Can Money Buy Happiness Analysis

If money can buy happiness, then why are the wealthy not constantly happy and the poor constantly upset? Fancy clothes, nice cars, and big houses are equivalent to someone’s happiness right? Wrong. People do not need to have any of these things to actually be happy in life long-term. According to the economist Tibor Scitovsky, happiness is defined by,” work satisfaction, friendship, and the pleasures of solitary thought, reading, and other forms of non-commercial leisure” (Lane). If this is the case then there is no way that money could be a fundamental attribute to a person’s happiness. Jonathan Freedman pointed out in Happy People that, “[t]he rich are not more likely to be happy than those with moderate incomes; the middle class is not more likely to be ... …show more content…
What reasoning may they have for believing this? “According to Dwight Lee, “more money does increase happiness, but only temporarily” (Lee). Although throughout the essay it has been argued that money cannot buy happiness, there can be some agreement with the statement that temporary happiness can be bought. For instance, if someone were to get a raise then he or she would be elated; however, once the person adjusts to living life by the new salary the happiness that came with the raise would slowly fade away. “The happiness gained from struggle and achievement may be temporary, but fortunately our insatiable desire for more of life 's good things guarantees that new struggles and achievements are always available for replenishing our happiness” (Lee). Lee’s point of view here shows that he believes that even though money may be able to only temporarily give someone happiness, eventually life will offer another thing for someone to buy that will give he or she happiness again. However, there are only so many things in life a person can buy before he or she finally realizes that the things are not going to provide a lifetime of