Happiness In A Nutshell Analysis

Wherever one may look, whether on billboards throughout a city or on any television channel, the lifestyle of successful people is shown as a lavish accomplishment that the average person should strive to achieve. We have grown up surrounded by industries and media that sell pleasure, whether it be in the form of sex, drugs, or commercial wealth. These factors are implied to be the ingredients to a life of happiness as advertised by many celebrities today. People are looking for new ways to indulge in their hedonistic desires, blindly believing they would reach a state of content as promised. Despite the fact that these factors may increase happiness initially, the idea that they lead to a life of prosperity is questionable.
Undoubtedly,

America is one of the richest nations in the world and is also home to some of the most successful people known today. We like to consider ourselves number one in every category, whether it be technological advancement, scholarly achievements, or just for the sake of our inflated egos. However, America also has one of the highest depression rates in the world, with 6.7% of the U.S. population (18 or older) suffering from this mental illness. Wealth may be a source of happiness at first, but as it accumulates more and more over the years, it starts to be less effective. In relation to this, Source E is a short poem about a wealthy man who killed himself. The poem states, “And he was rich, yes, richer than a king….And Richard Cory, one calm summer night, went home and put a bullet through his head” (Robinson par. 3-4). As morbid it is, this poem signifies a lack of relationship between wealth and happiness. This man supposedly had all the riches he desired, and yet felt as if there was an emptiness inside of him that even an increase in his annual salary couldn’t fill. He felt that he was better off dead than rich. His amount of wealth did not seem to have any impact on his level of happiness. Additionally, Source K analyzes how much money earned in a year should bring someone happiness. The article specifies, “High incomes don’t bring you happiness, but they do bring you a life you think is better” (Luscombe par. 7). This further proves that money is not the key to happiness, but what one makes of their life using the resources given can leave them content for quite a while. It may be convenient to have enough money to buy everything, but all the wealth in the world cannot ever guarantee a life of sustained happiness.
Generally speaking, there are various ways one can achieve happiness in the long run without having to accumulate vast amounts of wealth. Source G evaluates the reasons why Denmark is thought to be the happiest country in the world. While Denmark is considered to be a wealthy nation, the reason for their happiness is not entirely materialistic. The article states, “Denmark supports parents...healthcare is a civil right...gender equality is prioritized...there’s a real sense of collective responsibility for each other” (Author Unknown par. 5-19). The people of Denmark are better off than most people in other countries, so it makes sense that they are happier. Nevertheless, their happiness does not derive from their wealth. Their source of happiness comes from the sense of security they feel. Danish families have 52 weeks of maternity leave (compared to an American family’s meager 10.3 weeks), healthcare is a basic right, and they have a sentiment that working towards a prospering society is a civic duty. These factors promote the country’s well-being, and the individual well-being of the people. They receive a lifelong feeling of content rather than temporary gratification from acquiring more wealth.
Pursuing this further, a sense of spiritual fulfillment also seems to bring happiness rather than materialistic pleasure.

Source H explains, “In a nutshell, they find that people who are involved in religion also report greater levels of happiness than do those who are not religious...Among weekly churchgoers, 85% reported being very satisfied with life, but this number reduced to 77% among those who never went to church” (Nielsen par. 3). According to the author, following a religion is like being a part of a loving community. A person has social support within that community, which can decrease stress levels and lead to a more peaceful life. Whether or not one believes in an omnipotent entity controlling the universe, the idea that other people are there for them in their time of need would bring about lifelong peace of mind. Non-religious people don’t have this luxury and tend to give in to more self-indulgent ways of achieving brief happiness. Indeed, achieving lifelong happiness through a sense of security and peace works out better than the short-lived glee received from

affluence.
Furthermore, even in fantasy novels, wealth is not necessarily interchangeable with happiness. Source A states, “The operation undergone voluntarily for the good of the society...from eight to ninety-six buds, and every bud will grow into a perfectly formed embryo, and every embryo into a full-sized adult. Making ninety-six humans grow where only one grew before. Progress...” (Huxley pg. 19-20). This novel portrays a utopian society that is deemed “perfect”. The social hierarchy is balanced, everyone knows their place and has access to euphoric drugs, and fulfilling their sexual desires with whomever they want and whenever they want is socially acceptable. They are given almost everything they wish for, and yet there are some people still yearning for more. Bernard Marx is looked down upon for his strange personality and physical appearance, and the only thing he wants is social acceptance. Increasing his wealth would not change the nasty rumors spread about him, and that would not change his level of happiness. In this society as well as our own, money can’t buy the kind of happiness we want.
On the contrary, many people firmly believe that increasing wealth will lead to a proportional increase in happiness.

According to Source B, there are four types of happiness: hard work and material success, charity and service to others, freedom and self-expression, and devotion to a higher power/religion (Marquette). Sure, some of these provide needs that are detrimental to a human society such as freedom, but does wealth really bring a sense of lifelong fulfillment? Partially, this may be true. Money can afford both basic and frivolous needs that increase our happiness momentarily. However, in the long run this is not the case. After a while, money is just money and having more of it would not increase happiness as much as it did when it was providing for our basic needs. We would get less happiness from another unit of a good or service consumed if we continue to indulge in whatever we want. One can even say that Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs comes into play. After the needs of safety and shelter are taken care of, there are things that money cannot buy such as love, confidence, and social acceptance. At this point, money becomes almost useless when trying to obtain lifelong

happiness.
Ultimately, human nature is dynamic when it comes to happiness. From an early age, we are taught to strive towards a state of constant happiness, and we are also taught that wealth can bring us instant satisfaction that can last a lifetime. As one progresses through the stages of life, they find that wealth can’t be interchanged with happiness. Wealth can’t bring the pure joy that friendship, love, and security brings. We are taught that a good life is when happiness is the one emotion we feel constantly. In the attempt to achieve eternal happiness through becoming wealthy, we realize that being constantly happy is not natural. Happiness is just one feeling in the spectrum of emotion we should experience within our lifetime. We learn that sometimes we need to cry, sometimes we need to scream and punch things in anger, and sometimes we don’t need to feel anything at all. A constant state of happiness is unattainable, and frankly, would be quite boring. The closest we can get to it is just living life in the best way possible, surrounded by loving people and making decisions that make us satisfied in the long run and not just for instant gratification. We don’t need to be chasing after riches to be happy. Wealth is not happiness. The satisfaction from a meaningful life is happiness.