Some people think that money is the most important factor in promoting happiness? Do you think people can be happy without money? What other factors contribute towards happiness?
It is popularly believed that
money
is the key factor for happiness
. In my view, happiness
is affected by not only enough money
but also
personal and environmental reasons. Sometimes people
do not feel happy even if they can afford to buy.
According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (or Maslow’s pyramid) which is a theory of human motivation, the first
two steps are physiological and safety needs which include basic needs such
as food, water, clothing, property, health, and security. Money
plays a significant role in dealing with these basic needs. If people
do not have enough money
to overcome these categories, they can not reach higher stages of the pyramid which are love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Fundamentally, happiness
comes with these last
steps. People
are only happy when someone loves them and respects them, or when they achieve their goals and are connected with others. Because of the lack of money
, they stuck in their initial needs, instead
of developing themselves. Money
enables people
to purchase furniture, books, cars, tickets as well as allows them to gain experience, thus
can brings happiness
. It gives people
an opportunity to jump over to the next
steps of the pyramid.
On the other hand
, even if people
satisfy their basic needs, they are not able to find happiness
. If money
always brings pleasure, all rich people
must be happy, but they are not. There might be different reasons for being happy such
as being healthy, having a good family, or psychological well-being. In other words
, personal and environmental factors have an impact on happiness
. Thinking about the difference between a person who has a positive view of life and a pessimist, or a child raised by a mother who always smiles and a child who is constantly scolded might be a good exercise to understand happiness
.
In conclusion, there are many different reasons in life that are affecting happiness
. While money
is essential to be happy, it is not sufficient alone. Although
the way to satisfaction is through money
, individual and social effects should not be skipped.Submitted by Ezgi Kalkan on
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