All too often, those who have little money envy people with more. This is depicted in “Richard Cory” written by Edwin Arlington Robinson, the narrator describes Richard as if he were royalty; rich, worldly, well spoken, and educated (677). He wished he could be Richard, and live with all the pleasures afforded the wealthy. Is it possible Richard had the reverse in his mind when he ended his life? Money appears to be a key that unlocks happiness to people on the lower end of the financial spectrum. If that were the case, then those who are well-to-do should be measurably happier. Studies give conflicting evidence as to a possible link between wealth and happiness, but for those with lower incomes it is there. While the issues plaguing the affluent are different, they struggle to be satisfied as well.
Humans are inherently competitive, always have been and always will be. This applies to all aspects of our lives beginning at an early age. In school we compete to have more friends, higher grades, be better athletes, and the list goes on. The goal is to be the best, have the most, and earn the highest. We are just beginning to prepare for our lifelong competition with the Joneses. That is, trying to amass an equal or greater level of wealth and social status than the other people in our environment. The belief being that happiness comes from having more. Studies show that fifteen percent more rich people claim to be “very happy” when compared to poor people. This gap has remained over the years with the percentages not changing while observed incomes for each group have all grown dramatically (Layard 25). This shows as individual income and wealth grow, happiness is not increased with it. If happiness were depend...
... middle of paper ...
...de of being rich, with not having to worry about food, bills, and the like. Lane made these observations as well; “Money does not reduce worrying; it simply changes the subject” (59). Having such a history of believing that more money will bring increased happiness to look back on, why do people continue to fall into the trap? Happiness and satisfaction come from somewhere within ourselves, there are no other sources.
Works Cited
Carver, Raymond. “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” Literature and the Writing Process 2011. Ed. Vivian Garcia. Pearson, 2011. 348-356. Print.
Lane, Robert E. Public Interest Fall 1993: 56-65. Print
Layard, Richard. New Statesman 3 Mar. 2003: 25-29. Print
Luscombe, Belinda. “Do We Need $75,000 a Year to Be Happy?” Time 27 Sept. 2010: 1. Print
“Money Can’t Buy You Joy.” US News and World Report Jul. 2010: 1. Print
Miss Moore tries to show Sylvia and her friends the division between their poor society and the neighborhood of the people who are in a higher society. She says, "Imagine for a minute what kind of society it is in which some people can spend on a toy what it would cost to feed a family of sex or seven." (Bambara, 461) Sylvia begins to understand and wonder about the division be...
The article “High Incomes Don’t Bring You Happiness” verbatimly states, “Beyond $75,000, money is important for life evaluation, but does nothing for happiness, enjoyment, sadness, or stress” (Kenney 4). Those who spend prodigal amounts of money disdain plebeians because they claim that money is the foundation to living a great life. However, money only helps one meet certain needs and does not contribute in instigating true happiness within oneself. Happiness comes naturally by one’s actions and accomplishments. Although, money helps buy the commodities which satisfy one’s life, it is not the direct source for obtaining glee within a
He further shows us that the people of today are richer than their grandparents but are not happier in their lives (from National Statistics of social pathology). Even with these facts, people in the United States still believe if they had more money all of their problems would be solved, but once they reach that next income bracket they are not satisfied and try to reach the next one. Myers et al tells us, "even if being rich and famous is rewarding, no one ever claimed material success alone makes us happy. Other conditions like - family- friends- free time - have been shown to increase happiness" (Csikszentmihaly 145). therefore we must find balance in our own lives, and not just focus on making money. Instead we need friends, family and even free time, as aforementioned doing an activity you enjoy such as listening to music or
...f money could bring happiness, then more money could bring him more happiness. Again, when money is the highest value used in determining happiness at work, other values become over shadowed or ignored. Unsatisfied values eventually reveal themselves when the money value is met. Without being content in all values, happiness at work cannot be attained. Richard Cory probably did not know how to satisfy those once hidden values and found his life very unhappy. Thinking that hard work will lead to financial success and happiness is not wrong as a value, but as Richard Cory finds out, happiness based on only money is not possible unless that value is your only value.
Since the beginning of civilization, man has always sought after wealth. The theory of wealth vs. happiness stands the test of time. The idea that the amount of wealth a man possesses correlates with his happiness is a common theory throughout many different countries. Although money cannot directly bring happiness, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs successfully supports the fact that there is a strong correlation between the amount of wealth that a human possesses and their level of happiness.
Happiness is a feeling adults experience when they receive a gift, win something, and various other reasons, but does money buy this happiness everyone experiences? Don Peck and Ross Douthat claim money does buy happiness, but only to a point in their article which originally appeared in the Atlantic Monthly (252). Throughout their article, reasons on why money can sometimes buy happiness are explained. While some of the reasons given are effective, not all are satisfying answers for adults working diligently to make a living. Money is a part of everyone’s life, yet it is not always the cause of happiness.
A well-known expression is that money can’t buy happiness, yet people fantasize of winning the lottery, living in their dream house, and possessing enough tangible objects to feel satisfied with their lives. Most are under the preconceived notion that the absence of wealth and power translates to hardship and despair. This, however, is not the case, because a self-effacing lifestyle is not an indication of a lower quality of life, and often is better than one of great fortune. People yearn to have the financial independence and capabilities of those in higher ranking positions, and are willing to abandon their morals and own personal well-being if it means being successful. It seems that by reaching a level of wealth in which money is no longer
Wealth and fame are not necessities that are needed to be happy with life. Fame and wealth are very sought after, because many people think those things and happiness go hand and hand. People are often mislead by this theory, money can make a person happy but it can also ruin every relationship they have and it can kill any ounce of joy they have. Wealth can be an idol that blinds people to the truly important things in life. When people solely focus on money to make them happy, they become emotionally and physically exhausted.
Now how does a person go about being happy, well let us examine one of the most common questions in reference to happiness, “can money buy happiness?” most people would say “yes.” The answer to this question will almost always be yes, because society and humans in general tend to be greedy creature always wanting more, from a better house to finer foods there is and always will be more to obtain. But is having these things what makes humans happy or is it the success of achieving your own...
When none of us has ever come across such words and formulas, none of the great personalities has ever mentioned it, then who the hell has instilled it in our minds that money brings happiness. But among this debate one question still raises its head - What is happiness? Happiness is not actually leading a luxurious life but the luxury of living a life. Happiness is not actually about expanding your business, but it lies in expanding the horizons of life. Happiness is not having a meal in the most famous restaurant but to have it with your most beloved family. It does not lie in attending honorable parties but to attend a party with honor.
However, as already seen, the relationship between income and general life satisfaction was mainly explained by whether material aspirations (such as buying luxury goods) could be fulfilled.” In other words, one’s concept of happiness can vary from nation to nation. For example, people living in poor nations and having a low income tend to be satisfied by having just enough to meet their necessities. While, on the other hand, people with higher income tend to be satisfied if they have enough to buy luxury goods. Being wealthy does not lead one to happiness; it can help some people to obtain happiness, but it can also lead others to have unwanted experiences.
Most people think that wealth and success equate happiness, but the wealthy and successful do not know what they should be happy for. Tomoyuki Iwashita was a middle-class man in Japan and wrote: “Why I Quit the Company” to explain why he was insatiable with the job he had. Iwashita knew he had a desirable job that provided him with many luxuries on top of all the necessities; however, he did not appreciate the many benefits of working at such a prestigious company. On the other hand, those who are stricken with poverty are much more appreciative of everything they have. Jo Goodwin Parker wrote “What is Poverty?”
..., a person who earns $25,000 is happier than a person who makes $125,000 and an employee who makes $500,000 is only slightly happier than someone who makes $55,000. Lastly, there are more important things in life that and make you happy, for example, friends. They don’t come with a price tag, and if they do, you definitely need new friends. Money won’t make you happy since good times can’t be bought. You don’t need a fancy vacation to have a good time; it’s just a matter of who you spend it with. Over the years, humans have blown the value of money way out of proportion. People make it seem like if you’re not filthy rich, then you won’t live a good life but it’s not true. You can lack money and yet still live a perfect, happy life.
Acquiring things like houses and cars only has a transient effect on happiness. People’s desires for material possessions crank up at the same, or greater rate, than their salaries. Again, this means that despite considerably more luxurious possessions, people end up no happier. There’s even evidence that materialism makes us less happy. People don’t shift to enjoyable activities when they are rich.... ...
Money and Happiness are two things that we have all given a lot thought. We put lots of effort into these two things either trying to earn them or trying to increase them. The connection we make between money and happiness is strange because they are two very different concepts. Money is tangible, you can quantify it, and know exactly how much of it you have at any given time. Happiness, on the other hand, is subjective, elusive, has different meanings for different people and despite the efforts of behavioral scientist and psychologist alike, there is no definitive way to measure happiness. In other word, counting happiness is much more difficult than counting dollar bills. How can we possibly make this connection? Well, money, specifically in large quantity, allows for the freedom to do and have anything you want. And in simplest term, happiness can be thought of as life satisfaction and enjoyment. So wouldn’t it make sense that the ability to do everything you desire, result in greater satisfaction with your life.