(NewsNation) — Musician and actor Ice Cube says young people need to learn that money can’t buy happiness.
According to the Global Flourishing Study, young adults are struggling to find joy around the world. The 2025 World Happiness Report ranked the U.S. as 24th in happiness. The study suggests that money is not a factor but that having a sense of community, spending time with family and having a purpose in life may contribute to helping younger generations flourish in the world.
Ice Cube joined NewsNation’s “On Balance” to talk about how young people can find happiness in the world. He said he believes financial success is not the key to happiness but rather a tool you need and want to be able to navigate through tough circumstances in life.
“At the end of the day, if you’re finding your happiness in things, it’s a dead-end road,” Ice Cube said. “You can’t find your happiness in money, in anything you need to plug up or needs batteries. You find your happiness in people.”
When it comes to sports, Ice Cube said excellence and work ethic should be rewarded in youth sports and that’s what makes all sports and even things beyond that great. He added that he focuses on his Big3 basketball league in other that young people can see what leads to success in life.
Ice Cube added that participating in activities can lead to better outcomes and make youth feel more fulfilled and happy in life.
“It’s finding a purpose other than being connected to your device,” Ice Cube said. “There’s too much sitting around going on, and it’s leading to unhappiness.”