Why Money Doesn 't Make You Happy, Then You 've Aren 't Spending It Right

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.

As Begley “When people buy something they try to pay as little for it as they can” (p. 1). Therefore, I agree that money sometimes can bring happiness while there are a lot of things which people cannot have it with money. The author states that people enjoy when they get something on sale, and they feel happy when they spend less money for. Also, the author mentions how money can affect people who are poor and give them happiness; however, rich people gather money to increase their wealth. Sharon also writes about the survey, which how people consider their 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.

She begins with stating that money does not and cannot fill a person’s basic psychological needs (Rubin 295). Rubin goes on to claim that we do take daily things, like air conditioning and a car, for granted and we do not know how good we have something until it is gone. She does offer a solution to our problem; which is spend money wisely. As long as we know how to use and spend money we can be happy. Rubin brings out the topic of spending out.

The article "Buy Experiences, Not Things" by James Hamblin, in The Atlantic explains that experiences in life make people more happy than material goods do. People are more satisfied with the things they do compared to the things that they own. The article states that more enjoyment is found in anticipating the purchase of an item than is experienced in actually owning the item. People enjoy hearing about experiences other have had whether they shared in the same event or not. People do not like hearing about material items others own.

Psychologist James Hamblin believes that happiness comes from experiences that occur in life rather than the materials life has to offer. In other words, a person will be happier in the long run going on vacation rather than buying a new phone. Hamblin’s article creates an argument in hopes of encouraging people to enjoy the moments in life and not the big or little things. Hamblin argues that ‘if you pay for an experience, like a vacation, it will be over and gone; but if you buy a tangible thing, a couch, at least you 'll have it for a long time” (Hamblin 2014). A person may be able to buy something and have it in possession for a long period of time,

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

What is the first thing that comes up into your mind when you read this quote? The majority of rich people in the world always think of this quote in their minds. Money is not the first reason to make every single person happy in this world. Money might buy all the materialistic wants in this world but not happiness. “The Barbie-Q” by Sandra Cisneros clearly emphasizes that it’s not always money that brings happiness into our lives. The story is about a girl who comes from a poor family, and she always plays with her cheap Barbie doll with her friend. The financial condition of her family does not really bother her as long as she has her Barbie with her. The story is mainly about a little girl’s perspective about her life and the pleasant

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.

It is often said that, “Money can’t buy happiness.” In Cass R. Sunstein’s Yes, Money Can Make You Happy, Sunstein provides a summary and review of Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton’s Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending; he declares that money, when spent wisely and with the right attitude, can provide the most elusive of all human experiences: happiness. In a changing social climate with advances in technology offering unmatched convenience, and a culture in which diverse people with equally diverse sets of values come together, the study of what truly makes us happy is especially relevant now more than ever. While money can certainly be spent in a manner which will create happiness, what Sunstein neglects to address in his writing is that more money does not always equate to more happiness, regardless of how and when it is spent.

The subject of this paper is the age-old question, “Does Money Buy Happiness”. On the surface, this question appears to be an easy one. Happiness however, is a subjective item. To better answer this, several points must be analyzed such as, “What is happiness?”, “How is it measured?” etc. To better streamline this process, a research question was developed:

Keeping from having an excess amount of materialistic, unneeded goods and genuinely enjoying a simplistic lifestyle measures a greater happiness. Rather than purchasing an increased amount of “things” to possess, the focus should be on “how these things are used”(Pursuit of Happiness). Socrates’ ideas point that “Happiness should not depend on external things...and a wise person will use money in the right way in order to make his life better.” For example, using currency in such a way to gain life experiences or knowledge results in a greater satisfaction and measure of happiness because it leaves priceless memories and lasting impressions. Through learning and experiencing, we humans can fulfill that natural desire to contribute and participate in the human phenomenon as a whole, precisely making life better.

The happiest experiences often involve people we care about, and thus taps into human beings’ greatest source of meaning”(Moeller). When you spend money on trips you make some memories that you will most likely remember for a life time. Memories that a person can look back at and think about. Memories that can bring a smile to your face. All of these memories you get from taking a trip basically come down to some money you invested. Investing money to make memories that will make you happy is worth it because people just don’t forget memories. Memories are priceless, they can never be taken away from you. This is just one example on how money can bring you happiness.

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,