Economic Growth Brings Greater Happiness

What is happiness? There exists many different opinions and scientific studies proving that people have happiness in their life is a choice in life. However, what one person finds happiness in may bring sadness and sorrow to another. Some people only value greed and money, while others may find happiness in nature and being able to live another day. There seems to be no universal criteria to define what exactly happiness is.

Happiness is something that most people can’t achieve. It's a feeling that most people can learn. You can’t learn feelings like anger and depression. You can learn the steps that can guide you into happiness through fulfilling desires. Happiness is something that could be simple or complex. Seeing a puppy could make you happy or winning the lottery.

By changing the perception of all types of wealth, not just fiscal prosperity, multiple pathways to happiness become apparent. “When your

Happiness is one of the most basic things that people strive for in life. Everyone wants to be happy. There are hormones and compound in your body that make you feel happiness. There are also things in some people's life that make people happy that might make someone else sad. No one wants to be sad. There have also been studies done to see the causes of happiness.

Don Peck and Ross Douthat convey through their editorial, “Does Money Buy Happiness?,” that one’s level of content to a degree is contingent upon their ability to act as a consumer in society. Peck and Douthat base their assumption on research which shows, “For individual countries, with few exceptions, self-reported happiness has increased as incomes have risen” (332, par.4) Based on this statistic, it is being assumed that one’s ability to support their lifestyle and perhaps better it creates a sense of security that leads to happiness.

Happiness is something that everyone seeks. It is one of the sole purposes of our lives to find it. Still, there are some people who don’t even know what it is yet. Happiness is when you feel at peace. It is when times are at best and you feel good.

British economist Richard Layard published a book entitled Happiness in which he discussed the results of several tests he ran. He discussed having a group of children that were asked how happy they were on a scale of one to ten. The children's overall happiness level was about a six. Then each child got to select a “gift”, at random, from a bag. Again the children were asked how happy they were on a scale of one to ten. Surprisingly their happiness level had dropped. It was now a four. They were now materially “richer”, but they reported being less happy than before. This shows that wealth does not make us happy. So why do we, like Willy still think it will? (Professor Richard Layard on Happiness) (Carroll, 2012).

The authors also claimed that the graphs on pages 332-333 shows how Americans are more materialistic than the previous decades, however the chart’s caption on page 333 says “People who value money highly tend to be less happy than those who value love”. And the chart on page 332, shows the percentage of Americans being “Very Happy” over the past three decades. The chart on page 332 shows from the year 1957 (57%) to 2000 (47%), there is a 6% drop of Americans being “Very Happy”. The chart on page 333 shows an exponential growth for the people who value love while the value for money is

I define happiness as being the one and only creator of your own experience, choosing to take pleasure in what you have, right now, regardless of the circumstances, while being the best you that you can be. Happiness is feeling safe and supported no matter what your doing, and not being ashamed of who you are. Finally, happiness is, fundamentally, a choice. Your choice.

Happiness is not a strange term to us. We usually use that word to express our feelings in every day. Additionally, more than a word, “happiness” is what we really need and always seek in life. However, finding and understanding deeply its meaning is not easy. The online dictionary, “vocabulary.com” defines, “Happiness is a sense of well-being, joy, or contentment. When people are successful, or safe, or lucky, they feel happiness.” Thus, we always wonder if we are happy or how could we be happier in our life. Happiness, therefore, becomes a goal for everybody.

Happiness is often explained as a sense of well- being, joy, or contentment. I believe happiness is exactly that, but it has many factors that come into this word. Many things make people happy, such as love, becoming successful, having a family, or other things. Happiness is brought out everyday in people. For many people the littlest aspects of life are what make them content.

Although Americans do look better and feel better with the extravagant items they purchase, money doesn’t buy happiness for long term goals. Like many will argue, like Atlantic senior editor Derek Thompson did in his 2013 article, “Yes, Money Does Buy Happiness: 6 Lessons on the Newest Research on Income and Well-Being,” money can only buy happiness for short term goals; it won’t last very long for everyone and it could lead to worse scenarios when the money is gone. Thompson (2013) included statistics on richer countries that are proven to be happier, explaining, “First, the lines go up. More money, more happiness. Second, the lines go up in parallel, more or less. Across language, culture, religion, ethnic background, the same amount of extra money seems to buy the similar amount of extra happiness.” Thompson (2013) found the same similar pattern in many other countries and concluded that they are more happy than poorer countries. Although poorer countries don’t have as many resources or many things like richer countries do, Seth Borenstein, in his 2017 article for The Independent, “Norway Beats Denmark to be Named the Happiest Country in the World by the UN,” can beg to differ. Borenstein (2017) says, “While most countries were either getting happier or at least treading water, America's happiness score dropped 5 per cent over the past decade” (Borenstein, 2017). That shows that America, one of the richest

In his article The Funds, Friends, and Faith of Happy People David G. Myers analyzes results of different surveys and researches in attempt to answer the question: “does money make people happier?” The conclusion suggests they do not. While many people have an opposite opinion, facts show the correlation between money and happiness weakens with the increase of income.

In today’s materialistic world, the phrase that ‘money can’t buy happiness’ is tending to be proved hence otherwise. Social research and surveys have shown results based on an individuals income, health and the political scenario which is dominant in his or her region. It is quite obvious that the gap between the privileged and the not so is growing into a great divide giving rise to different class and status, thus defining ones social circle. It should therefore be understood how an individuals economic status affects their personal happiness throughout all aspects of life. Many tend to refer to this age-old quote especially when they tend to belong to sector of people who can’t afford the modern day luxuries of life. What they do not

The beautiful smile. The joyous laugh. The smiling eyes. The high pitched voice. All describe the characteristics of one being happy. Benjamin Franklin once stated “money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has the more one wants.”. In turn that quote has been a center of debates for centuries. Conversing over the debatable topic in which happiness does or does not extend from money. In a society such as the twentieth century, happiness is evidently reflected by wealth. Therefore, happiness is influenced by the amount of wealth that corresponds to the way one uses their money.