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Money vs. Happiness

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1. Give an outline of the views on the relation between wealth and happiness presented in texts 1 and 2
In the first text “The Sandra Bullock Trade” David Brooks presents his own subjective attitude towards the topic “money vs. happiness”, and Brooks is convinced that there is little or no connection between being wealthy and being happy.
“Marital happiness is far more important than anything else in determining personal well-being” he says, and underpins this with the statement that if you are happily married everything else doesn’t matter, you will be reasonably happy anyway. On the other hand he claims that if you have an unsuccessful marriage you will never be truly happy.
He introduces some statistics to backup his opinion showing that the relationship between happiness and income is tenuous after the point where basic necessities have been achieved. “…people are happy in their 20’s, dip in middle age and then, on average, hit peak happiness just after retirement at age 65” According to Brooks and this assertion happiness is based on age rather than on income, and he also mentions that the daily activities most associated with happiness are the ones where you socialize with others. All together he’s of the opinion that happiness does not rely on the fact that you are either wealthy or not.

In text 2 the topic is seen in a different way. It’s not seen as an “either money or happiness”-situation but more by the way the money is used. According to studies of consumption people do get happier spending money, but it depends on what they spend their money on. “… people are happier when they spend money on experiences instead of material objects…” this means that you will actually feel happier and achieve a longer lasting satisfaction if you buy a nice vacation, start taking French lessons or buy tickets for a concert.
The text mentions that using money to compete with your neighbours on who has the most fancy car or the fastest boat will not make you happier, instead it will ruin your happiness and ability to appreciate the small everyday pleasures in life.
The blogger Harley Corwick is disagreeing with the text by rejecting the idea of happiness being an either-or proposition. “Some days, you want a trip, she says; other days, you want a Tom Ford handbag”

2. How does David Brooks engage the reader in text 1? Give examples from the text
In text 1 David brooks engages the reader by asking the reader questions; “Would you take that as a deal? Would you exchange a tremendous professional triumph for a severe personal blow?” By doing this he forces the reader to take a position on the topic. He also starts out by refereeing to the world famous actress Sandra Bullock, who nearly everybody knows, and this might catch the reader’s attention.
“Nonetheless, if you had to take more than three seconds to think about this question, you are absolutely crazy” By saying this he addresses himself directly to the reader who starts wondering whether his or her opinion is right or wrong.
Also the fact that he uses statistics and experts to backup his opinion engages the reader, because it makes him more reliable and trustworthy.
Furthermore the scenarios he mentions like marriage, winning the lottery and winning an Academy Award is something everyone can relate to because many people dream of experiencing at least one of these things at some point in their life.

3. Based on the opinions in texts 2 and 3, discuss whether spending makes people happy
In text 2 the attitude towards spending money is that if you spend it on the right things it will make you happy. I agree with this way of looking at it, because I have experienced it myself, and I’m quite sure most people have. If you want something really much and put money aside for it every month, then, when the day comes and you finally get the thing you have dreamt of for so long, you will feel the satisfaction and happiness because it’s something you really wanted.
Also the statement about the fact that you aren’t getting happier if you buy something just to compete with the neighbours or compare with your friends is something I agree on. What you spend your money on will only make you happy if you do it just for yourself. This is also why I’m convinced that buying an expensive designer handbag can make you happy, but only if you do it for yourself. It will not benefit you if you buy it just because your friend has one or because it’s from a special brand, but if you buy it because you really, really want it I think it will make you happy.
In text 3 the point is that there is more to happiness than being in a good mood. The text revolves around the American investor Warren Buffet, who has given a huge amount of money to charities. This is a different way of spending money, because instead of benefitting yourself you do something good for other people who might need it more than you. “Buffet has given purpose to his life” the text says, because buy donating all this money Buffet now knows that he has done something good for someone else. I agree with this way of putting it, and I think that one of the best ways to spend your money is by doing something good for someone else. It’s just the same feeling as when you have put a lot of effort into finding someone the perfect gift, and when they open it you feel just as happy as they do.
Of course it’s not everything you spend your money on that will make you happy. Sometimes you’ll regret buying something and sometimes you’ll have to spend money on things that don’t do anything to make you happy. But I do think it’s true that spending money makes people happy, but only if it’s spend on the right things, because if you do something good for either yourself or other people you will automatically feel happy in some way.

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