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The pursuit of happiness psychological analysis
The pursuit of happiness psychological analysis
Pursuing the science of happiness guest essay
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In the science of Psychology, there have been many tests showing that there is no physical point in life when a subject can obtain pure enlightenment, fulfillment, or complete satisfaction of mind and body. This supports the assertion that money cannot buy happiness. Although this idea is very popular, could it be proven wrong? It seems only natural that happiness should flow from having more money. Could material possessions actually increase the happiness of a person?
In his essay titled "On Dumpster Diving," Lars Eighner discusses his experience of being homeless and having to resort to living off of other people's unwanted possessions to survive. "Some material things are white elephants that eat up the possessor's substance" (Eighner 263). It is true that a person can not physically go and buy some happiness, it must be obtained. "How" a subject would obtain happiness or "pure happiness" is the ultimate unanswered question. If a person were to go out and buy a bunch of objects, furniture, jewelry, cars, would this make them anymore pleased with themselves? Maybe it would, maybe not. One of the question's this essay is addressing is, over time would all the items someone buys, takes, or consumes to supposedly make them "happy," over time if this experiment does not work as planned, wouldn't a person over time begin to become consumed and over whelmed by all these material things. ."..but certainly mental things are longer lived than other material things" (264).
Although, these statements from Lars Eighner agree that some material possessions would consume a person in a negative way and therefore possessing them, it is almost ironic because Eighner lived on the streets and it was almost impossible for him to ...
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...s shape our lives.
In conclusion, whether or not material possessions bring happiness is up to each individual. Some people are just satisfied with saving up to buy that new car, and some are just as satisfied in putting their ideas and dreams down in an empty book, or just highlighting their favorite one.
Work Cited
Adler, Mortimer. "How to Mark a Book." The Mercury Reader. Ed. Janice Neuleib, Keathleen S Cain, Stephen Ruffus, and Maurice Scharton. Boston: Pearson Custom Pub., 2005. 211-16.
Eighner, Lars (1992) "On Dumpster Diving," New England Journal of Public Policy: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 7. Web. 27 June, 2015.
http://scholarworks.umb.edu/nejpp/vol8/iss1/7
Boven, Leaf Van and Gilovich, Thomas. "To Do or to Have? That Is the Question." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. American Psychological Association, Inc., 2003. 1193.
The understudies additionally disposed of medications, erotic entertainment and spirits. Eighner says that people throw away perfectly good stuff. Its majority contains much value, however he just gathers things that he can utilize quickly. Eighner writing style says a lot about his lifestyle, it shows that when he first started he did not realize that we as people throw away a lot of good things that can be fixed or that we waste a lot of food when their are others that need it more. He believes that whatever he finds has more value than it does to someone else. At the time when he was not homeless it made him realize that some things at the time were not worth acquiring, and know he think it holds so much value even though he was person that invested in materialistic things.
I agree with his assessment about society’s throw away mentality due to the fact that I have seen it myself first hand. Recently I helped my sister move out of her dorm room at NAU and I was horrified to see all the things and edible food she was just dumping and what was worse, she wasn’t the only one. All of the kids were getting rid of perfectly good items in the dumpster, so it’s no wonder that dumpsters near college campuses are one of Eighner’s favorite places to scavenge. In his article on page 3, Eighner elaborates on student’s wasteful habits, “but in the case of discards from student apartments, the answer may be that the item was discarded through carelessness, ignorance or wastefulness.” I believe agree with Eighner that some people have a pack rat mentality while others just throw it away. My parents are a good example of this and I think it has something to do with the way that they were raised. My mom is a pack rat, holding on to everything as long as possible and giving away to charity what she doesn’t want anymore. She squeezes every last drop out of a toothpaste tube or a shampoo bottle, while my dad will throw it away half empty. My mom was raised in a single parent household, where money was tight and you used what you had… my dad however, was raised in a more affluent home and money flowed more freely. In fact, my mom does her own dumpster diving fairly regularly in our garbage can by rescuing stuff out of the garbage that my dad has thrown away, including belts, pants, shirts and hardly worn tennis shoes. She doesn’t keep the goods, but instead gives it to Goodwill or the church clothing drive. My dad is her antithesis and is definitely part of the throw-away society. My dad has little sentiment attached to stuff and like Eichner mentioned on page 6, “knows there is plenty more where what we came from.” After reflecting on
1. The main idea is not only that owning stuff is not the key to happiness, it’s also that consumers today own more than they need to thrive which directly impacts the environment. Hill illustrates the environmental impact by showing statistics of global warming today versus the past century, and how consumerism is leading to a hotter climate. Hill debunks claims of buying happiness by discussing a study where stress hormones spike to their highest when people are managing their personal belongings. Hill’s most prominent example that consumerism is not the answer is himself, as he discusses some of the most stressful times of his life being right after coming into a large sum of money and buying whatever he fancied. When Hill concludes his article, he states that “I have less—and enjoy more. My space is small. My life is big” (213).
We’re all materialist to one extent or another. we all use and enjoy material goods in our daily lives, and most of us simply couldn't get by without them. And there's nothing wrong with that, as long as the desire for material goods doesn't control us and our actions”. In my opinion, some materialism is important in our daily lives as, long as it does not interfere with our
He teaches his readers two valuable lessons that he learned through his experience of dumpster diving; take only what you can use, and the short existence of material things. I agree wholeheartedly with these two principles. Spiritual and mental things last for a much longer time than any knick knack ever can. And indeed it is easy to believe that an object holds a sentiment to us, think backwards to what that object first transformed from. A treasure chest, a block of wood, a log, a tree, a small seed. Look at that sentimental object for what it really is and it truly is nothing more than what we make out of it. Yet we still have the sentiments and memories that object supposedly holds. I too believe that there is no reason in holding onto things that we don’t need either. Eighner is trying to explain to us that we shouldn’t place our happiness in such things that clutter our lives and are really just
Eigner, Lars “ On Dumpster Diving” 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology Ed. Samuel Cohen. Fourth Edition Boston & New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014. Page 139-151. Print.
Maybe we can buy what we want that make us happy but literally, not happiness. Sometimes, we need to
Contrary to belief, genuine happiness is very rarely found at the bottom of a shopping basket or on the leather seats of a brand new car. Often we hear the cliché saying “Money can’t buy happiness” but this is in fact true. Whilst the elation and delight brought from finally owning a wanted item is extraordinary, you must remind yourself that your happiness should not become dependant upon your ownership of this item. Being happy is not something you can purchase from a shop or car dealership, it is the way you take on life. Unfortunately, happiness does not have its own aisle at shops and never will.
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.
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
What exactly is happiness anyway? Happiness is when you feel complete and satisfied. It is when you’re content with where you are and what you have. It is the joy of doing something you love, or spending time with someone you love. It is an emotion and the best one yet. Money can easily make a person temporarily happy with the possessions it can buy, but true happiness is more than that. People can have everything material wise and still not be happy. Sure it can buy you many things, but the happiness from it is only temporary and limited. There’s only so much happiness you can buy with money. Money can easily buy you food, a clock, a house, education, make-up or medication; however it can’t buy you nutrition, time, a home, knowledge, beauty or health. It can buy you infatuation, but not love, acquaintances but not friendship and hierarchy but not respect. People spend their entire lives trying to make more and more money thinking that it means success. They neglect family and friends, don’t care about who they take down to reach their ...
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.
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...
Material goods don’t make us happy. Acquiring things like houses and cars only have 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 make us less happy.
What is happiness? According to the dictionary, happiness is a mental or emotional state of positive or pleasant emotions. Now think closely, what does happiness mean to you? Many people say money can’t buy you happiness, some people say it can. People say, “How can you not be happy when you have a ton of money?” But people also say, “Having too much money can get in the way of happiness.” To me money is just green paper that lets you buy things you want and need. But can this green paper really buy you happiness? After reading this paper of mine, think about the question again and what do you believe is true.