The short answer is no. Minimalism by itself is not guaranteed to make you happier. But it creates many of the conditions that make you happier. One way it does this is to reduce things that detract from your happiness. Another way is to free up resources for the things that make you happier. It will even increase your incentive to go after the things that make you happier.
But to understand why we must first understand our needs:
We all have physical and emotional needs that we must meet to be happy. Physical needs include things like sustenance, protection from the elements, and sanitation. For example, it's hard to be happy if you are starving to death.
Comfort is the sign that you are meeting your physical needs. But once you have met your physical needs, extras do not make you more comfortable. Here are some examples:
Example 1:
If your belly is full, then eating more will not make you more comfortable.
Example 2:
If your home is at the right temperature, then making it warmer or cooler will not make it more comfortable. In fact, it will have the opposite effect.
Example 3:
If your mattress is of the right firmness, then getting a softer one will not make you more comfortable. Also, getting a firmer one will not make you more comfortable either.
Emotional needs are a little different. You don't have to meet all of them to be happy. But the more of them you meet, the happier you will be. Here are the things that contribute to your emotional needs:
Spending time with people who you enjoy being around
Spending time doing or experiencing things that you enjoy
Doing things that make you feel better about yourself
Moments of relaxation or inner peace
You will notice that all these "things" are intangible. You will also notice that they all demand time. With this in mind, here is why minimalism creates the conditions to make you happier:
Minimalism makes you realize that you have all the material possessions you need
The minimalism journey begins with decluttering. This means removing useless things from your home. When you are removing useless things, you realize 2 things:
1. You already have all the material things you need to be comfortable.
2. In the past, you had too many. This is why you are getting rid of things.
This means that you don't need anything more to be comfortable. Getting any extras will not make you more comfortable. If something needs replacing, then you replace it. You are then back to having everything you need to be comfortable.
Any increased happiness will have to come from fulfilling your emotional needs. Also, those needs are intangible and you fulfill them by doing things. Some material possessions can help if you use them to do these activities. But it is the activities that fulfill the emotional needs.
Knowing that you have everything you need is a liberating feeling. It allows you to focus on your emotional needs, and that can increase happiness. Status symbols lose their meaning, and there is no more need to keep up with the Joneses. Envy and greed also lose their grip. You see them as the emotional clutter which they are. Also, you are now committed to removing clutter from your life.
Some people feel empty after realizing that they have everything they need. It also happens to many who achieve their life's dream only to find out that they are still not happy. This is a reckoning for both of these groups. It means that they need to spend more time on their emotional needs. This realization is the first step on the right path. This is the path of greater happiness.
Minimalism lets you have more money
Money can increase happiness if you use it to fulfill emotional needs. Here are some examples:
Example 1:
Using money to help those in need. You feel good knowing the world is a little better because of you.
Example 2:
Spending money to do things that you enjoy or meet people you love.
Minimalism encourages you to stop wasting money on things you don't need. This leaves you more money to spend on the things that make you happy.
Minimalism lets you have more time
Doing the things that meet your emotional needs demands time. This makes your time a precious resource for your happiness. Minimalism saves you time in more ways than one.
When you spend less time buying things, that saves time. Also, by saving money, minimalism saves time. This is because you trade time for money when you earn a living. When you need less money to spend on things, you don't need to work as much.
Decluttering is part of minimalism. This saves a lot of time that you would spend cleaning and looking for things. Minimalism is also about decluttering your time. You learn to say no to unnecessary commitments which don't interest you. This time is better spent doing things that bring you joy.
Minimalism lets you have less stress
Stress will reduce your happiness. It makes it hard to enjoy moments of relaxation and inner peace. Minimalism is great for reducing stress in a few ways.
One major source of stress is lack of time or money. Minimalism reduces this stress by freeing up time and money.
The other source of stress is clutter. Clutter increases the level of cortisol, which is a stress hormone. It is also documented that clutter has a strong negative impact on perceived well-being. This perceived well-being is a major part of your happiness. By removing clutter, minimalism gets rid of this source of stress. Things that clutter up your time also increase stress. Minimalism advocates removing this clutter too. Removing these sources of stress will improve your happiness.
You can focus more on the things that make you happy
We now know that minimalism increases resources for your emotional needs. But it also increases your focus on meeting these emotional needs. You will become less focused on things like useless stuff and keeping up with the Joneses. Also, the mind likes to have something to think about. So your mind will naturally turn to fulfil your emotional needs. This is the path of happiness.
The important things
In summary, minimalism is not guaranteed to make you happier. But it creates many of the conditions that make you happier. It lets you realize that you have everything you need to be comfortable. It also allows you more time and money to pursue the things that make you happy. It even increases your incentive to pursue the things that make you happy. On top of that, it makes you more aware of what makes you happy. Although minimalism is not guaranteed to make you happy, it most likely will.