Does being free make you happy? What is freedom anyway? Of course, these are complex questions that don’t have definitive answers. But by exploring the connection between freedom and happiness, perhaps we can make sense of some of it.
On a recent volume of Psychology of Entrepreneurship, we brought you the highlights from an enlightening Clubhouse conversation. My famous friends Brad Mills, Jimmy Song and Scott Mitchell joined in on the fun, and we explored the topic of freedom.
Now, this is by no means a simple subject. Everyone had different definitions of freedom, and they applied these definitions in different ways. However, we all seemed to agree on one thing. Freedom equals value, and we all tend to see value in similar ways. And as Scott says, “All freedom starts with our freedom of thought. And no one can take that away from you, except yourself.”
Does freedom equal happiness?
However you define freedom, does it have an impact on your overall happiness? Research says it does. In the United States, the General Social Survey, or GSS, gathers information every two years on a wide variety of topics. In the year 2000, GSS asked adult Americans about their attitudes about freedom. About 70% of people asked said they were “completely free” or “very free”. 25% said they were “moderately free”.
Although this information alone wasn’t surprising, GSS also revealed that people who said they felt completely or very free were twice as likely to say that they were very happy about their lives. While people that said they were moderately free reported being unhappy or not very happy. Even taking income, gender, education, race, religion, politics and family status into account, they found that people who felt free were about 20% more likely than others to say they were very happy. So in basic terms, if you see yourself as free, you’re more likely to be happy.
What’s Bitcoin got to do with all this?
Ok, ok, so being free makes you happy. So how do we increase our overall freedom? Well, lots of people think it has a hell of a lot to do with money. But, not in the way you think. Enter Bitcoin and cryptocurrency.
“When you learn more about Bitcoin, you learn more about freedom and values,” crypto expert Brad Mills said.
Think about it. Our entire lives, we’re told to work hard, save our money, and one day it will all pay off. Meantime our savings are sitting in centralised banks, losing value. That’s right, as your hard-earned money sits in a bank, it’s losing value.
On the flip side, Bitcoin gives you complete control of your money. Now, I am in no way a cryptocurrency expert. Thankfully, I have friends who are. And they say we should be paying close attention to how mad crypto is making big banks. Of course, they’re angry. When you control the entire system of money, you control freedom as a whole, don’t you? Bitcoin allows you to take back that control.
Brad, Jimmy and Scott didn’t go deep into the inner workings of Bitcoin. But even the areas they touched on were insanely eye-opening. If happiness is connected to freedom, and freedom is related to money, and money is value, what does it all mean?? Well, for me, it means we need to pay much closer attention to the future of money as a whole. Our freedoms begin with us and what we’re willing to give up. I don’t know about you, but I’m not willing to give up much.
For more on the subject of freedom and money, check out this insightful Clubhouse conversation on Volume 73 of Psychology of Entrepreneurship. Then find me, @ronsley, on Clubhouse and follow the Psychology of Entrepreneurship club to catch a live session. I’d love to hear your voice.
Author: Ronsley Vaz
Ronsley is the founder & chief day dreamer at AMPLIFY. He is an author, speaker & serial entrepreneur.
He has a Masters’ degree in Software Engineering and an MBA in Psychology and Leadership. He is known as the creator of We Are Podcast – the first Podcasting Conference in the Southern Hemisphere, and the host of The Bond Appetit Podcast and Should I Start a Podcast. He has an audience of over 3 million in 133 countries.