This reading response paper addresses A Formula for Happiness, Arthur C Brooks, and High income improves evaluation of life but not emotional well-being, Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton. Brooks talks about different contributors to happiness. Kahneman and Deaton talk more specifically about two types of happiness. Both articles discuss how money correlates with happiness. These two articles on their own have weak arguments, though when combined, they assist each other, filling in missing pieces and making a full and complete argument.
The three main sources of happiness: genes, events, and values, are defined in A Formula for Happiness. Brooks divides the components of happiness into their percentage contributions: 48 % genes, up to 40 %
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In some situations, money can also contribute to happiness. Money makes poor people happy. This is because low-income families use this money to cover the cost of necessities, which relieves their worry and stress levels. Once people surpass the middle class, money doesn’t affect their happiness
In the second article, Kahneman and Deaton also address whether money can buy happiness. They describe two types of happiness, emotional well-being, and life evaluation. Emotional well-being describes the day-to-day emotions and experiences which makes life pleasant or unpleasant. Life evaluation is an assessment of how one views their life as a whole.
The evidence to support the two types of happiness is taken from a daily survey. The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index was completed by 450,000 US citizens in 2008-2009. The survey, asked specific questions to assess happiness for emotional well being and life evaluation. Questions were asked specifically about individual’s everyday experiences of the previous day to assess emotional well-being. Individuals were asked to rate their life from the best possible life to the worst, to gain understanding of their life
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A $75,000 annual income is the tipping point for where money can buy you happiness. Earning less than $75,000 annually often means you are prone to poorer health and some basic needs won’t be met. Below this threshold, many factors of unhappiness have a stronger effect. People exceeding $75,000 annually don’t report more money bringing higher rates of happiness. Although, money can raise their life evaluation, meaning they believe the life they are living is better because of their wealth. To them, money contributes to comfort. They also tend to have less of an ability to enjoy small
The studies given as examples and discussion focuses on teenagers and young adults, but includes anyone is struggling to find happiness. Evidence to Support Thesis: Point 1: The level of well-being is emphasized as more people continue to lose track of what makes them happy. Shawn Anchor is reminding people to capture the essence of simple contentment and asking his audience to think about what they value. Anchor’s book provides seven principles that involve having an open mind to becoming happier. Anchor includes other research studies as evidence to his claims throughout the book.
One reason described to be a cause of happiness is income. Don Peck and Ross Douthat indicate how, “National income appears to be one of the best single predictors of overall well-being, explaining perhaps 40 percent of the difference in contentment among nations” (352). With this statement, comes the explanation of how income can influence happiness in adults who strive to earn a living. Research illustrates how, “For individual countries, with few exceptions, self-reported happiness has increased as incomes have risen” (Douthat 352). While these two statements provide sufficient evidence for the reason of income bringing happiness, income itself is not relevant.
Utilizing a pie chart, she illustrates the crux of her research; 10% of our happiness is increased or decreased by our circumstances. 50% of our happiness is increased or decreased by genetic predisposition, 40% is within our ability to control. We have “opportunities to increase or decrease our happiness levels through what we do and how we think” (22). She provides 12 specific happiness enhancing activities. She implores us to commit time, resources and energy to this “intentional activity”. Promoting these changes in our lives to accommodate being happier, which will benefit everyone in the end.
According to Freud’s conclusion, based on decades of experimentation and theoretical work in the field of psychotherapy, humans cannot be happy because a satisfaction of needs creates only a momentary phase of happiness which expires after some time. Therefore, the focus of life should not be on obtaining happiness, and people should focus on avoiding suffering instead (Bullock, n.d.). However, several paradigms of well-being exist, and individual cognitive patterns and paradigms define the emotional responses to social influences. From an objective viewpoint, well-being is a state of consciousness that arises from a combination of internal and external factors, and money is an unstable external influence in defining subjective well-being. Money as a determinant of subjective well-being is influenced by several cultural influences.
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.
It is easier for wealthy people to pay for their needs, such as health care and dental care. If any abrupt situation approaches dealing with their health, a wealthy person will be financially stable to pay and fix it. According to an article, "Happiness Around The World: Is There More To It Than Money?" by Bozionelos, Nikos, and Ioannis Nikolaou, “One would expect that money is more important when it helps meet basic needs, and this should be especially true in poorer nations. 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. Having a minimum amount of money is necessary to be happy. Having the minimum amount of money to pay bills, have medical assistance, buy groceries, and clothing is considered as the basics needed for one to be happy. Money is a tool that can help a person obtain objects that can help him or her to have a comfortable life. However, money should not become the reason why a person is happy. Happiness comes within a person as a human being and money will never replace a friend, nor a loved
For some, happiness is all that matters. Happiness is achieved in many ways, and it doesn’t always involve money. There are many things that contribute to making a person feel happy and successful. One can feel successful without a lot of money at all. For example, feeling loved is something that makes everyone happy. Many believe that without love life is not thoroughly complete, thus never truly achieving success. Ones line of work can also affect how happy he is. Some feel that it is more important to enjoy work and get less money than it is to hate work and get paid more. Another factor in achieving psychological success is ones ability to enjoy what life gives him. There are many qualities of life that are overlooked. Everyone is dealt family and it is important to value that.
It is highly debated, but ultimately incorrect. The closest correlation found on this topic was in a study conducted by Stanford, an Ivy League business school. With their findings, we can concur that the only way money can make someone truly happy, is by spending it in constructive ways to help others. With that, it is safe to say that if someone finds themselves unsatisfied with their live and wealth, that they could use it for the greater good. They should put it into charities, or as simple as buying a friend a meal. Whatever it may be, use the money for others. And that is really how money can buy
Money is probably one of the most important things in this world. Without it, life would be very hard. With it, you become economically stable making life would be easier in some ways. But the real question is, can money actually make someone physically and emotionally happy? There are many sides to this debate; some who say yes and others who say no. Though most people agree with the statement, “Money doesn’t buy happiness,” there is still a large amount of people who disagree with it. They believe that money does indeed buy happiness and that it’s the most important thing in the world. There is no right or wrong answer to this question, it’s just a matter of what you believe in and your values.
I never really thought the expression, “money can’t buy happiness”, was true. As an infant, just by observing the people around me, I observed when they would obtain money and a huge grin would spread across their face, the corners of their smile spreading from ear to ear. Whenever I would see that grin and a person’s face light up at the sight of a crisp, green bill it would make me believe that I had proved the famous expression wrong. Now that I’ve grown up and matured, my idea of that expression has changed. As of now, I am able to reflect on life more and look deeper into things and particularly into people more than I was able to do years ago. My ideas about this expression changed the most though because of the money situation my family had stumbled upon because of the failing economy. I remember being younger when the economy was doing well and waking up to twenty gifts for each of my three sisters and I. We used to believe that all of those presents, brought in because of money of course, were the best part of waking up on Christmas. Of course all of those toys and material items would make a child happy; however looking back it would only make them happy if it was given to them by somebody who bought it for them with love.
At a certain level, money makes the rich happier than the poor. When people have everything they need, they do not worry about the way to earn it. Everybody believes money will ensure a good life for most people. When people increase
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. The house you dream of? It’s yours. The new car you desire? Here are the keys. The freedom to enjoy your favourite pastimes? Here’s your racket, the court is down there, just past the pool.
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.
Happiness has been and will be debatable topic that will carry on decades from now. It seems to be not one definite definition based on people’s perception of what it really means to be happy or what bring about happiness. Most people may believe it is just an end goal while others take it as the foundation to further greatness. People seem to usually draw happiness from a vast number of things. Generally, happiness comprises of an emotional and psychological state of well-being that can be characterized through pleasing and positive emotions such as joy contentment. Still, happiness has been researched and defined differently on the basis of religious views, biological views, philosophical and psychological views. In this essay, I will clarify
The more money you have, the more happiness you get, doesn’t it? As seen in an objective way, happiness in rich family and poor family are quite different since the ways that they feel the sense of blessings is clearly contrary. In such a fast-paced life at present, whether a happy family is built up without materialism. According to Corley, T.C. (2015) “ Being wealthy can increase happiness in many areas of life. Wealth and poverty have a domino effect on all aspects of your life, so if you improve your financial condition in life, you will increase happiness in other aspects of your life.” However, the poor suppose what makes family blissful is basically having time to share and be together. Therefore, so as to compare the level of happiness