Essay On Can Money Buy Happiness

Improved Essays
Show More
Many people believe that if they were rich that they would be happy, but there have been evidence and studies that say otherwise. There are many different views on whether or not money makes people happy: some believe that money does make people happy, while there are others that believe money does not make people happy.
Csikszentmihalyi talks about ambiguous relationships between material and subjective well-being; that despite evidence showing that a link between material wealth and happiness is tenuous at best, most people still cling to the idea that problems could be solved by money. The author gives three main reasons why material rewards do not necessarily make people happy. “The first reason is the escalation of expectations. The second reason is when resources are unevenly distributed people evaluate possessions, not in terms of what they need to live in comfort, but in comparison to those with the most. The Third reason is while being rich and famous might be rewarding, nobody has ever claimed that material rewards alone are sufficient to make …show more content…
For example, people from a few generations back might be content if they had their basic needs taken care of while today people want their needs taken care as well as the latest …show more content…
Which is not something that the author of the first article thought and could be seen as a major difference between the two articles based on personal opinion. The first article talks more about happiness from material things and mental effects of happiness while the second article talks more about how money can help people feel more content in life but not nescearliy being

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Ed Diener And Daniel Haybron's Happiness And Its Discontent
    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ed Diener And Daniel Haybron's Happiness And Its Discontent

    Happiness is a word that is seen in a multitude of different ways by a multitude of different people. Everyone has their own idea of what happiness means to them, but it is a word that has no set definition. The author of “Happiness and Its Discontents”, Daniel Haybron views happiness as an entire emotional spectrum that is affected by several factors such as life satisfaction and being exposed to both pain and pleasure. Whereas Ed Diener and Robert Biswas-Diener the authors of “Can Money Buy Happiness”, describe happiness as the emotion someone feels when they obtain an object they believe will improve their life and can be acquired within their means. An example of this would be the joy someone might feel when they are able to buy a car…

    • 911 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Why Is Money Important In The Great Gatsby
    • 1655 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Why Is Money Important In The Great Gatsby

    In modern society, money has developed into a large factor of judgement. People nowadays revolve around money and how wealthy one another are. Affluence has grown to determine people’s social ranking in society, as well as their motives and personalities. To further this theory, a person who is highly rich, for example, might appear as happier as and more confident than a person of a lower class. Although money can have a positive influence, it can also produce a negative effect.…

    • 1655 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    Jake Paul's Short Storys: Can Money Buy Happiness?
    • 83 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Jake Paul's Short Storys: Can Money Buy Happiness?

    Jake Paul bought an 1 year old their first car. Would this be considered buying happiness? For him or the child when there 16? If you had money you could buy yourself or someone happiness with the things you can buy for a short period of time or for a long period of time.…

    • 83 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    Comparing The Golden Curse And Can Money Buy Happiness
    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Comparing The Golden Curse And Can Money Buy Happiness

    In the two stories The Golden Curse and the story Can Money Buy Happiness? The important lesson or theme learned is money cannot buy happiness. Some differences between the two stories in the story Can Money Buy Happiness? the story happened to a real person and in the other story it was a myth involving gods. In The Golden Curse the effect of the situation had negative impact on his daughter different than the story Can Money Buy Happiness?…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Why Is Nick Carraway Important In The Great Gatsby
    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Why Is Nick Carraway Important In The Great Gatsby

    With the riches and fame does not always come with what one desires, happiness is required through a different way. While everyone is looking to achieve happiness in their life, many might try to achieve that by acquiring a lot of money. On the other hand, many people look for happiness in a lot of attention being drawn to them with fame. While some might acquire the riches and fame, many people tend to see that it's not the real desire in life. In fact many of the people who make it to the top, are seen to be unhappy with themselves and artificial.…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Gregg Easterbrook's Money: The Real Truth About Money
    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Gregg Easterbrook's Money: The Real Truth About Money

    While money may be able to purchase material things that provide people with short-term well-being, there is no monetary value on true, long-term happiness. The Time article titled “Money: The Real Truth About Money,” written by Gregg Easterbrook, provided a respectable argument to the relationship between true happiness and money. In his article, Easterbrook argued one basic, yet complicated, concept “everyone needs a certain amount of money, but chasing money rather than meaning is a formula for discontent” (“Money: The Real Truth About Money”). He discussed that money was a necessity to maintain life for every day needs; however, money could not buy all things needed to sustain a happy and healthy life.…

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    William Hazlitt's On The Want Of Money
    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages

    William Hazlitt's On The Want Of Money

    He bluntly states that “Literally and truly, one cannot get on well in the world without money.” While spiritual and intrinsic factors are often accounted for while measuring happiness, Hazlitt confirms that in reality, a person cannot be content without money. Despite the truthful and convincing tone, this is not the only method Hazlitt uses to convey his pessimistic message to the readers. Through his grim, menacing, and alarming word-choice, he notes that those…

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Examples Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby
    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Examples Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

    highlights money as a tool to enhance the happiness one has already found within for the future. Once a person reinforces himself with the who he is and whom he will be in the future, money can benefit his happiness even when the world may push against…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    PBS Argument Analysis
    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages

    PBS Argument Analysis

    Although money and happiness correlates with one another, do they support each other or can they be separated? Some assert that money is a component that may be easy to attain, while happiness is a feeling that may be difficult and/or easy to achieve according to each situation. Most of the younger generation can quickly answer the age-old question of whether money can buy happiness or not. However, understanding the meaning of money and happiness and how they connect proves to be a difficult task. Not everyone may appreciate the value of money and happiness.…

    • 1273 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Why Is Happiness Important In The Great Gatsby
    • 1887 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Why Is Happiness Important In The Great Gatsby

    This survey helped to prove that people only think that money will make them happy. However, most of the people who seem to be stating these facts are the people who are involved in the lower and middle class. Despite while in today’s society, the world has instilled in people that to be happy and successful, one must acquire wealth. Although because of a plethora of people working in the world who are extremely happy with the job they are doing. Although, there are also people who have very high paying jobs, they potentially only retain those jobs because they want the money and not the happiness.…

    • 1887 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Happiness And The American Dream
    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Happiness And The American Dream

    It is true that having a certain amount of money does help with happiness. Being able to take care of our families needs and help others can bring us contentment, this is more the functional essence of money, how we pursue it, and how we spend money to worthy ends. Many times the money brings its own problems and not happiness. In an article in the American Psychological Association, Amy Novotney talks about how many of the wealthy stated that the money was not always helpful, especially when it came to happiness; their families were treated differently, they felt isolated, their motivations were questioned, they were not given credit for their work or skill, and all because they had money.(Novotney) In The Great Gatsby, a novel about the corruption of the American dream, the unrestrained desire for money and pleasure surpasses Gatsby's more noble goals.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Analysis Of Yes, Money Can Make You Happy By Cass R. Sunstein
    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Analysis Of Yes, Money Can Make You Happy By Cass R. Sunstein

    At times, the reading could leave one feeling slightly perplexed, and aside from the contradicting encouragements, readers would certainly gain a little more perspective on money from this piece. Whenever someone reads the title, “Yes, Money Can Make You Happy,” they may start reading the article under the impression that its main purpose is shallow and or pointless, only to quickly realize that the article’s true purpose is to exploit money’s misinterpretations and the fact that it can help someone to help themselves, and in more ways than one may expect. Proclaiming that an article such as this one could alone alter an individual’s thought process on how to correctly spend money would be dishonest, but it could unquestionably cause one to reevaluate their…

    • 1227 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Gregg Easterbrook's 'Money: The Real Truth About Money'
    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Gregg Easterbrook's 'Money: The Real Truth About Money'

    He is the editor of “The New Republic” and “The Atlantic Monthly He is therefore qualified and credible enough. The purpose of this article is to show how money and happiness are strongly related by providing more of statistics and examples. Easterbrook explores his topic in detail by providing a substantial, clear, and a firm essay which makes this article effective but not convincing. Easterbrook successfully conveys about the article, but he fails to convince the audience. Few matters should have been taken into consideration in order for his article to convince them.…

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Money Does Not Bring Happiness Essay
    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Money Does Not Bring Happiness Essay

    Money and material possessions does not lead to happiness because some people that are rich and have many nice things like cars and others could still be depressed. Also because someone could have money, but could also have a mental illness. For example, if a famous person is going through some metal problems and is not happy, but they still have money which is not making things better. Money could not buy friends for you to be happy and also family. This means that if you have real friends and family you wouldn't have to use your money to make them be your friend or family.…

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Argumentative Essay-Money Doesn T Buy Happiness
    • 1914 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Argumentative Essay-Money Doesn T Buy Happiness

    Money Doesn’t Always Buy Happiness Today in our day and age, there has been one topic that comes up that has been a controversy for people all over the world: money. Scientist have studied that, “Money does buys happiness, but it buys less than most people think,” (Dunn, Gilbert, Wilson, 2011, pg. 115). Some people believe that the more money that they have, the happier they will be. Others believe that money is the epitome of unhappiness because it can cause a barrier between them and those around them. Depending on how he or she use the money, happiness is determined on how the person decides to spend it.…

    • 1914 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings