In my last post, I discussed how that, overall, money doesn’t buy happiness BUT there are ways that money can be used to “buy” happiness if we know how to spend it correctly. Purchasing electronic gadgets, jewelry, nice watches, fast cars, big houses, antiques, expensive pieces of art and so on will not help us to be happier because we quickly adapt to them.
In fact, buying a large house that causes you to have a longer commute to work can create greater unhappiness. This isn’t very surprising, is it? Have you ever had a long commute to work? Getting stuck in traffic is nobody’s idea of a good time. We might think that buying a large or expensive house increases our sense of well-being but, if the result is a longer commute to work, then it does not. We should not sacrifice a shorter commute to work for the “better” house. We quickly adapt to the house but we have a much harder time adapting to the daily grind of a long commute.
Now, this not always a simple decision to make because people change jobs much more frequently than in the past. So, if you buy a house close to your work, it might be that you change jobs in four years and then have a long commute once again. Although you cannot completely control such changes to your job situation, it is just important to keep in mind as you consider different living situations that a long commute will likely decrease your sense of happiness.