Not true. Plenty of nonrich people say money doesn't buy happiness. I've known people from literally every socioeconomic level, and one thing that's very very obvious to me is that there's no actual correlation between happiness and socioeconomic status.
My favorite take on the sentiment is that money doesn't buy happiness, but it can rent it for a little while.
When all your problems can be solved by money, it buys happiness. When none of your problems can be solved by money, the perception is it isn't impacting your happiness, but I bet getting rid of it would impact your happiness a lot...
I've always taken to the perspective that money alleviates stress and anxiety, but alleviating stress and anxiety is not the definition of happiness (even if it helps).
Your perspective encapsulates mine and I would add that having no financial burden does grant one all of their time too if they choose. Time is the one thing that no one can ever directly buy more of and earning more time is done day in and day out through sound choices around mental and physical activity. Money buys experiences, invest wisely to earn more time, while I state to everyone to "Stay Healthy!" and make sound long term choices because one's potential future health event can significantly change one's future. I speak from direct experience.
In the hobbyist/amateur racing scene there is a saying that "money can't buy happiness, but it can buy a racecar, and a racecar brings happiness."
Which is meant to be flippant, but there's truth in it. The rise and grind folks that spend their existence chasing money often forego hobbies. And then they achieve success and become sort of lost. Maybe they buy stuff to rent happiness for a while, but without any underlying interest or passion, it's just stuff, and can't provide any lasting happiness. That's why so many successful people go back to work, because it's the only thing they know how to do.
I just know if I end up with a giant pile of cash, I'm paying for my whole team to go racing as much as we'd like.
I've spent most of my life on the lower socioeconomic ladder, I understand the copium that poor folks use to get through life that seems designed to exclude them and keep them from having nicer things.
I specifically commented further up that it's bizarre to claim that money doesn't buy happiness, because it pretty obviously does, at least up to a certain point. But I also remember times in my life where I've comforted myself by pretending that being poor was a virtue instead of just being shafted by life and circumstance and I've heard similar thoughts expressed by others.
Are these non-rich actually struggling or is it just a cope for them? By struggling I mean having to choose between paying various things like food, heat, electricity, car, rent and so on?
My favorite take on the sentiment is that money doesn't buy happiness, but it can rent it for a little while.