Wealth and Happiness

Text 1 written by David Brooks means that relationship between money and well-being is complex, but the correspondence between personal relationship and happiness is not. David Brooks means that the daily activities play an important part in happiness. According to David Brooks, the most associated with happiness are sex, socializing after work and having dinner with others and the daily activity there are most injurious to happiness is according to David Brooks commuting. David Brooks means that most people overestimate the thought about more money would make our lives better. David Brooks set a good example.

3. Some people think that having money leads to happiness. Do you agree? Why or why not? What are the advantages or disadvantages of being wealthy.

Attention Materials: Many times I have wondered what is true happiness. Is there such thing as true happiness? Can it even be attained if there is such a thing? Is it more of fulfilling desires, or satisfying psychological needs? Every person attempts to realize happiness in its fullest essence. It seems like today people are too busy trying to get rich. Nowadays it is believed that happiness lies in that new mansion, or a nice Ferrari. People are mistakingly assuming that wealth will bring to them a personal significance in which they will achieve happiness.

The texts, “High incomes don’t bring you Happiness” and “You can buy Happiness, if it’s an Experience”, completes the idea that monetary value does not bring true joy. In the passage, “High incomes don’t bring you Happiness”, the author states that bringing in an over excessive amount of money will not make one happy. The author said that an overall income of around $75,000 will complete one’s emotional well being, while anything over that will complete a life evaluation. Life evaluation is the idea that if one was to look at themselves while they’re in their deathbed, how would they rate their lifestyle. This is also supported through different statements within the passage, “You can buy Happiness, if it’s an Experience”. Within this study, it was proven that people enjoyed money, but often spent it on materialistic items which leaves them with a temporary feeling of satisfaction, while when they are given a fully paid trip to the Bahamas, the feeling of peace and joy lasts far longer than when they were to purchase an item of materialistic value. This

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.

Harvard Business School professor Michael Norton and colleagues from the University of British Columbia, Lara Aknin and Elizabeth Dunn found that spending money on others makes people happier than spending money on themselves. In fact, their studies found that how someone spend their money

The saying ‘money can’t buy you happiness’ is very accurate. A key example of this can be seen in many studies done on people’s lives after they win the lottery. Approximately seventy percent of people who win end up unhappy, some even eventually commit suicide. Those with new found wealth often discover some people are only around for their money. According to studies, it’s common for the wealthy to feel that they are superior to people of a lower class, they can also feel a sense of entitlement. These traits can put a strain on their relationships with other people. In the pages that follow this paper will explain that possessing material items such as money, may bring temporary satisfaction, but cannot provide someone with true happiness.

Use your money for buying experiences not material items. Geoff Williams, a frequent writer for U.S News & World Report and author of several books wrote an article in U.S News & World Report entitled “Can Money Buy Us Happiness”. In this article Williams writes about the difference between buying material items and buying experiences and which brings you happiness including the possibility that a third option, buying something for someone else and not yourself is possible for buying happiness. At any rate, whether you choose material items or vacation memories, your long term happiness is at stake. Williams used ethical and emotional appeals to persuade his intended audience that buying experiences will enhance you long term happiness.

From the research on Income and Well-Being, study reports that money does buy happiness, “People with more money have higher reported well-being, they say, all the way up to the top 10 percent of earns”(Derek). Siddhartha’s wealthy life is more admirable, and it also gives him an opportunity for a relationship, since Kamala wants someone that is rich with good-looking clothes and exquisite shoes. Not only in Siddhartha’s society, nowadays, money will also make people happy. It is the basic human need, and it is considered the more the better for people’s desire. An easy example, a woman has a higher chance to choose a rich guy over a poor guy to marry. Wealth leads to happiness and satisfaction in all kinds of society, also in the future for a high chance, however, there is always something more important --

3. in my opinion money doesn 't make happiness but it can lead to happiness depending on the person. if the person is really materialistic than money can be their happiness. but if family morals are more important than the money won 't really matter.

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.

The human characteristics of greed and materialism are a disguise that provide an ephemeral distraction, which over time, creates dissatisfaction. If asked what a person’s overarching life’s objective is, most would answer to be happy and loved. Yet, the misconception that happiness and money are interchangeable is still widely felt.

Whoever said money can’t buy happiness? Today, the argument can be made that happiness and consumerism are directly linked. It is fair to say that happiness is a relative term for different people. However, the obtaining of new and shiny things has become such a part of everyday life, that it provides happiness when people are purchasing something new, and causes sadness when no buying is taking place. For many, it seems to be a protective coating against the harsh realities of everyday stresses from a job, or family life.

However, Myers and Wiederman also consent that wealth, achievement, and one aspect of inheritance, little voice, might be obstacles to achieve happiness. Myers writes that money cannot buy happiness or bring it. Although people in poor countries are less happy than people in rich countries, some rich people are not as satisfied as regular people in the same country, and some of them don't know happiness, whereas a few of them are happy because they know how to gain it and how to spend it. Also, he compares people in the past and the present in the U.S. He concludes that Americans in the past seems happier than Americans now though the economy has been increasing, so wealth cannot escort satisfaction. According to Wiederman, accomplishment also may not lead to well-being since people whose goal is money will not be happy. That is because after achieving their goal, they will compare themselves with those who are richer than them. Then despondency will be their feelings. Moreover, if their goal is not money, and they are strong-linkers, another two situations may occur. He discusses that strong-linkers

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.