Can money buy happiness? Isn't that the question of the century? Money and happiness have often been pitted against each other. The popular belief, as evidenced by the number of children's stories with such a theme, is that money can't buy you happiness.

They say, you can have everything in the world but if you don't have friends or anyone to share those things with, it's pointless. They also say that, the more money you have, the more things you end up wanting. It's a vicious cycle, so they say.

But what if money can indeed buy you happiness? You might think this is all crazy talk but there is growing research that suggests otherwise. So can money buy happiness? Read on and make your own conclusions.

1) Great Expectations

Perhaps we have been looking at money and happiness the wrong way all our lives. For example, we pine after the newest laptop or gadget for months, imagining the day when we can finally buy it with our hard earned money.

When the day comes and we bring our newest baby home, we end up feeling a little less enthralled. We automatically think: Money doesn't buy happiness. Look at where it got me.

But according to research, our dissatisfaction has less to do with money and more to do with our uncanny ability to adapt. As human beings, we adapt to our environment very quickly. And so, when the newness of the laptop wears off, so does the feeling of joy, and we automatically equate the sudden drop of energy to being unhappy.

2) Buying the Experience

So if buying that new laptop or that latest designer bag won't make us happy, what will? And how does money fit into the picture? Well, those are very good questions.

Having a lot of money is a good thing because it allows you access to certain "experiences" that elude other people of lesser means. That's right. The key word here is experience.

With money, you can easily sweep your whole family off to the Alps for some first-class skiing. That experience will live on in your memory. If you have a penchant for music, you can easily get yourself trained in the instrument of your choice. Using your money to acquire experiences will make you happy.

3) Generous Proportions

So how else can money buy happiness? You know that warm feeling you get when you help someone in need? You can also do that with money.

Since you don't have to worry about running out of cash anytime soon, you can selflessly donate some of them to charity. Or buy a homeless man a really good meal or a change of clothes. Whatever your form of charity is, it is easier and more plausible with money involved.

So do you think money can buy happiness? If you ask me, I say, absolutely. The more money you have, the more you can give of yourself to others. The trick here is to know how to use the money correctly.