Saving And The Most Good You Can Do By Peter Singer: An Analysis

From a personal perspective, people do not have to have money to be happy, but some money is necessary in order to survive. Chris McCandless passed away in the Alaskan wild because he did not have the proper means of survival for those conditions. His family kept saying, “I just do not understand why he had to take those kind of chances” (Krakauer 132). His own family even hated him for believing the way he did. If he had money to go buy more food and some better supplies for his trip to Alaska, then there is a much higher chance that he would have survived.

He said people are happier if they live in wealthy than poor nations. However, when people have enough money to pay for their basic need of food, shelter, etc., money does relatively little to improve happiness. He said people today are twice as rich as people in the late 1960s, but they were less happy than people in the 1960s. In the article “Spending Become You” the author Juliet Schor argues that Americans are looking for happiness, so that lead them to continuously buy so much and overspend without even realizing that they are spending more than they make. David G Myers, in the article “ The Funds, and Faith of Happy people” he argues that it is impossible what these people are doing, because money can’t buy happiness. This shows that, the American habit of overspending is unnecessary. Myers’ article enables us to understand why Schor said, all that Americans do is spend, spend and spend as if they can’t have fun without spending

With all this talk about finding your happiness, there should be a conversation on some differences with the two articles I chose. Both authors offer great additions in evaluating one’s life. Nevertheless, there is a large contrast when comparing an income to a religion. Hamburg’s evaluation in Can Money Buy Happiness is focused on a monetary approach. This is good because money can give us a lot of different opportunities. With money, one can afford certain vacations and better school districts for their kids. Hamburgh is basing his argument on something that is different for everyone. One person might have a better income because they were born into a better situation and could afford college. Especially with the massive wage gap in America today, there are some things that income

How often do you wake up worrying about money? How often do your loved ones worry about money? How often have you heard, “if only I had the money?” How often do you feel that more money would solve all your problems and would make you happy? What if I told you that you were right, to an extent. Author’s across the discussion of happiness have tried to answer the simply stated, yet complicatedly answered question, “Can Money Buy Happiness?” Authors Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diner attempt to answer the question in their piece of the same name, by explaining that “Yes, money buys happiness…but it must be considered in the bigger picture of what makes people genuinely rich” (Biswas-Diener 160-161). This idea that fiscal wealth is a path to happiness

Michael Norton, the TED Talk speaker, discussed “How to Buy Happiness.” Norton is a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School; he has also studied psychology. Furthermore, Norton did research on whether spending money on oneself or on others can make a person happy. According to him, people who spend money on others are happier than those who spend money on themselves. He wanted to convince his audience that happiness is in sharing or giving to others. First, he gained the attention of his public by starting his speech with humor. Similarly, he has conducted various surveys on how two groups of people, who felt differently, spend money on others like charity or giving gifts from different countries like Uganda and Canada. Although Norton’s attempts at stablishing credibility were somewhat ineffective, his arguments were mostly effect because of his use of logos and pathos.

Spending money on others can also bring happiness to a person. Giving others money and having the sense that you helped someone else and also made them happy is another reason how money can buy happiness. Also being surrounded with wealth and living in a wealthy country or community can also provide people with happiness. Studies have shown that if you live in a wealthy country you are most likely going to be happy, and also helps prove that money

I believe this because if one has clinical depression, or has the worst mood on any given day, I do not believe that spending money on another person can help a mentally ill person or anyone with a horrible mood cope. In spite of that, in some cases I do believe that money can buy happiness. In one case, my personal opinion of spending money for others around the holiday is very delightful and mood lifting. Waiting to see the surprise on the faces of loved ones as they unwrap their gifts makes my entire day. Also, the negativity surrounding those winners of the lottery are also not associated with those who are comfortable, such as the destruction of social lives and the impending doom of debt that come following the irresponsible purchases. With saying all of this, I also believe that money can buy happiness based purely on what was seen and shown during the experiments. The many people used to prove that spending money on others truly shows that the change on what is spent can improve one’s entire mood and attitude, and I think that is remarkable. In conclusion, despite the main counterarguments that I have stated above, I believe that in most cases, money can indeed buy

What brings us happiness, people or materialistic objects? In, “Too much of Nothing,” Charlie Creekmore states that most Americans believe wealth brings happiness meaning happiness can be bought. Though he exaggerates to make his point, I do agree with his notion. I have met too many individuals that value wealth and materialistic objects and believe that they will find happiness in that. My friend’s roommate, Shanice, my grandmother, and my mom’s co-worker, Theresa, are some of the few that believe that happiness can be bought.

Most time when money does not bring happiness, it is due to how the person is using it. In a Ted Talk by Michael Norton, he talks about how when used correctly money can buy happiness. In his Ted Talk he made the claim that if money doesn’t bring you happiness, then you’re using it wrong (Norton). Often, people who do not find happiness from money are spending it in an antisocial manner, as Norton explained. It has been found that when money is spent “prosocially” those spending the money tend to be much happier than those that spend on themselves. We see this type of behavior from those who are constantly “keeping up with the Joneses”. In an article relating to this topic it says that “Some people may not be able to ‘keep up with the Joneses’

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:

Money makes the world go around. Peter Singer, professor of bioethics, came out with the Singer Solution to World Poverty, that “whatever money you’re spending on luxuries, not necessities, should be given away.” While that formula sounds simple, it is obviously easier said than done. The benefit of Singer’s solution would finally be equality for all people. Although the drawback to this formula would be asked in this question, “Why should the wealthy give money they worked hard for?” People can only give and do so much until it is over the top and out of control.

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?”

Using philosopher John Mills’s definition as his own as well, he believes that happiness is not focusing on oneself, but rather “Those only are happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than their own happiness; on the happiness of others. (John Mills)” In other terms, the only way one can be happy is by putting forth their attention to the happiness of others, and not themselves. Mahatma Gandhi once said that “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Compassion makes one happy. A brain-imaging study, headed by neuroscientist Jordan Grafman from the National Institute of Health, showed that the what is called “pleasures centers” in the brain are equally active when we observe someone giving money to charity as when we receive money ourselves. Actually, giving to others increases our well-being far above and beyond spending money on ourselves. In an experiment conducted in Science by Harvard Business School, professor Michael Norton, participants received a sum of money. One half of the participants were instructed to spend the money on themselves, and the other half were told to spend the money on others. In the end, participants that had spent money on others felt significantly more joy than those that had spent money on themselves. As one can see, there is science behind it. Giving is the key to

Everyone wants to live a happy life. Even those people that hate everything about everyone. The trick is how to get that wanted happiness. Is money a way to achieve this happiness? People, philosophers, professors, and ordinary, everyday people have been pondering this age-old question about the relationship between money and happiness and if money can buy happiness for a very long time. Much research and many surveys have been asked and performed by excited researchers and agog economists. A lot of experiments and presentations galore were rendered by inquisitive University professors and intrigued university undergraduates to provide useful data. As it turns out, money can and will buy happiness for everyone that spends it at the right time and on the right things.

Does the thought of a brand new pair of shoes fill your heart with joy? If so, would you still feel the same about those same shoes ten years from now? Most likely, the answer to the second question is no. That is the point that Carl Richards is trying to make in the article, The Odd Relationship between Money and Happiness. When searching for a topic to write about, I came across this article. I found it on the New York Times website. Richards claim is that money does not contribute to happiness, overall. This is because having money will always lead to the desire of feeling the need to have more, whether it is luxuries or money, itself. Although I agree with Richards up to a point, I cannot accept his overriding assumption that money does not support happiness.