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Thursday, April 17, 2008

Does being Wealthy mean being Happy?

A recent New York Times article talks about whether having enough money at your disposal gurantee that you are actually happy. Now this is an interesting aspect. Would you be happier if you could go shopping and buy everything you wanted to buy or would it make you feel good if you had shorter commute distances to office and had lot of time to spend with family and friends.

There is a flip-side. If you had all the money you wanted, then you can choose to work less and still do the things you always wanted to. But does money alone guarantee happiness?

How much of money will make us satisfied? If we have above average income, or if we are earning more than our neighbours or friends? How do we measure that this much money is enough to make me happy?

Above all, should happiness be measured with reference to money?

The time-tested theories and the questions that are never answered. This article also lists some perspectives that are really interesting to know.

3 comments:

Prashant Sree said...

I have been assuming that being Happy makes you wealthy.
Wonder why very few people think about that.. Isnt ??

Sunder said...

I agree with the point in your second paragraph. A lot of our time is spent ensuring our future is safe and secure - financially. In the process, we do ignore a lot of other important things such as health, friends, love and the like.

If we did have enough money - to each his own but for me I would just want enough to sustain my current standard of living, then we could spend a lot of time with friends, family, taking care of health that it does make us happier at the end of the day !!

Unknown said...

It was a time when we felt that money is not everything.

But today the things have changed, it is money that rules. I have one example to support my theory. Suppose ones child is suffering from something which needs to be operated or else he will not survive. Now we being parents will try to do anything to save our child.

How ever brilliant you may be, but if you dont have money then your child is gone. This is one of the examples.

There are many others things which only money can get you. In todays world having money is like having power and only power will make you survive in this world