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I think many people focus too much on the money and frugality side what Mr Money Mustache says, and not enough on the happiness part. The preconditions for huma

I think many people focus too much on the money and frugality side what Mr Money Mustache says, and not enough on the happiness part. The preconditions for human happiness are fairly constant, but the way we achieve those conditions can be more or less expensive. For example, we know that people greatly enjoy being in flow. There are many ways to achieve a state of flow. You could do a DHH and get into car racing---a rich boys sport if ever there was one. Or you could take up bike racing, and drop a few $K a year on a bike (with ancillary health benefits as well). Or you could drop the racing part and ride for pleasure (maybe $2K over ten years; my last bike lasted 18 years). All will achieve the same result, but with vastly different impacts on your wallet. Of course racing is not the only way to get into flow. Dance, programming, other sports, etc. are all options and there are cheaper and more expensive choices within each category. Similarly, it has been shown we get more long term happiness from experiences than from things. This is a great reason to stop buying stuff and spend money instead on activities. Of course different activities have different costs. You could book an expensive "adventure holiday" or you could just grab your backpack and head out the door. Anyone who has done backpacking on a shoestring budget knows it's great fun. In my experience all these choices are quite easily substitutable. You can make a conscious decision to choose low cost options and have just as fulfilling and enjoyable a life as someone who spends all their money on the latest gaming rig / sculpted carbon fibre bike / hottest restaurants etc.

david-given 11y ago
> For example, we know that people greatly enjoy being in flow. I have no idea what this phrase means. Could you expand?
- noelwelsh 11y ago
  Sure. Being in flow is being "in the zone": being completely focused on the task at hand, forgetting about the world around you. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)
- mercer 11y ago
  The wikipedia article [1] describes it pretty well. It's a fascinating concept and if you find it interesting I can highly recommend the book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, by the guy who introduced the concept. Personally I'd say when it comes to happiness 'flow' is a bit too narrow a concept. Or rather, it's a specific form of 'wu-wei' ("natural action, or in other words, action that does not involve struggle or excessive effort"). A great book on wu-wei which also references the concept of flow is 'Trying Not To Try'. I can strongly recommend this book as well. Especially it's final chapter(s) provided a lot of food for thought. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)
superuser2 11y ago
>we get more long term happiness from experiences than from thing That doesn't mean "don't spend money on things." Things can and do (and should!) enable experiences. I'll buy a high-end laptop I'll spend a great many hours using it, and experience of using it is better than the experience of using something cheaper. (Seriously, when I see people fighting their POS trackpads and 15-second seek times to do basic window management operations, it's no wonder they're not into computers.) I'll buy a good car because the experience of driving something comfortable and responsive with a pleasant interior is better than the experience of driving a shit heap, and I actually like driving. I'll buy $500 headphones because listening to music on them is amazing. I'll buy a $500 DSLR because having the shutter actually respond when I press the shutter button is amazing. We can even go less obvious: I'll buy fashionable clothes because people will treat me with more respect and interest if I look put-together.

david-given 11y ago

> For example, we know that people greatly enjoy being in flow. I have no idea what this phrase means. Could you expand?

noelwelsh 11y ago
Sure. Being in flow is being "in the zone": being completely focused on the task at hand, forgetting about the world around you. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)
mercer 11y ago
The wikipedia article [1] describes it pretty well. It's a fascinating concept and if you find it interesting I can highly recommend the book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, by the guy who introduced the concept. Personally I'd say when it comes to happiness 'flow' is a bit too narrow a concept. Or rather, it's a specific form of 'wu-wei' ("natural action, or in other words, action that does not involve struggle or excessive effort"). A great book on wu-wei which also references the concept of flow is 'Trying Not To Try'. I can strongly recommend this book as well. Especially it's final chapter(s) provided a lot of food for thought. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)

superuser2 11y ago

>we get more long term happiness from experiences than from thing That doesn't mean "don't spend money on things." Things can and do (and should!) enable experiences. I'll buy a high-end laptop I'll spend a great many hours using it, and experience of using it is better than the experience of using something cheaper. (Seriously, when I see people fighting their POS trackpads and 15-second seek times to do basic window management operations, it's no wonder they're not into computers.) I'll buy a good car because the experience of driving something comfortable and responsive with a pleasant interior is better than the experience of driving a shit heap, and I actually like driving. I'll buy $500 headphones because listening to music on them is amazing. I'll buy a $500 DSLR because having the shutter actually respond when I press the shutter button is amazing. We can even go less obvious: I'll buy fashionable clothes because people will treat me with more respect and interest if I look put-together.