We all know that money is important. But how important? How much does it really affect our lives?

In my experience, I've found that the answer is "a lot." In fact, money can be so important to us that it can affect our mental health.

To understand how this works, we first need to look at what money actually means in our lives: What does it do for us? How does it make us feel? What roles do we assign it in our lives?

I asked myself these questions  and found some interesting answers. For example:

-Status: We associate money with status and power. Having more money than others is an indicator of superiority and success; having less than others is an indicator of inferiority and failure

-Need: Most people need to earn at least enough money to survive each day; if they don't, they may feel like a failure or even go hungry (physically or emotionally)

-Security: Having some money saved up gives us security in case something unexpected happens (e.g., losing a job or an accident)

What do you think about?