Money can buy happiness to some degree. According to an article published by Allen Salkin “Try to live on 500k in this town. Living off 500k is what former president Obama wanted to set as the top salary for BANK executives whose firms accept government bailout money. Living in NYC can be very expensive, especially in suburban areas where successful bankers reside.
An example of this would be 32,000 a year per student, 96,000 a year for the mortgage, 96,000 for a Co-op maintenance fee, and Nanny 45,000 a year. The total cost is 269,000 and we haven’t calculated the tax. These individuals are down to $0 with inescapable bills. You’d think making at least 500k a year would be enough to afford a middle-class lifestyle, unfortunately, it does not.
Another example is The Ted Talk by Barry Schwartz titled “The Paradox of Choice: “I learned that adding options to people’s life increases the expectations people have about how good those options would be and find dissatisfaction with those results even when the results are good. When we objectively do better, we feel worse.
According to the article “How Money Really Affects happiness” published on May 26, 2020, by Cory Steig. This article states that people tend to feel happier making about 75,000 a year. On the other hand, individuals who make 100,000 a year or more happiness decreased. This article also mentions that with happiness being rich is relative. Money doesn’t make us happier only relative to others. even The riches individuals in the world will find that money might not make us happy as we think. This is because as humans we tend to compare ourselves to everyone. We rate ourselves in terms of our subjective well-being. Whether you feel happy or not it depends on how well you see the people around you doing and what they have.
I disagree, we constantly compare ourselves to other people. This is highly wired on a survival level to compare ourselves to others and see how we rank in their eyes. Being able to take care of ourselves and have access to resources that were not as easily accessible can make you happy. If you spend money on personal growth as well as other things that can contribute to your happiness. Being able to pay your rent, and mortgage, buy groceries, and afford healthcare can bring happiness to an individual.
3 thoughts on “Nasanya Brown – Conversation 5”
i’d like to add on and say that i also agree with your argument that money can only buy happiness to a certain extent. it definitely makes it easier to live and be stress free as you don’t have to worry about paying bills or having food on the table. i also agree with you saying how we constantly compare ourselves to other people, as seen with the increased use of social media which affects your state of mind and happiness.
I agree with you, it is true that money cannot guarantee our happiness, but it is an inaccessible part. In other words, he will bring us happiness to a certain extent. When we are faced with material problems, food, and clothing problems, money is essential. When I can’t afford food and I’m in debt, I can’t imagine where the source of happiness lies in that situation. I feel happy when money is spent on good health and food.
I agree with you. money can’t only buy happiness to a extent because you still need money in order to purchase everyday things like food, rent, and healthcare and if you buy all these things then you don’t need to worry about them as much as somebody else which makes u a bit happier than people who can’t afford them.