Preview

Money Can Buy Happiness

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
952 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Money Can Buy Happiness
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.

Humans have material needs and money provides the ability to satisfy these tangible needs and wants. Satisfying the want for a new dress or the need for medicine brings on the psychological state of happiness because we have satisfied those desires. The dress you bought from that exclusive store helps you to be confident and happy and the medicine helps cure a loved one. Have you ever felt left out because you see something you want, but can’t afford it? Perhaps all of your friends have the latest iPhone and you’re stuck with your parents old embarrassing

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
  • Good Essays

    “How to buy happiness” is a speech presented by Michael Norton, who holds a B.A. in Psychology and English from Williams and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Princeton, in November 2011. His talk laid down a question that money can actually buy happiness. To emphasize his research, he provided audiences with some reasonable evidences from different relationships in society.…

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Michael Norton’s Tedx talk “ Money Can Buy You Happiness”, Norton suggests that money cam make us happy if we spend it on others. He explores that money often makes us feel very selfish and we do things only for ourself. Thus, happiness is not determinded by how much one earns or how much one spends on himself, but how he spends money on others, no matter how much or how it is spent : “ People who spent money on other people got happier; nothing happened to people who spent money on themselves”- Norton said.…

    • 259 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory 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

    The author begins by talking about the Easterlin Paradox which is made by the economist Richard Easterlin which argues that having money does not lead into happiness. In fact, Leonhardt interviewed Daniel Kahneman who is the winner of 2002 Nobel Prize and he agrees with the Easterlin Paradox as well. On the other hand, Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers who are two young economists from the University of Pennsylvania agree with the author but they think that there are other factors that contribute to happiness. Furthermore, Leonhardt interviewed Easterlin who stated that people in rich countries are more satisfied in the poor ones but he argued that there are other factors that influenced their happiness other than money; because there are individuals in rich countries who are not satisfied with their lives. The author concludes his argument by stating that he believes that money can drastically affect people’s…

    • 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 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

    Many people grow with the mentality that making the most money possible is the wisest decision to make. However, is it always about the fortune? Or do dreams matter more? In “Bricklayer’s Boy,” money seems to be the motivational factor towards happiness and success. But, there comes a point where passion conquers wealth even in a competitive society as today’s.…

    • 903 Words
    • 4 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
  • Satisfactory Essays

    IINTRODUCTION: Money plays a very important role in everyone’s life. It makes people’s livelihood easier helping them to buy all what is material, to do household payments, but it’ can’t buy happiness.…

    • 286 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Many years ago, some friends of mine who were taking a class from popular Swarthmore economics professor Bernard Saffran thought that it would be amusing to ask him if money could buy happiness. Bernie's answer was, "Yes, to a first approximation." This is not a frivolous issue. Many people instinctively distrust or dislike economics. However, once you concede that people with higher incomes are better off than people with lower incomes, you have conceded home field advantage to the economists. To the socialists, we can demonstrate that free markets, capital accumulation, strong property rights, and governments that serve the people rather than oppress them are factors that lead to higher incomes. To the environmentalists, we can show that the keys to environmental sustainability are substitution and technological change, not anti-capitalist primitivism. A Basic Challenge Recently, the Co-Director of the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics Richard Layard spelled out a fundamental challenge to mainstream economics. He argues that higher incomes do not lead to greater happiness. This in turn threatens much of the conventional wisdom among economists concerning policy issues. To an economist, it is literally axiomatic that if people pursue higher incomes, then higher incomes make them happier. We do not believe that people do things that are contrary to their interests. Layard argues instead that people pursue higher incomes even though collectively it is not in their interest to do so. He says that people are deluded into pursuing higher incomes by distortions in…

    • 254 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Can Money Buy Happiness?

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In a literal way money cannot buy happiness because happiness is a feeling, a state of being. Money cannot create permanent state of happiness but definitely it can create temporary excitement.…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It seems to be believed that happiness can be bought. This is because we are living in a society which is surrounded by a desire for material gain. When they have finished paying, for example, the will find themselves empty and still not contented with what they have. Happiness cannot be found in big houses or expensive cars because material belongings are only superficial and will soon disappear. It is necessary to focus attention on the more important things like family and love in order to be happy. This means it will be found the happiness through moral conduct. Therefore, money cannot buy happiness. Conversely, it can be temporally provided the happiness factors through material conduct.…

    • 432 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Money and Happiness

    • 1654 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In this paper, the relationship between happiness and money was examined. Does money buy happiness? Three studies were examined in depth to provide an answer to this question. This paper found that people believed that they would be happier if they were richer. It was also found that people gaining less than $ 75,000 per year experienced lower life happiness. Studies showed that an increase in income is only good for increasing the individual’s happiness for a short period of time.…

    • 1654 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays