In the Ted Talk, “Paradox Of Choice”, Barry Schwartz speaks about how even though freedom is a want, having an overwhelming option of choice can limit our freedom. The premise is that choice can often be paralyzing, leading to dissatisfaction.
The article I chose was “From the ‘Perfect’ Salary to Keeping Up with the Joneses, here’s How Money Affects Your Happiness” by Cory Stieg. The article concludes that money doesn’t bring happiness. The premise is that depending on how you use that money, it can change your life for the better or even worse.
I agree that money doesn’t bring happiness. Even the most well-off person who lives and breathes money can feel dissatisfaction with their lives. When they look at someone with a little more than them, envy can kick in and there’s this eagerness to get more and more to feel powerful. In the article, it states, “This is because we have an evolutionary tendency to compare ourselves to other people, Klontz says. “We’re very much wired on a survival level to see how we compare and where we stack up next to everybody else.” With the current grind culture, there is this pressure to be a millionaire by thirty and that’s not realistic for everyone as we see the recent inflation rates causing everything to be expensive. Money can bring happiness to a certain extent but can’t be there for you emotionally (unless you are an emotional eater and need to buy food to eat). I believe having a purpose and a goal is required so you can be challenged as a person. If you spend money on experiences rather than on material items, it can be beneficial to your happiness
