Can Money Buy Happiness?

Many of us dreams of having thousands and thouands of dollars to spend on anything we desire. We buy lottery tickets, enter contest or spend hours building a business or playing the stock market. We're sure when we have plenty of money, we will be happy. But will we?

While having some money does have an impact on our level of happinese, having a lot of money does not. People in the United States whose income goes from 20000 US dollars a year to 50000 US dollars a year are more likely to be happy.

But after 50000 US dollars, happiness does not increase as salaries go up. Why is that? It's because we are never satisfied. "We always think if we just had a little more money, we'd be happier," says Catherine Sanderson, a psychology professor at Amherst College. "But when we get there, we're not. "

"The more you make, the more you want. The more you have, the less it brings you joy. " says Danile Gilbert, a psychology professor at Harvard. "We incorrectly assume we'll get more pleasure from more, and we don't."

The things money can buy don't make you happy either. A lot of research suggests that you won't find the " good life " buying expensive "toys." You finally buy that BMW you've always wanted and it soon loses its appeal. Then, instead of wondering if a new car is what really makes you happy, you decide you just need a different new car. It's an endless cycle.

To really be happy, you need to understand what makes you happy in the first plance. One secret of happiness: people. Surveys have found that people need people. Those who have five or more close friends are 50 percent more likely to describe themselves as "very happy." Good relationships have a far greater effect on happiness than large raises in salary. Andrew Oswald is an economist at England's University of Warwick. He says, "If you're looking for happiness in life, find the right husband or wife rather than trying to double your salary."

So invest your time and energy in people. The payoff is much bigger in terms of happiness!


vocabulary:

1. contest 2. impact 3. psychology 4. assume 5. appeal 6. survey 7. economist 8.invest


my thinking:

I love this article who let me get the inspiration about whether happiness can be bought. People usually earn much money so that we can buy many things and believe as long as have money we can buy everything we want. However, we ignore something which we can't buy using money. What's that? It's love and health. We can't use money to buy them. I am impressed I have seen the movie named "The pursuit of hapiness" Even though, the man had little money, he had a son. He worked hard to earn little money to live. I think it is important for love and health.Without them, we can't live for the future. We need money but it can't let us buy happiness.