Are Rich People Happier?

When I was growing up, one of my favorite movie musicals was the 1971 classic Fiddler on the Roof. The main character of the film, Tevye, is a poor Jewish dairyman struggling to earn a living in early 20th-century Russia.

In one of the film’s most memorable scenes, Tevye sings a song titled “If I Were a Rich Man,” where he muses about what his life might look like if he had a “small fortune.”

“If I were a rich man,” he repeats throughout the song, going on to list all the things he’d do with his newfound wealth—build a big house, provide his wife servants to boss around, gain notoriety among his peers.

Tevye believes that he would be happier with more money. Perhaps you’ve had similar thoughts.

Is it true? If you were a rich man (or woman), would you be happier?

Does money make people happier?

Many people believe that one’s wealth directly correlates with one’s personal happiness. Interestingly, opinions differ about exactly how these two factors relate. Some believe that more money generates greater happiness, while others view it as a hindrance after a certain point.

Scientific studies are not clear on the issue. According to one study, individuals with greater financial security are less likely to suffer psychological distress than those who live paycheck to paycheck (Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 2022).

But a different study finds “some evidence that individual attainment in terms of income may not equate to the attainment of individual happiness—and could even be associated with less daily happiness” (Frontiers in Psychology, 2022).

The inherent problem is that there isn’t a clear, quantifiable way to measure an individual’s happiness. You can’t measure happiness levels in inches, ounces or liters. While psychologists have developed work-arounds, they still ultimately rely on some level of subjective measurement.

An even bigger problem is that people are different. What makes one person happy may have a drastically different effect on someone else. It comes down to an individual’s perspective.

The Bible offers its own perspective on the matter.

What does the Bible say about money and happiness?

A verse commonly quoted as “money is the root of all evil” leads many to the incorrect conclusion that the Bible is against wealth in all forms. Looking at more of the verse in the New King James Version, we see that it actually says, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10 , emphasis added).

Those are important distinctions.

The Bible does not condemn being rich. On the contrary, verses like Ecclesiastes 5:19 suggest that riches, wealth and power are “the gift of God.”

Other verses encourage good financial habits, like avoiding debt (Proverbs 22:7) and diversifying investments (Ecclesiastes 11:2).

However, Scripture warns of pitfalls that often accompany great wealth. Jesus cautioned in Matthew 19:23 that “it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” Just moments earlier, a rich young man had expressed interest in following Jesus, only to walk away, unable to part with his earthly possessions (verses 16-22).

Rich people aren’t inherently less righteous. But, as the example of the rich young man illustrates, physical wealth can be a stumbling block, making it more difficult for us to devote ourselves to spiritual matters if we aren’t careful.

King Solomon’s example illustrates this. God blessed his rule with great wealth and abundance (1 Kings 10:21-23). Despite this, the twilight years of Solomon’s reign could hardly be called happy.

It is only by focusing on accumulating spiritual wealth that your riches will last forever. The book of Ecclesiastes, which many scholars attribute to the king in his later years, is filled with melancholy reflections on a life of splendor squandered on carnal lusts and useless passions. He repeatedly calls these things “vanity”—useless in the grand scheme of life.

The Bible is very clear: riches are not the source of lasting happiness.

Of itself, money is not evil. It can make a person’s life secure. It can buy him or her many precious things. But it cannot buy the permanent contentment that we all seek.

What brings true happiness?

The Bible reveals a different kind of wealth that has nothing to do with money or material possessions. In Luke 12:13-21, Jesus delivers a sobering parable about a rich man who put all his time and energy into accumulating more and more resources, only to die and leave all his possessions to someone else.

Jesus concludes in verse 21, saying, “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Spiritual riches won’t buy you a big house or notoriety among your friends. They will, however, measure up to something far more valuable in the long run.

In Jeremiah 9, God reveals where our true focus should be: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight” (verses 23-24).

True happiness comes from a right relationship with God. It’s more than happiness. Pleasant emotions come and go, but contentment is a state of mind that endures.

Money and possessions do not bring contentment. When we die, everything we’ve accumulated during our lives is either forgotten, thrown away or passed on to someone else. Spiritual wealth is eternal.

This is something that Tevye recognizes in “If I Were a Rich Man.” In the final verse, he relishes the idea of using all his extra free time praying and discussing the Scripture with learned men. Even after listing all the great possessions he would buy with his wealth, he calls this part of the dream “the sweetest thing of all.”

If you are looking for true contentment, it won’t come from having one more digit in your bank account balance. It won’t come from living in a bigger house, driving a brand-new car or wearing the latest fashion. The key to lasting happiness is found with God.

To know God is a tremendous blessing! He is a loving Father who wants His children to have joyful lives. So He gives us laws to live by that encourage right living, good relationships and upright character. He offers His Holy Spirit to help us live by those laws. And, when all is said and done, God promises to bring a world where everyone will live that way—initiating a new age where righteousness and contentment will reign supreme.

Store up treasures in heaven

Jesus gets to the heart of the matter in Matthew 6:19-21, saying, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Money gets spent. The grandest of houses can fall apart and decay. And, even if people manage to hold on to all of their things until their final breath, there is no way for them to hold on to it when they finally close their eyes in death (1 Timothy 6:6-7).

“For riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations,” says Proverbs 27:24. If we trust in physical riches, we will always come up short (Proverbs 11:28).

The one thing that can survive death is the spiritual character we build throughout a lifetime.

If you’ve been blessed with great wealth—terrific! Enjoy your resources and use them for good, storing up “a good foundation for the time to come” (1 Timothy 6:17-19). It is only by focusing on accumulating spiritual wealth that your riches will last forever.

If great physical wealth is not one of your blessings, you are no less capable of living the righteous way of life that leads to lasting happiness. For “better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich” (Proverbs 28:6).

Someone with limited resources still has just as many opportunities to build godly character. What Jesus referred to as “treasures in heaven” doesn’t have a price tag; it’s available for everyone willing to grow and change based on God’s commandments (1 Timothy 6:10-12).

It is helpful for all of us—rich, poor or somewhere in the middle—to take a moment and reflect on all that God has given us. There are more blessings than just wealth and physical possessions.

Chief among these is the opportunity to get to know Him and live His way of righteousness. Though this life is laden with trials and tribulations, it all leads toward something better. If we are focused on the right things now, we will find that we are getting closer and closer to attaining true happiness—everlasting contentment.

It’s easy to sit back and daydream about all the things you’d be able to do with a fortune. But there are better ways to occupy your mind.

Are rich people happier?

It depends on how you define “rich.”

Unlike my old friend Tevye, I think you’ll find that the spiritually rich are the happiest people of all.