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If happiness was a currency.

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Imagine we live in a world where money didn't exist. Rather than money, we used happiness as our currency. Happiness can be achieved in the same ways that it can be achieved in our world today. When we buy something, we spend our happiness on the belongings we buy today.

How would you react to a world like this?
Do you think you'd be able to remain happy?
How would you get happy again?
Do you think that this would affect the world in a better way?
Do you think that this would open more doors for us, or limit us?
 

Sableye~

Back to PC~
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Wow, that did get me thinking.
I'm not really sure; it could end up not going well. For example, what about someone with depression?

I honestly can't completely comprehend the idea of it. n_n" What about if you're sad? Does that mean you lose all of your money? That would be difficult to cope with, say, if your spouse dies. You're sad because of his/her death...and now you have no "money" to pay for the funeral.
 

Her

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nick are you high

How would you react to a world like this?

The wording of this question bothers me. To me, react implies that it's something new, something I haven't experienced before. But if this is the only way of living I've ever known, then my reaction to it would be one of indifference, wouldn't it? Unless I was some radical who was trying to change the system V for Vendetta style.

Do you think you'd be able to remain happy?

I've been diagnosed with depression so at the moment I'm saying I wouldn't be able to remain happy. I would become 'bankrupt in happiness', as I imagine the saying would be in your wonderful and fantastic new world. This whole thing reminds me of In Time, I doubt I would have the happiness necessary to stay afloat if everything in this world was the same as your world, of course without the currency system we have in this world.

How would you get happy again?

I'm still looking for that answer in real life so I am afraid I am not able to answer this question, oops.

Do you think that this would affect the world in a better way?

In most cases, depressed people in our current world still have money, no? In your world, depressed people wouldn't have any sort of currency whatsoever, making their problems infinitely worse until they can overcome their illness and face the world again. That being said, the lack of money would be a great motivational tool to turning their life around, so....idk.

One thing that I thought of when I was about to click the post button was what would happen if there was a war between countries? The stress levels would rise around the countries near the warring countries, let alone the ones actually fighting. People would die, the national happiness would go down, people would become poorer, etc. Of course, people would consider this and it would be a natural and emotional deterrent to war, but I can't help but think that if a war were to break out, there'd be many more problems than just the physical and emotional damage it brings.

I'm curious though - when we spend our happiness, how does it affect us as a human being? Do you physically feel the joy leaving our body? Do we grow sadder when we buy things?

Do you think that this would open more doors for us, or limit us?

Although I've already pointed out my grievances with this system so far, I'm going to say it will open more doors for us. No longer will be have to feel burdened by the pressure of exchange rates and the stock market (there'd be a Happiness Stock Market, I'm sure, but nowhere as complicated and stressful as this one), instead we'd rely on our own joy to get the things we want.
 

Fuyuki~

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adssadksj.png


srs?

Nothing would change I suppose? Does happiness equate to entertainment in this sense? So I can't enjoy a video game unless I buy some happiness? Not sure how it works. If the former than I wouldn't mind and nothing'd change, really. I'm not a very happy person.
 
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It depends on what how hard happiness can be acheived. Some people are vert=y happy and content with their lives and would be able to buy all the things they want and need which may even make them more happy, however a depressed person might have very little. Happiness is a very subjective thing and sifferent things make different people happy. For example doing things I enjoy like video games, reading, volunteering etc make me happy and as long as I could do these things I could remain happy. As for how it might affect the world, I dunno. Some people in our world today have money and things and arent happy still. I think the world would change depending on the individual person. I think it would limit us, say a person got depressed, they would lose all their money and may not be able to afford things, it may even be dangerous for people. No one can be happy all the time, things happen, people get sad, depressed, etc. and when that happens they could lose all their currency.
 
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adssadksj.png


srs?

Nothing would change I suppose? Does happiness equate to entertainment in this sense? So I can't enjoy a video game unless I buy some happiness? Not sure how it works. If the former than I wouldn't mind and nothing'd change, really. I'm not a very happy person.
No. Ideally, you would buy a video game with your happiness. Your happiness is your currency. If you're a very happy person, it would be equal to being a wealthy person in today's world.
 

Fuyuki~

Banned
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Imagine we live in a world where money didn't exist. Rather than money, we used happiness as our currency. Happiness can be achieved in the same ways that it can be achieved in our world today. When we buy something, we spend our happiness on the belongings we buy today.

How would you react to a world like this?
Do you think you'd be able to remain happy?
How would you get happy again?
Do you think that this would affect the world in a better way?
Do you think that this would open more doors for us, or limit us?
OH

My bad. I kind of glanced at the title and skimmed the OP so I missed it.

I would die very soon. Unable to provide for myself in the future... And there are so many things that this would effect in society it's not funny.
 

Hannah

beep bop boop
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Dang. I just wouldn't buy anything..
It would be really tough to live in a world like that. This reminds me of the saying "Money doesn't buy happiness".

I totally agree. I won't buy anything. I'd rather have no material object than suck out my happiness. Material objects won't make me happy. Is Justin Bieber counted as a material object?
 

TRIFORCE89

Guide of Darkness
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That would be horrible. If I want to buy something for entertainment for example, something that would be fun and cause happiness, I have to cut some happiness first? Why bother?

On a more fundamental level, to buy food I'd have to give up happiness. So, my choice is be hungry and happy or survive and be miserable. I don't like those choices.

Nevermind it doesn't do any good for those who are suffering from depression and the like too.
 

Kura

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That would be horrible. If I want to buy something for entertainment for example, something that would be fun and cause happiness, I have to cut some happiness first? Why bother?

On a more fundamental level, to buy food I'd have to give up happiness. So, my choice is be hungry and happy or survive and be miserable. I don't like those choices.

Nevermind it doesn't do any good for those who are suffering from depression and the like too.

Exactly what I was going to say. Plus we'd essentially have to "pay" just to enjoy the little moments that make us feel good. Happiness can be a fleeting moment, too. Happiness is also perspective.
 
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I totally agree. I won't buy anything. I'd rather have no material object than suck out my happiness. Material objects won't make me happy. Is Justin Bieber counted as a material object?
But it isn't just material objects. You need to spend money on food, bills, and so on and so forth. So deciding not to buy anything would probably end up in you either starving to death or relying on generous donations from people who spend their happiness on food.
 

Her

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But it isn't just material objects. You need to spend money on food, bills, and so on and so forth. So deciding not to buy anything would probably end up in you either starving to death or relying on generous donations from people who spend their happiness on food.

I'm still confused though - how exactly do you pay for things with your happiness? What I'm trying to say is, does someone scan you with a machine that takes a certain amount of happiness from you? Does you physically feel less happy as you pay for something?
 

Bounsweet

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That's actually a really cool concept.

I'm going to start off by saying I strongly believe that money buys happiness. Not directly, but it leads to things that make us happy.
I was actually marked down on a paper in high school just because I told the teacher that, when she expected the unanimous 'money doesn't buy happiness' from the class lol. Anyway.

We need money for food, shelter, and (to a lesser extent) clothing. Money leads to transactions that could lead to happiness - getting married? You're likely going to need cash for an engagement ring bro, and that could lead to lifelong happiness. In a long distance relationship? Gonna need money for transportation because I doubt you're going to walk or bike (bicycles also cost money) for 600 miles. Hobbies can also cost a lot of money, and for many people they're the source of relaxation and happiness.

My point being, if happiness were the source of currency, it'd be a continuous cycle of being happy > getting 'paid' > buying something or paying something off > being happy about that, etc.
 

Ho-Oh

used Sacred Fire!
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I'd like this world. I find it easy to get happy if I want to, and generally I'm positive about a lot of things and the negative only lasts a few hours at most. To get happy I'd just... visualize another world, or visualize things I want to see, and so on. I'm very much based on visuals and if I see a normal sight like a Cumulus cloud, for example, I can see far beyond it and see another world in it (such as the ones outside). So if I concentrate... I'll just end up happy! :3
 
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It would be an endless cycle for me. I would spend my happy points to buy stuff which would then make me more happy so then I'd regain my lost points so that I can buy EVEN MORE STUFF! I would have such a field day with this set up haha!
 

Ammako

I hate you. You know who you are.
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If happiness was the currency, would Happiness still count as Happiness as we know it right now?
Like, we would become more and more depressed everytime we bought something?
 

Sydian

fake your death.
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If happiness was a currency, I'd be poor. I'm rarely ever truly happy. Hell, I'm crying right now over nothing lmao.
 

Shining Raichu

Expect me like you expect Jesus.
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They should make a movie from this concept.

In essence, the people who are wealthy and have bought everything they could ever need would be utterly miserable, while the lower class people who do nothing but work all day would be happy as anything. And then because of this, the 'wealthy' and the 'poor' would fluctuate constantly because the extremely happy people would spend their happiness on things they want, only to find out that it makes them miserable and start working toward happiness again, only to find that they want for things again and start the cycle over and over.

Very interesting indeed!

I would hate that world though lol. Insanely erratic and unsettling.
 
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