Money and Hapiness

Many people think that the phrase "money doesn't buy happiness" is false. people will think that just because they feel happy when they make a purchase or obtain money that money will make them happy in life. I directly oppose this idea, and agree with the statement that "money doesn't buy happiness". The dream of striking it rich has become almost an obsession with many Americans, as consumerism and greed consume us. Just this black Friday, at least two people have died trying to get a slight discount at malls or stores, showing how dedicated we are to money and material items. Despite this obsession with getting richer and getting more "stuff", studies, such as one from Huffington Post, show that happiness actually begins to decrease with income after about $70,000 a year (In Michigan), even though the median income for Michigan families is around $64,000 a year. This means that in actuality, it isn't the richest of the rich that are happy, but instead, it is the middle class are marginally happier than the rich, and shows that most of us have the potential to be very happy despite how much money we have. In The Great Gatsby, despite him being in a very nice house with lots of money, Tom still seems unhappy, to the point where he even cheats on Daisy with another woman. He also says, "Civilization's going to pieces", showing everyone how pessimistic and upset he is despite his very good financial standings, conveying the concept that happiness is much more complex than just having lots of money (Fitzgerald 12).

Sources:
Huffington Post
Department of Numbers