Reflections on the perception of the elderly regarding happiness and money

Abstract Objective: To describe and reflect the possible relationships established by the elderly between happiness and money. Method: It is a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research, carried out from a semi-structured interview with 19 elderly people, in their households, of both sexes in 2017 and 2018, in two states of the South region of Brazil, through content analysis. Results: What emerged in the voice of older people unfolded into two categories: Money as a way of life and Money does not bring happiness. Participants indicated relationships between happiness and money because money is one of the conditions to meet the basic needs of daily life, but it appeared as a propedeutic resource for happiness. They also reported that the obsessive pursuit of money can generate fascination, anxiety and depression. Conclusion: The participants indicated that money is a means to live well and be happy and was not considered the highest goal of their lives. He is not a promoter of happiness, but can contribute to the pursuit of peace, tranquility and inner satisfaction.

摘要 研究目的：描述并阐释老年人群体所构建的幸福与金钱之间的潜在关联。研究方法：本研究属于定性、探索性与描述性研究，于2017至2018年间在巴西南部两个州开展，通过半结构化访谈（semi-structured interview）对19名男女老年受访者在其家中进行调研，并采用内容分析法（content analysis）开展数据分析。研究结果：老年受访者的表述可归纳为两大类别：「金钱作为一种生活方式」与「金钱并不能带来幸福」。受访者指出幸福与金钱之间存在关联，因金钱是满足日常生活基本需求的条件之一，但同时它也仅作为幸福的预备性资源存在。此外，受访者还提到，执念式追求金钱可能会催生着迷、焦虑与抑郁情绪。研究结论：受访者认为金钱是实现优质生活与获得幸福的手段，而非人生的最高目标。金钱并非幸福的直接催生者，但可为人们追求平和、安宁与内在满足感提供助力。