Money Values Happiness And Happiness

Happiness is an emotion that can be very easily obtained however it can be very hard to get that intense of joy sometimes. The emotional state of being content is one of the most amazing feelings in the world. Although there is always that clique question, “Does money create happiness?” To answer that no it does not and there is various ways to prove it. Money is just a piece of paper that controls most of your life ,but happiness is not one of them.

Growing up in a family where both my parents came from poor immigrant backgrounds always made financial success a priority and when there was no need to be frugal, my parents did seem happier. But did money buy my parents’ happiness or did money lead to their happiness? Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener attempt to answer that question in their excerpt “Can Money Buy Happiness,” where they claim that “[m]oney can be a help in attaining psychological wealth, but it should be considered in the bigger picture of what makes people general genuinely rich (Biswas-Diener 161). Although not explicitly defined by Diener and Biswas-Diener, “psychological wealth” is the overall measure of happiness, beyond just fiscal affluence, including positive ties with other individuals and joyful temperaments (Biswas-Diener 168). By extending Biswas-Diener and Diener’s idea of “psychological wealth” to include the perception of what wealth is and what wealth consists of beyond monetary success, such as achievements or fulfillment, there exist a copious number of ways to view wealth. One can be rich in more than finances and happiness is dependent upon the perception of wealth due to money being one of several paths, including deliberate effort and being positive, to “psychological wealth” which leads to happiness.

In “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, Mathilde Loisel lives a middle class life with her husband, who is a clerk. She is unhappy about how average she thinks her life is and heavily desires the fulfillment money can bring her. Her attitude is more about what she can do for herself with riches and what attention she can attract, which later leads to the ruin of her life financially. In the song “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy, featuring Bruno Mars, McCoy sings about desiring the same kind of attention and money that Mathilde wants except he not only wants to benefit himself, but for others as well. Wealth is not necessarily a damaging thing to desire however, it is what people want to do with that wealth and status that

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.

If you were to ask the average person if they believed whether or not money can buy one’s happiness, many would likely say no; but if you were to take a closer look at how they choose to spend their money, their purchases would say otherwise. Their purchases would likely say that money can instead buy you many things that make you happy, or at least temporarily. Our society condones the American dream to follow one’s desires because anyone who obtains any level of power, pleasure, and wealth is likely to also achieve a satisfying and successful life. “In a capitalist economy and a culture of consumerism and materialism, are we not bombarded with messages promising happiness through wealth and possessions? Aren’t we every day indoctrinated by advertisements promising bliss through the clothes we wear, the cell phones we buy, and even the beer we drink?”

“More often than city youth with less money and were more likely to experience clinically significant levels of depression, anxiety …(Document 8). This shows that kids who grow up with less money tend to have more mental issues like depression than wealthier youth. Even though there are some points to why money cannot buy happiness, they do not outweigh the points that money can buy

The relationship between money and happiness isn’t as direct as the cliche suggests; every individual’s perception of happiness determines whether or not money can buy

Psychological Effects of Materialism and Work on Happiness by Matt Brundage talks about how happiness for many is the elusive butterfly. However the phrase Wealth does not ensure happiness is deptively simple but is unfortunately not heeded by many in our society. What makes one happy is hard to define because it is transient and differs from person to person. Unhappiness unfortunately generates a need for material possessions and more wealth. For this reason, unhappiness and materialism reinforce each other; materialism breeds unhappiness and vice versa. However Business and the consumerism mindset have helped to shift the source of true happiness from intangible entities such as relationships, faith, and security to material goods. Furthermore,

Money and happiness are linked positivity in the psychology of many cultures and in the economy as well, yet money can be observed playing a sociological role in the ebb and flow of happiness in society. When contrasting the benefits of a dream career against a path to a more attainable means to financial safety, often individuals cognitively associate happiness with money. Does money create happiness or does it at least create a path to happiness? In the book, “Happiness around the World: The Paradox of Happy Peasants and Miserable Millionaires,” Carol Graham confronts this issue. She admits:

In the article Does Money Buy Happiness? author Robert Easterlin discusses happiness, and what contributes and detracts from it. He also addresses the socio-economic paradigms that are of great influence to happiness, and of course, the correlation between happiness and the income of individuals and the correlation between happiness and the income of an entire country. Easterlin takes data from various sources to support the claims in his article.

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 treadmill of production and consumption in today’s society theorizes that happiness is achieved through the acquiring of money and material possessions. Money is today perhaps the most important resource necessary for one to attain these material goods. Because money is so important, most people would prefer to have more of it than less of it. The world considers the highest paying jobs, or good paying jobs, to be the most common way of acquiring money, and thus, more material possessions. Along with this, people have a tendency to invest their own resources with expectation of maximizing their return on that initial investment, or maximizing profits. Time and money are the most powerful resources we have for investment. People invest their time at jobs in order to earn an hourly wage, or bi-weekly salary. The same way stock brokers invest money into a company in order to earn a maximum return. The generation of today are taught that the best investment of their time and money is going to college and earning potential. A higher education which leads to a college degree is renowned as the only guaranteed way to ensure a higher paying job, and thus, maximizing your return on investing time and money.

In the book “Money can buy Happiness” tells about spending money on important and substantial things that bring us long lasting happiness. It provide some helpful information and tips which can be applied in our daily living. If you want to find out how to put together the most of your money in order to get a good and happy life (good return on investment). This book also creates awareness of how we spend our money, investments and savings wisely. For those who wants to analyze whether their spending habits align with their values, this book can be an eye opener for them.

There are many people claim that there is not any relationship between money and happiness. However, I believe that there is a direct relationship between money and happiness. Research shows that being able to provide our basic needs and higher-level wants leads us to a happy life. The relationship between money and happiness is like the relationship between food and body. “The importance of money in human life is similar to the importance of food for the body. Just like you can’t live even for a few days without food, you can’t survive for long without money.”(Singh, 2015).Having access to our necessities, being able to participate in leisure activities, and being able to help our friends, are things which make us happy; and we need money for having them.So, for being happy in our life,