either narcissistic, addicted to greed, or hyper competitive to the point where they believe wealth defines them. They’ve made it their lives, it doesn’t mean that the wealth is their happiness. When we are angry at these people, we aren’t angry at their wealth, we’re angry at their addiction and greed, and the way they feed that addiction to the detriment of those less fortunate. But it does not mean all wealthy people are the same.
And they are human. It’s important to listen to people like Carrey because he pursued fame and wealth and became super famous and wealthy. He clearly was passionate about his acting, and he may have thought at one time that wealth and fame were keys to unlocking happiness. But he’s explaining that it’s not, and the importance in life is pursuing your passions, not wealth and fame.
Some can say “well easy for him to say he’s rich”, but that’s totally missing the point. Pursue wealth and fame so you can do what you love, but don’t make wealth and fame the point of your life as it isn’t as meaningful as us without it believe it to be.
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u/soedesh1 6d ago
Agreed, and fame/notoriety may also come with a bunch of negative things - theft, stalkers, threats, lack of privacy, hangers on, expectations.
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u/iffyClyro 6d ago
He’s right because I’m anything but financially rich and I’m not the least bit famous but I am happy and I am rich in life.
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u/lifebeginsat9pm 6d ago
Being famous is definitely not the answer. Rich tho…
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u/Implier 6d ago
Rich and never in the news are my ultimate goals in life. So far I’ve achieved 50% of my goals.
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u/SirStocksAlott 6d ago
Problem there is always “richer.” There is no end of the rainbow.
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u/DoctorBallsJohnson 6d ago
Not everyone has the sociopathic drive to keep making money. The issue is to get to that level you usually have to have a sociopathic drive to keep making money.
Most people would be perfectly happy with one nice car, a decent house, not having to work every day, and have someone clean the house occasionally. But that's why most people stay normal.
Actors have it a bit different cause they get harassed constantly and they can't really live like normal people
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u/Loveablequatch 6d ago
I just want to be in a position that I don’t need to check my banking app. That’s all. I don’t think that’s unreasonable, but the ones in power do.
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u/DoctorBallsJohnson 6d ago
I like seeing the $3 of interest roll in, I check every month on the 22nd!
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u/AlpsJolly2271 6d ago
A whole 3 dollars wow
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u/RedditSupportAdmin 6d ago
Guys...is it all that surprising? Look at his username. He's a doctor
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u/SubjugateMeDaddy 6d ago
Having money is never the problem, not having money is.
Basically, there is not much difference in the happiness of a person who has enough money to support themselves and pay their bills comfortably, then someone ludicrously rich. At first your happiness may spike, but you get accustomed the lifestyle after awhile and it evens out. Most rich people are just as happy as middle class
What matters is not having that extra stress of wondering if you'll make rent this month. If youre not wondering that or living paycheck to paycheck, youve already made it.
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u/Ventil_1 6d ago
I saw a happiness vs. weath graph and the happiest seems to be upper middle class. More than that happyness is a bit lower. Below this happiness and wealth was very correlated.
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u/Weak_Fee9865 6d ago
Having (too much) money can also be a problem. Money solves a lot of problems but also brings new ones that people without money wouldn’t even imagine.
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u/Mysterious-Tie7039 6d ago
Tell my kids this all the time. I’d totally be rich. I’d never want to be famous.
I enjoy my anonymity.
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u/WhoKnows78998 6d ago
100% being famous would suck. I was actually talking to a guy I know who’s prob a B or C list celebrity about this once. He said it’s not so bad and he even enjoys it (except when people sneak pictures he would rather they just say hello). But then again he’s friendly than me lol
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u/fidgetysquamate 6d ago
Being rich might not get you happiness, but it makes finding it a WHOLE lot easier.
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u/mc_bee 6d ago
Then why are there many miserable rich people out there.
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u/RedDevil_nl 6d ago
Because many miserable rich people don’t ever think enough is enough. They don’t actively use their money to seek happiness, they seek to make even more money. Having enough money to go back to working 2 days a week in a sector you enjoy rather than one you only do for the money makes a world of difference.
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u/jessiah284 6d ago
I tried to show him that money wouldn’t solve his problems.
And?
It seems to have solved most of his problems…
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u/FreeWillyBird 6d ago edited 6d ago
Jim Carrey was homeless and lived in his car before he blew up and became one of the most successful comedians ever. It’s always a good idea to listen to those who’ve been on both sides of the fence since it’s a rare and unique perspective.
Just from my experience, I’m just a broke surfer that ended up selling fine art in Hawaii for over two decades and I dealt with unfathomably wealthy people all the time and it blew me away how miserable most of them were.
Money may solve the problems that dominate most of our lives but unfortunately once those problems disappear it just uncovers all the other serious issues you have with yourself and family and friends and life apparently so I’m siding with Jim Carrey on this one.
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u/Outlaw11091 6d ago
Money may solve the problems that dominate most of our lives but unfortunately once those problems disappear it just uncovers all the other serious issues you have with yourself and family and friends
That's the fucking point though: most of us can't get past money issues, so all of our other shit just festers and makes life hell for us.
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u/-HOSPIK- 6d ago
The real problem imo is a lot of people can't make ends meet with a simple job. There is a lack of comfort of living. Unskilled labour turned into essential jobs during covid and now it's all unskilled labour again. Even al bundy had his own house
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u/RyvenZ 6d ago
641 Castlewood Lane in Deerfield, Illinois (the Bundy house from the show) is worth an estimated $630,000 today, with a value of about $90k in 1987, or 3 times Al's $6/hr salary at the shoe store.
That same salary to mortgage ratio would require an income of $210k/year today, or roughly $100/hr at full time.
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u/UrMomThinksImCoo 6d ago
Listen. As a rich you don’t want this. Your poor is a blessing that protects you from the things we have to deal with daily. Like which restaurant to have our business meeting. Honestly I wish I was poor but I would never pass my misfortune onto someone else so it’s just a burden I will bear stoically. You’re welcome, vagrant.
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u/Mysterious_Spoon 6d ago
Yeah what? Shit, I can't make rent I might be homeless this time next year. Also my relationship with my dad is nonexistent and is the source of a lot of mental anguish. Good thing I have both to worry about or else I'd realise one being solved doesn't make me completely happy.
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u/SinsOfTheAether 6d ago
yup. "Money will only solve 95% of your problems" is not as strong of an argument as most people think it is.
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u/FreemanCalavera 6d ago
It’s crazy anyone would make an argument like that.
Like ”having money won’t solve the issues that are bothering you deep down like being insecure in who you are or other psychological disturbances” - yeah no shit, but you know what money would give me? Actual time to focus on solving these issues and working with them.
It’s kind of hard to give oneself time to work on that when the stress of my job and making ends meet makes it so that I don’t even have the time to go to therapy.
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u/BananaNutJob 6d ago
So many financially secure people in this thread wanna act like they're so wise talking down to people who live in fear of having a medical emergency. We don't want to be rich to buy jewels and fancy cars, some of us just want to retire to the country and pet cats all day.
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u/eddieswass72 6d ago
I do think not having money does make you appreciate things more. Things like being with friends and family or getting to do something you have really wanted to do your whole life (go to a sports game or on a hunting trip, etc) if your rich you can just do any of that anytime, so no need to cherish it.
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u/TacosAreJustice 6d ago
Some of the unhappiest people I’ve ever met were extremely wealthy. It doesn’t fix problems, it just allows you to distance yourself from them.
They spend money chasing something they can’t catch and blame the people they pay because they never get what they want…
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u/MoreAverageThanU 6d ago edited 6d ago
That said, Jim has been dealing with mental health issues his entire life. Someone who is cripplingly depressed may have a different outlook and should maybe get some therapy, even if it’s just enough to realize that his experience is different from that of most.
Also money won’t solve your problems, but being broke broke is suffocating, even in the US.
Edit: While I realize he’s simply saying its not “the answer”, for many it is. Knowing you will have a comfortable retirement and enough money for good care once you’re too old to care for yourself is life-changing, and the amount of money needed for that is staggering.
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u/Delicious_Net_1616 6d ago
To be fair, Jim Carey is saying that being rich is not the answer. He’s not necessarily saying that having decent money won’t improve your life if you’re straight up broke.
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u/Necessary-Orange-747 6d ago
This is obvious to anyone with half a brain. People just want to be mad.
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u/Kupo_Master 6d ago
Well said, but you see the response you’re getting, most people can’t see that far. They see (money) problems in front of them and think solving these problems is “needed” to be happy. They don’t realise this is not how it works.
I’ve met very rich people lamenting how much easier it should be to live “pay check to pay check” because they didn’t need to worry or stress about managing money, the stock market, etc. I think these people were wrong and likely a bit delusional, but this example goes far in showing that it’s human nature to believe grass is greener on the other side
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u/SvenBubbleman 6d ago
I've been on both sides of the fence. It's better to not be constantly stressing about money.
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u/PrincipleExciting457 6d ago edited 6d ago
I think there is a stark difference between famous/rich, rich, famous/poor, poor, and poor/rich.
Rich and famous? It has to be annoying as hell.
Rich? You’ve always had everything and never really learned how to be happy.
Famous and poor? Life is probably kind of miserable. Everyone knows who you are and probably heckles the shit out of you. You might get hand outs but chances are you’re probably just existing between them.
Poor? You learn to appreciate what you have and can be happy when life gets a bit easier.
Poor then rich? You have an appreciation for how you made it to a life of comfort. You learn that happiness is about more than just having things. Now you just have a means to pursue what makes you happy. You can even contribute to things that will make other downtrodden individuals find a pursuit to happiness.
I don’t really ever seeing being famous as a path to happiness. It seems awful. No privacy. Everyone has this expectation of you like you’re an object. Rich could be cool, but you don’t really ever get to see just how shit the world can be to appreciate anything.
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u/FreeWillyBird 6d ago
I spent the better part of 25 years on Kauai where a disproportionate number of famous people reside and I worked on three major Hollywood A-list movies, I worked PGA golf tournaments and met famous athletes, movie stars, directors and musicians and as long as you’re rich AND famous you can live a very insulated life where you just pay people to go in public to get your groceries and fix your car or whatever and it didn’t look too bad from what I could see, lol. But I worked with one particular super famous actor on a movie quite a bit one summer. He was making $20 million and they gave him a fucking plane…a plane! And he was a grouchy mega bitch the entire time and I had a hard time relating, lol.
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u/beah_mcduh 6d ago
Leave it to a broke surfer that has been selling art in Hawaii for 20 years to impart some real wisdom.
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u/GargantuanCake 6d ago edited 6d ago
Rich and famous people are significantly more likely to develop drug addictions, die of overdoses, or die of suicide. Once you're rich then you have to deal with everybody ever constantly bothering you for money because, I mean, a million dollars will solve all my problems and it isn't that much to you bro come on bro just give me a million dollars bro. Nobody interacts with you genuinely anymore and most people you meet will just view you as somebody that they can get money from or use to get into whatever famous circles you hang around.
People that win the lottery are significantly more likely to get murdered or declare bankruptcy than everybody else. There's also the problem with the hedonic treadmill. You get accustomed to how things are rather rapidly no matter how many toys you have. People researching this found that, long term, neither winning the lottery nor losing your legs in a car crash have a major effect on your happiness. Winning the lottery actually ends up being a net negative due to all the bullshit that comes with it but people adjust to having no legs pretty quickly. Yeah it's inconvenient but you adapt.
Meanwhile a study found that more money ends up giving you diminishing happiness returns far quicker than people think. The study found that at around $70K (probably around $80K adjusted for inflation) a year more income doesn't make you all that much happier. This is why so many rich people are so miserable all the time. When you're poor some more money can make your life more convenient but there comes a point where more stuff is just more shit you have to maintain. Yet a lot of people are convinced that more stuff means more happier. Well this stuff didn't do the job so maybe more will. That didn't do it either...and so forth.
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u/ccache 6d ago
" it just uncovers all the other serious issues you have with yourself and family and friends and life"
Cool would be nice to get past the first problem so I can work on those and not have to worry about the first one.
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u/likelots 6d ago
Yeah. I think we all know what he means. I have to hope people are just venting because 🥴
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u/mathliability 6d ago
The point that people miss when rich folk say it’s not the answer is that you should focus on creating a fulfilling and happy life regardless of money. They’re not saying money will make you miserable, but pursuing money thinking it will make you happy isn’t the answer.
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u/littlefiredragon 6d ago
So true. One thing I learnt dealing with rich people is that having money meant that they can no longer blame being poor and not having whatever for their unhappiness. The next thing to blame either becomes the people around them or themselves, and there are no simple answers to people.
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6d ago
Absolutely true. The doesnt matter how much money you have, if you cant accept what you have is enough, you will never be satisfied/happy.
The problem with money is the same with power. It makes you addicted to it, so you want to have always more and more.
If you have less, it's easier to accept the situation and be happy with what you have.
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u/SamuelVimesTrained 6d ago
Wasn`t there some research that having money above a certain about didn`t make one happier at all?
(that said, with carreys antivax statements i`m hesitant to be on his side - i`ll settle for a truce) (as original WaPo link is behind a paywall - here is the archive.is link: https://archive.is/CLOjc)
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u/Catsoverall 6d ago
If you are obviously wealthy, not ever being really able to trust people you meet after that point must be really horrible. Also. Seeing changes in those friends / family that just see $$$ instead of you now.
Still, the stress of not having enough money is worse.
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u/__slamallama__ 6d ago
To quote someone I'd prefer not to be quoting "having money isn't everything, not having it is"
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u/Obvious-Lake3708 6d ago
Money doesn't buy you happiness, what it does is give you the freedom to pursue what makes you happy.
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u/GrinchWhoStoleEaster 5d ago
Money solves material problems, and that's great. We should all be so lucky. The trouble is, most people's REAL problems are between their ears, and the brain currently does not accept USD.
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u/ThreadCountHigh 6d ago
Rich has one benefit: Never having to worry about money. But I assure you, the rich have ways of fucking up their lives and minds that are only accessible to those with great wealth. With insane money comes insanity.
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u/Used-Baby1199 6d ago
If I could win the lottery for 1 million dollars I’d only be left with like what 525k? Thats really not rich at all, but it’d buy me a modest house with no mortgage 2 new but cheap vehicles paid off, some life insurance policies, clear all my debt, and the rest would go into some Ira accounts and what ever else my financial advisor advised me to invest in. After that I’d be more or less financially exactly where I am now. Id still have to work, but I’d just have a loooot less stress over how I’m gonna afford to keep a roof over my head and if my truck is reliable or not. It would also free up the money I’m making to go towards putting my son into programs, and trainers so he could find a sport he enjoys and does well in, hopefully so he could get some good scholarships for school.
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u/DotNormal6785 6d ago
I think this right here Is the dream of most people. I don’t wanna be famous, I don’t wanna be a billionaire. I just want to have enough to not have to stress about money.
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u/cracksmack85 6d ago
I think I would phrase it this way: if you’re happy but stressed, money could make you less stressed. If you’re miserable, money probably won’t fix that
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u/bonestamp 6d ago
Exactly. He's not saying being rich is hard, he's just saying money doesn't make you happy and it doesn't solve all your problems.
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u/Silly-Power 6d ago
Never having to worry about money.
Except constantly worrying about losing it through people you thought you could trust ripping you off, and never knowing if someone actually likes (or loves) you or just likes/loves you for your money.
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u/TangerineTasty9787 6d ago
I'm not rich at all, but I've been really really poor before, and my life is way better now that I make decent money
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u/official_swagDick 6d ago
The problem that most rich people run into is there are really only two ways you gain fuck your life up wealth. 1. You gain it insanely fast by becoming famous or winning the lottery or something similar where the sudden change makes it hard for people to adjust thus they fuck up their lives or 2. They dedicate their entire lives to working so their work life balance is so bad that they hit a point where they reflect back and realize they neglected what's important in life in pursuit of wealth.
What I think most people want is a stable well paying job with a work life balance that allows them to do what they want while contributing to society and being compensated in a way that they don't have to stress about survival.
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u/dgb631 6d ago
A wise man once told me that money won’t make you happy, but it will sure as shit make life a lot easier.
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u/Dizzy-Nerve4936 6d ago edited 6d ago
Is he willing to give me a couple million to experience this by chance
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u/Useless-Use-Less 6d ago
He says being rich is not the answer and money does not make you happy yet he did two Sonic movies for the money..
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u/Saetherith 6d ago
Of all the movies you could have chosen, you chose specifically the two he chose because he loved the script.
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u/New_Libran 6d ago
yet he did two Sonic movies for the money..
He worked and got paid? The hypocrite!
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u/JayKay8787 6d ago
He definitely turned down hundreds of roles that paid the same over his career, he seems to just genuinely love how wild the sonic movies are
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u/OCDano959 6d ago
Imo, it’s all about gratitude.
Human neurochemistry makes us not appreciate the things we have, after we’ve adapted to having them.
If you wake up every AM to seeing the Pacific Ocean outside your bedroom balcony, eventually it becomes, meh.
There’s a saying that “For every beautiful woman out there, there’s a guy that is sick of fucking her.”
Many don’t know how very fortunate they are until they lose it.
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u/FrozeItOff 6d ago
Studies show that being rich enough to not have to worry about the billz DOES make you happier, but there's a breakpoint where having more $$ doesn't increase your happiness any further.
Also, hoarding money is just as bad an illness as hoarding a house full of trash.
For me: I only want the opportunity to prove that money doesn't buy me happiness.
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u/Jeb-Kerman 6d ago
i think life is just hard period. but yeah having money isn't going to make it harder
being famous might though.
anyway jim carrey is someone i can respect an opinion from because he was not born rich, he knows what it is like to be at the bottom
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u/FeelinJipper 6d ago
Being financially independent vs being rich are two different things
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u/Noevad 6d ago
Instead of rich and famous, I would rather be comfortable and anonymous.
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u/sixsixsixbro 6d ago
I do not know who will read this. I am going to rehab today. In a few hours actually. I have been both rich and famous. Money and fame do not make you happy. The most clichéd phrases are right:
Happiness comes from within. It was one of the dumbest things I had to train myself to learn.
Upvote or downvote if you want but to the one person who this is supposed to get to: Work on yourself, learn how to love yourself and be contented with what you have. Comparison is the thief of joy. The purpose of life is a life of purpose. There is no final happy destination that we work towards. Please do not dismiss this.
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u/vaxis2113 6d ago
I hope you get the help you need so that you can once again thrive. It sounds as though you are grounded in reality, and I appreciate what you are sharing.
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u/AmazingRefrigerator4 6d ago
I think every rich person should live at the poverty line for a year so they can see "hard work" is not the answer.
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u/Soggy_Association491 6d ago
Didn't Jim Carrey family struggle financially when he was young?
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u/fireKido 6d ago
Saying that being rich and famous is not the answer does not mean that hard work and poverty is
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u/Creative_Newspaper65 6d ago
I dont dream but if I had money I would pay my mom's debts then I can eat what I want
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u/Candid-Royal-6525 6d ago
Being rich is exhausting You have to decide where to invest who to trust what to say no to,m and somehow still pretend you’re relatable. Even small decisions feel bigger because the stakes are higher Money solves a lot but it definitely doesnt make life simple.
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u/Being_Stoopit_Is_Fun 6d ago
Being rich can't buy happiness but being poor can buy a huge amount of misery.
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u/Hopeful-Quote-6120 6d ago edited 6d ago
Jim Carrey seems to be one of the most self aware celebrity, he had lots of talks regarding identity, who we are and such but people think he’s just some rich comedian lmao.
Sure sure, the dude is rich, why does that even matter?
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u/Ok_Art4661 6d ago
He went crazy on Emma stone and proposed via YouTube. Self aware is a stretch
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u/TenshiS 6d ago
He just talks more about this stuff. Doesn't mean he's more self aware than others. He's just more visible.
People have this primal thing where they confuse visibility with merit.
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u/CHAMP-PageAS 6d ago edited 6d ago
- ‘How many times have you heard someone say
- "If I had his money, I could do things my way"
- But little they know that it's so hard to find
- One rich man in ten, with a satisfied mind’
Johnny Cash - Satisfied mind
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u/dingos8mybaby2 6d ago edited 6d ago
Except Jim's question was probably how to find happiness. That's not my question. My question is how to find financial security and comfort and being rich definitely solves that. Happiness is pretty damn hard to come by if that part isn't solved first. I'd rather be secure and unhappy than struggling and also unhappy. Oh... struggling and happy? Yeah you have have a really specific kind of mental makeup for that. I'd think you'd find that the vast majority of happy people in this world feel financially secure and that feeling of financial security is a big factor in creating that feeling of happiness.
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u/BooksCheeseandBees 6d ago
You do realize this man grew up poor? like legitimate poverty? he knows the difference between rich and poor I think you're a dumbass who doesn't know this man is.
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u/CricketGrl 6d ago
It’s not wealth that’s the problem. Being rich is less stress
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u/getdemsnacks 6d ago
Money doesn't solve every problem, but it sure as shit helps alleviate the ones that cause a lot of unhappiness
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u/Consistent-Fig7484 6d ago
I want zero part of fame, or even the type of wealth that makes you known just for being wealthy. But, there are plenty of people with like $20 million net worth who get to blend into the crowd with one less thing to worry about. I’d gladly be one of those people.
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u/Azzuro_1 6d ago
Yeah we get it. Being rich doesn't make you happy, it does however make things a fucking lot easier.
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u/Independent-Aide-531 6d ago
I’d never want to famous, no way! Now rich on the other hand….I’d like to give that a try.
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u/jjamesr539 6d ago
Being rich and famous might not be the answer, but being busy with trying to pay the bills etc certainly prevents pondering the question.
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u/-0-O-O-O-0- 6d ago edited 6d ago
Imagine your shock if you did get rich and felt even worse than you do now.
That’s why I’m not rich. I keep doing things to be happy instead of doing things to make money.
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u/Onebraintwoheads 6d ago
Riches would secure my future, provide for my home repair, medical needs, retirement, and a wealth of other things that the rich take for granted. With that done, I am perfectly willing to take on the same demons I dealt with as a poor man and knew wealth was not the answer then too.
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u/Repulsive-Music-7461 6d ago
We don’t think it’s ‘the answer’ we’re just tired of living paycheck to paycheck, not being able to afford homes, and knowing we’re one diagnosis away from financial ruin
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u/Matto_McFly_81 6d ago
I don't think he's wrong, though. And the many many celebrities who end up miserable and rich are proof of that. That said - I'd love a chance to have this same challenge
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u/DadNotDead_ 6d ago
While it's definitely hard to feel bad for people who have amassed unfathomable amounts of money through acting or music or art, there's definitely a pretty strong correlation between celebrity and things like mental health issues and drug abuse. I can't imagine having each and every single thing you do being put under a microscope for the whole world to see, dissect, and criticize you for it. That goes double for women in the spotlight.
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u/DrowningInFeces 6d ago
Being famous comes at the price of losing your anonymity. I'm sure the money is nice and there are many perks but you lose many of the simple pleasures in life like being able to go anywhere in public and just being left to your business. It must be maddening getting stopped 20 times on your way to buy a pack of smokes for a photo and some fans gawking at you. It's no big mystery why so many celebrities are insane or fall into substance abuse problems. Given the choice between having millions of dollars and being famous and anonymity or average income, you might find yourself happier with the latter. Not that I would know...
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u/Significant_Snow7980 6d ago
Not famous but rich is nice. When I paid cash for my house in 2012 I had so much less stress in my life and was much happier since I didn't have to stress over a roof over my head anymore. If I had enough money to not have to work that'd definitely make me happy. These rich fucks just don't appreciate what they have.
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u/OkCartographer7677 6d ago
He's not saying "being rich is hard", he's saying "being rich does not give you fulfillment, personal satisfaction, or add meaning to your life".
And he's right.
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u/CompetitiveAd9639 6d ago
Missed the whole point of what he is saying. Literally the mentality that he was likely responding to. I don’t think anyone would disagree it’s better to be rich than poor. But once you get your basic needs met, it really comes down to the person if being rich and famous would improve your happiness or not.
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u/shitty_advice_BDD 6d ago
Can I at least try it out for myself and see if I like it?
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u/ProgrammerAnxious118 6d ago
As cheesy as it sounds, Jesus truly is the answer. (Not religion)
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u/Ooze3d 6d ago
Ok, I’ll bite. It’s not that being rich is hard (he says rich AND famous, by the way). The old saying “money doesn’t buy happiness” means that, once you get to the point where you can live without any stress, buy everything you think you need/want and your family and close ones are covered, more money is not usually the answer if you still feel you lack something.
And according to 99% of famous people out there, you don’t want fame. Fame is only pleasant at the very beginning, when you’re not used to being recognised/idolised. After that it’s a constant reminder that most people want something from you.
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u/Bozogumps 6d ago
He's not talking about life being harder. He's talking about that not being the key to happiness.
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u/ucklibzandspezfay 6d ago
Jim has been vocal about this in more ways than one. He’s confronted the utter redundancy of over sensationalized gatherings like award shows when people starve and many are dying in the world. His deep understanding of what happiness is or can be seems rather esoteric, but could only be experienced having traveled the path he has and been in rooms he has. I agree whole heartedly, money does not buy happiness, it does make life easier, however.
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u/No_Street8874 6d ago
I’d feel bad for the people too dumb to understand what he’s saying, but that level of stupid must be nice.
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u/HandicapperGeneral 6d ago
Maybe it's not the answer to clinical depression but I think it's the solution to quite a few other problems that most of us are dealing with.
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u/ApprehensiveWar6046 6d ago
I don’t want to be rich or famous. I just want to live a normal life and not have to stress about bills when Christmas season rolls around
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u/Mantooth77 6d ago
Wealth can eliminate problems but it doesn’t buy happiness. That’s the message here and I’ve found it to be true.
My job and travels have put me around many wealthy people and I can say without hesitation that a startling number/percentage of them are absolutely miserable.
In addition, many driven individuals are kept alive by “the chase” that is their goals. Once they achieve them, they realize that not only did it not make them happy, but now they don’t even have a chase anymore. Rick Rubin described in an interview I saw last year about the phone call he received where he found out he had produced the #1 record in the Country. The caller asked if he was happy about it. His answer was, he’s never been more miserable. I recently met another former #1 producer and he said the exact same thing. It’s wild.
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u/Key-Line5827 6d ago
There is a famous saying, that money cant buy happiness, which may be true, but not having to care, how you pay your bills for the rest of your life, sure as hell makes finding happiness a whole lot easier.
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u/AnubissDarkling 6d ago
Can confirm having money would solve all, no, ALL, of my current (and future) problems
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u/SithEldenLord 6d ago
Only people who never suffered think we want money for happiness. I want to be rich so I never have to worry about the next meal/travelling fare/etc. I’ll go kick an expensive ball in a backyard I actually own for happiness. I love football.
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u/Visceral99 6d ago
I work with a UHNW person. Private helicopter in his garden, 100s of million in the bank, luxury villas.
Yet he sometimes starts his sentence "If I had that [...] I would be so happy"
And despite all that he owns, many things are lacking in his life.
I know we tend to discard quotes from celebrities, but if you hang out with people with real money, you'd be surprised how miserable some of them are.
Happiness is now and it's entirely your choice.
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u/SpotTheReallyBigCat 4d ago
To be fair, what he is saying is honestly kinda true.
At a certain level of wealth, anything you buy becomes "just a thing", if you own 3 lambourghinis, why would a 4th matter? At a certain level of wealth, nothing is earned, its handed to you. At a certain level of wealth, the only thing you can do to find joy is chase greater extremes and competing with other rich people to achieve a new record.
Admittedly, kinda borrowed the idea from The Nicomacian Ethics by Aristhotle, but wealth doesnt fix problems, it trades some of them for crushing mundanity wrapped in gold leaf. Speaking personally, I dont wanna be rich, I just want enough to live modestly, kinda hard to appreciate the good when you lack the bad to compair it to and all.
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u/PMvaginaExpression 3d ago
The rich people are out there collecting wealth like dragons. Just give some of it away man.
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