Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Can Money Buy Happiness?

Good Essays
340 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Can Money Buy Happiness?
Can money buy happiness?
"Money cannot buy happiness" it is often claimed. But with money you can buy most of the things that are necessary for happiness: good food, accommodation, entertainment, travel, quality health care. No wonder most people want to make as much money as possible. Do you agree or disagree?
The saying that money cannot buy happiness has many opponents. They claim that with the help of money it is possible to get the things that constitute happiness, such as delicious food, beautiful house, travel etc. Therefore, it is understandable why people do their best to earn as much as possible. While money can contribute to the happiness of those for who material wealth is paramount, for those who have other priorities money cannot buy happiness.
Money can give great satisfaction and feeling of happiness to people, who place high value on material possessions. Having expensive cars, spacious and stylish apartments, good food and all the recent achievements of technology in entertainment is a must for these people. Without these attributes of wealthy life, they might feel inferior, insecure and sometimes morbidly depressed.
However, there are people who put a different meaning into the word "happiness". They see happiness in healthy and friendly relations with their families, friends and those who are dear to them. Money cannot buy good relationships. Consequently, it cannot buy happiness for those who hold friendly interaction with people as a priority.
Yet, there are other people, who believe that the only way to true happiness is spiritual paths and not through material possessions or loving relationships. They believe that the aim of our human existence is to become as fully human as possible, to realize the full potential inherent in the human condition. Money is considered by them only as means of survival in this world and does not have to do anything with happiness.
In brief, happiness means different things to different people. Therefore, it can make only those people happy, who see material wealth as a main component of happiness.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    After reading, “ Why Money doesn’t buy happiness,” of Sharon Begley, I have read another essay similar to this one in high school before. This question has been asked for years, everyone has different answers for it, “Does money buy happiness?”- By the author, the economy where people try to get as much as for what they sell as they can, when where people try to pay as little as they can for things they want to buy, the more they can earn/save money, the more contentment they have. The main purpose of this essay is to convince people that not the more money you have, the happier you must be, there are a lot of unhappy rich folks out there are depressed and suicide everyday, but it does give you more choices, which mean money bring you more…

    • 301 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    I agree that money leads to happiness because if you don't have money you can't buy things, you can't go out and do things like go on vacations and do things just to have fun. People who don't have money are also usually extremely stressed out and spend most of their time working.…

    • 1934 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Geography of Bliss Essay

    • 1088 Words
    • 3 Pages

    For centuries, mankind seeks to answer the question: Can money buy happiness? Therefore psychologists are exploring the relationship between wealth and happiness for decades. They came to the conclusion that money can make people happy if it involves moving from a state of extreme poverty into the middle class, but they do not have a noticeable impact in the future. It means that people feel glad and safe when they have enough of money to satisfy daily needs. It is important to understand, what really makes people happy besides the living routine. Jarod Kintz quotes “I think the key indicator for wealth is not good grades, work ethic, or IQ. I believe it is relationships. Ask yourself two questions: How many people do I know, and how much ransom money could I get for each one? ”I think it is safe to say happiness have many aspects. The real versions of well-being that plays out every day are the ones based upon an individual experience, perception and values.…

    • 1088 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In fact, according to Co-author Dr. Danilo Garcia who is a researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy's Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, said, “It's relationships that are most important, not material things, and this is in line with other findings in happiness research” (Dailymail, 2013, para. 4) One of the main reasons of happiness depends on the experiences we had in our lives and on our relationship with friends and families. In fact, I have conducted an online survey where I asked some questions about this matter and one of these questions was (Is money the main factor of happiness?) The result of that question was interesting. Actually, 53 out of 76 which are 69.74 percent answered no; and some of them stated that there many other factors that contribute in making people happier other than money but the most important one is having a good relationship with your friends and family and the experiences that you live with them (Azzuni, 2016). Furthermore, according to Tom Stafford, “One study famously found that people who had big wins on the lottery ended up no happier than those who had bought tickets but didn't win. It seems that as long as you can afford to avoid the basic miseries of life, having loads of spare cash doesn't make you very much happier than having very little” (BBC, 2013,para 2) This study proves the point that you can get happiness by…

    • 1058 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “It seems only natural that happiness should flow from having more money. Even if they don’t admit it, people still behave as though it were true. More money means you can have what you want and do what you want.” (Dean 2008). Wealth and possessions do not equal happiness because no matter how much money and gems you have you can not buy feelings, but only comfort, also if you are working hard for more money you are experiencing more stress and negative emotions.…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although there will always be those who say money cannot buy happiness, money can lead to personal satisfaction, which in the end leads to happiness. Happiness can be created through the things that one owns, also by what they have compared to others around them. As said in the article, “The Happiness of Pursuit,” one helps obtain happiness because “money can boost happiness if it allows people to obtain more of the things they need and desire” (qtd. in Kluger). This is proven through the fact that when people get what they want, or get more of the things they enjoy, then they become happy, and money can be used to get those things. It can also be argued that based on the amount of money one makes, their happiness can either be increased or decreased. In an article from the Time Magazine, according to Belinda Luscombe, “the more [people make], the more they felt their life was going well.” If it is true that the more money people make, and the better they feel pertaining to how their life is going, then they will definitely be happier depending on their monetary wealth. With the constant arguing back and forth of people as to whether money makes people happy, sad, or has no affect, it is apparent that money does affect people’s lives. Money can both help people get what they want, also help make their lives feel as if they are going well, which are both…

    • 1229 Words
    • 36 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The reasons and results of money chasing in a person’s life explains why happiness may not be present. Some human beings have the desire of having more and more money, as if it is all that matters in life. That’s often caused by a lack of a loving and caring family or from some kind of discrimination. For example, a person who doesn’t have that much money may not be well…

    • 662 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The idea that most people have in their heads of what being happy would be like usually involves money, lots of it too. As far statistics show we have tripled our buying power from 1050 to 2000 but our happiness has stayed the same. On the contrary, anxiety levels in children have gone up since 1950. So we can conclude that money does not buy happiness.…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    So if happiness doesn’t come from money, where does it come from? Happiness can be found in the oddest of places. In gratitude, a kept promise, a good conversation, in love, an achieved goal, a fond memory, in friendships . Happiness is everywhere and yet people have such a hard time finding it. Happiness is where we find it, but rarely where we looked for…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Money Can Buy Happiness

    • 952 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Can money buy you happiness? It is a classical debate, sparked by the left-wing communists and religious leaders who suggest that a person can live a full life without the pursuit of money, and instead one must look to a more spiritual existence above the material desires. It is perhaps conceivable in a century gone by where people grew all their food and believed in witches, that a human could forge a fulfilling existence without the need of money to satisfy our desires. However in today’s society money can not only buy happiness, but is a major factor for happiness. Findings by the Institute of Economic Affairs show that happiness levels correlate with the amount of wealth a person accumulates. And, in contrast to popular belief, it does not level off when the assets reach a certain threshold. Money enables us to buy goods and services that we want. When we satisfy these wants we feel fulfilled, happy and pleased because we as humans love getting what we want. Money can give us experiences and opportunities that we would otherwise never be able to have. It can open doors to elite schooling, worldwide trips and making a difference in the world via charity. Money allows us to live a carefree, happy life because we don’t have financial strain. Money makes the world go round because it buys happiness, that’s why we spend hours a day slaving away to earn it. It is the key that unlocks the door to happiness.…

    • 952 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gatsby Money Vs Happiness

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “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,” quoted by Benjamin Franklin. Money can’t buy happiness because materials are short lived, human connection is more important, and wealth undermines people’s ability to savor positive events from the sheer abundance. Money will accumulate, but it is easy to chase more and more until you realize you’re not actually living.…

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How much we earn from money and our emotional state, information and support show the correlation between those factors, determining that money can buy happiness. “$76,000 in Minnesota is reaching the “happiness benchmark” ” (Short). Which means earning more than $76,000 as a yearly salary wont improve how individuals feel day-to-day. Although this income goes towards education, security, housing, and bills of standard living, etc. what’s left over is for people’s entertainment such as material or experiential things either way money is a motivator. Having goals to reach and opportunities are what people look for, primarily having more possibilities and choices you have is an accomplishment (Short). While V, Jayaram says happiness is what you can’t buy in stores, like love, dreams, friends, and time. Arguing with this point you need to achieve again the “happiness benchmark” to be financially stable and comfortable to fulfill ones dreams in life…

    • 802 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Can Money Buy Happiness?

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As the most significant sign of wealth, possessing a large sum of money has become a unique pursuit for many people around the world. Many people believe that they can achieve happiness if they have a lot of money. But can money really buy true happiness?…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In conclusion, we have all desired to be wealthy so that we can enjoy life without financial worries. The idea that money cannot buy happiness is an easy idea to agree with. However, not having to worry about day to day expenses is in it own, money buying happiness. If you are still not convinced that money can buy happiness, then there is one last quote I want you to think about as I conclude. If “Money can't buy happiness, neither can…

    • 273 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Happiness isn't something you can buy with money. I feel like society today is all about money. The so called "good" jobs are usually the jobs that make the most money. I know money is pretty powerful, but it still has its limits. Money can't buy us happiness nor health. In my opinion, being happy isn't as easy to achieve as people think. Sometimes, it is even possible for happiness to spread.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays