Monday, May 20, 2013
WEEK EIGHT WRITING ABOUT WHAT YOU READ
I FEEL DRAINED OF ALL ORIGINAL THOUGHT...SO, IT IS UP TO YOU TO COME UP WITH YOUR RESPONSE TO THIS PIECE. YOU MAY RESPOND TO ANYTHING FROM THIS ARTICLE OR FOCUS ON ANY THOUGHT THAT IT CONJURES UP FOR YOU. MAYBE I'LL GO BUY SOME HAPPINESS WHILE YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT TO WRITE THIS WEEK.
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Well I compelety agree. Many times I think I'm right, but with this reading I have now notices that I am maybe a bit closer to being correct in the belief that money doesn't buy happiness. We have everything in the world but love is what creates happiness. I am so happy there is actual research on this. I'm not sure how it actually happened but it's good enough for me to know that many others share my same belief. If I had all of that money I have reconsidered what I would di with it. I was already thinking about my list incase I won the PowerBall. I would of course build my own house, remodel my car, donate to my youth group at church, and get alot of food and clothes to give to the homeless and payoff all my debt and my families that can handle the richness on there lives. Some need responsibility so I would look out for them and make my decisions accordingly.
ReplyDeleteExperiential purchases really do have a deeper impact on our sense of happiness than the purely material. This particular experience resulted in the gain of a material good, but was highly experiential.
ReplyDeleteIt was the purchase of tailoring services for a 1960's bespoke suit that I had purchased for next to nothing. While the suit was cheap for me, I'm sure it cost the original owner quite a bit of money. It is made out of the best wool I have ever felt, and the amount of labor that went into it's construction is stunning. Unfortunately, it didn't fit me as well as I wanted it to. The experience of hunting for, then finding the piece, then of taking it to a good tailor, getting measured, and seeing the work done added so much value. I wouldn't enjoy the suit nearly as much if it had been given to me, fitting perfectly. The work and effort that went into obtaining such a rare and unique article of clothing and making it a completely custom piece makes the possession of the suit that much more satisfying.
Using money on others instead of myself? What an outrageous thought that goes hand in hand with my way of thinking! I have never been a "Me, Myself, and I" person. Instead of caring more for myself I tend to focus on others and neglect myself. I think that spending money on others is a really nice concept, especially when it leads to opportunities to create experience and stories with others. I love hanging out with my friends outside of the house or school. We have this habit of going out to our favorite sushi and Chinese food places in town and eating our fill in food and laughter. It's those times I remember the most than when I've bought something for myself or did something by myself.
ReplyDeleteI can totally find some truth in this, I remember when I bought my former boyfriend his valentine gifts and how happy I was buying the things, picking them, and seeing the big smile on his face when he got them. Although, me and him are no longer together I still savor that memory. Come to think of it, most of my valuable memories involve time spent with other people. I treasure the little things people have given me over the years much more than the major purchases I’ve made. I find that to be completely fascinating. I like purchasing things for people but I am cautious about who I lavish with gifts and attention since I don’t want to be taken advantage of. Overall, I find that pleasant experiences with a combination of living a comfortable middleclass lifestyle bring me happiness.
ReplyDeleteI agree it does feel good to spend money on someone else and traveling with friends and family. It felt rewarding purchasing my first home for my mom, but I also remember trips taken with the family. The past 6 years, my whole family including aunts, uncle, and cousins take a family trip. The money we spent on these trips, I can’t imagine spending on anything else. I remember how much fun we had the week we spent in Lake Tahoe. We weren’t on our phones or glued to the television; we were bonding. We hiked, went swimming in the lake and water rafting. Because of the trip to Lake Tahoe, we made a pact to go every summer to a new place. Last year, we took a road trip to the Grand Canyon. We traveled to four states California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, and enjoyed something new in each state. As a family we have traveled to Spain, Canada, and Mexico. We put aside money for our trips. This year we might just go camping for a week because hopefully next summer we will be in Brazil watching the World Cup.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this money situation about spending, I think that it is true that people who do have money will get greedy and will be happy at first. I believe this relates to an example of a child when he begs for a toy and he plays with it for the first week and stops paying attention to it after a week. They rather have someone else play with it. I think that people with money will get caught up with a certain living style that the majority of the population wants. And at the moment I don’t think they realize that spending money on themselves will please them for only sometime because, they will see a smile but for how long? I think that after the happiness wears down they tend to realize that helping others or making others smile has deeper meaning to ones’ heart. I know for a fact if I had 1 million dollars I would pay my house and car off, donate to charities, and put a saving account for my children and they are not allowed to touch it until they are 21 and they are going to school to make a future for themselves. I feel good when I can buy a lunch for a friend it makes a certain connection where I feel that if they have any troubles with anything I would be gladly to help as much as I can. I think that it is said to be true that people who can spend money on others can make a happy camper.
ReplyDeletewas recently talking to one of my friends about what we would do if we were to win a million dollar lotto. What the article said was true; we tend to think of ourselves before we think of others. For example, I said if I had one million dollar in my hands right now, I would use it to pay off my school loans, go to a private school for my nursing degree and buy my house. But those are just materialistic things; those are just things that we can enjoy alone. I do agree with the authors when they stated that experimental purchases are the ones that can buy happiness this is because the memory of that trip taken will always be remembered and be part of your life experience. I also strongly agree that helping others brings you a kind of satisfaction that you cannot achieve from anything else. From my personal experience , It gives me joy when I am able to give something to someone in need of help or even lending a helping hand to someone, even when they do not ask for it. Materialistic things come and go, things are always going to be outdated or updated but the experience that one shares with another will never "go out of style". It will forever have a lasting effect in our lives.
ReplyDeleteIt is a widespread belief that the more money you have, the happier you’ll be. I however, disagree. Happiness can never be bought with money. After reading this excerpt, it is clear that there is more to life than spending money for your own benefit. I am a person that loves giving gifts. I would go as far as to say that I enjoy the reaction of a person receiving a gift so much, I’d rather buy a gift for someone rather than buying a gift for myself.
ReplyDeleteIt’s such a wonderful idea behind a thoughtful gift. An unexpected gift has the ability to improve a stranger’s day by tenfold. Even more interesting to see, is the same overall effects of happiness acquired when buying a house or receiving a gift from Starbucks. Never would I have thought there would be such similar effects from such different things when relating to a person’s overall happiness.
The "Starbucks" study indicated that the people who used the gift card to purchase and then hang out with someone were the happiest. I happen to agree with this based on my own personal life. Yes, receiving a gift is great, but I believe the joy is even greater when you can bless someone else's life and enjoy the experience with them. The richest times in my life are those that I've spent with loved ones and friends. These are the times when memories are made.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny to me that most people think of themselves when they come into a large amount of money. My sister and I were just talking about winning the lottery the other day and what we do with the money. The first thing out of both of our mouhs was that we would give a large, very large, chunk of the money to our parents. My parents are the hardest working people I know, and despite their hard work, the economy has taken its toll on our family. Because of this, we would both choose to give them quite a bit of money. Next we talked about sharing the money with our Aunts and Uncles who struggle financially, and setting up college funds for all of our younger cousins. I couldn't imagine taking the money and blowing it all on material items that I don't need. This doesn't mean that I wouldn't save any money for myself, but I just can't imagine keeping it all when I know so many who really need financial assistance.
ReplyDeleteI find this article true because amongst most instances happiness is shared and enjoyed throughout people you come into contact with. I don't buy many material things for one reason mainly, I'm a full-time college student with a part-time job and the money I do have I prefer to spend it while hanging out with friends rather than purchasing some new clothes or technology. If I were to spend it on material things then I would have no money for hanging out with friends. So, I definitely put the two on a scale and 9 out of 10 times hanging out with friends outweighs buying a material thing. This definitely makes me feel happy because that's what friends do. You share an experience with your favorite people and create good times.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what I would do if I awoke and found $1 million dollars under my bed. I would take the first $100,000 for myself and invest it. the next hundred grand would go in increments of twenty-five thousand dollars every qurearter to my church. The rest would I would purchase and annuity and use the proceeds to fund an adult re-education program for reading, math, science and living skills tutoring. As the authors of the report found out through their research sharing and spending time with others makes the majority of mankind the happiest. All of us pretty much remember all of the good times we have had sharing moments with family, friends and even perfect strangers. After all we are generally social creatures. Even Ebeneezer Scrooge found he was more happier sharing than being well Scrooge. I strongly believe that it is incumbent upon all of us no matter what our socio-economic condition, to somehow give back to others whether through monetary donations or just giving a little bit of our time.
ReplyDeleteA few days ago I was talking with my boyfriend and I had asked him a random question. I said "if we had more money do you think it could in a sense buy us happiness. Meaning we wouldn't have to struggle they way we are now?" I find this weeks reading assignment rather interesting because how often do we think about ourselves when going to the mall or waiting for the new ipad to come out. And how excitement runs through our body, all the way to our toes when buying something for ourselves. I believe this article hold much truth behind the fact that we all are at fault, we tend to think about ourselves over others and that the more money we have the happier we"ll be. The answer to my question is no, I do not believe that I would be happier if I had more money. And personally, I find myself overfilled with much joy and excitement when giving gifts to others. It was just the other day I went to the store and saw the most beautiful blue sapphire orchids and the first person who came to mind was my boyfriends mom. And imagining the look on her face was would have been a much more rewarding feeling for me.
ReplyDeleteHaving the luxury of being able to have money to buy whatever one wants is something that most people would not mind having, but will that make a person happy? I honestly don’t think so. Money comes and goes and as the article pointed out even buying a new home will not give someone overall happiness because of it. I do feel experiences are worth more than money like the article mentions. My greatest moments of joy have been when I have been with the people that I loved and not with materialistic things that I have purchased. I have always felt that while money can buy momentary happiness it does not last like the moments of happiness shared with people. I also agree that there is even more happiness with buying someone something else. I remember that last year my sisters bike got stolen and she rode her bike everywhere and really loved the bike. I decided with the help of family and friends to buy my sister a new bike that was like her last bike and we surprised her with it. I felt really happy because she was happy with what we have done for her. Buying something for someone else is more satisfying than buying something for yourself.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely agree that people think about themselves before anyone else if they discovered $1 million under their mattress. I know if I found $1 million under my mattress the first thing that would pop into my head is buying myself a house and then buying my mother one. I’m not a greedy person at all, but I think it is hard to not want to buy yourself something that you really want and can’t afford to buy right away if you did not have $1 million. I would also agree that you get more happiness from buying experiences than from buying material things. Buying a trip to a destination that you have always wanted to visit would have longer lasting memories then say buying a new hand bag. When other people such as your family get to come along on those experiences they make it that much better. I say they make it that much better because not only do I get to have memories that will last forever but memories that I share with someone else. One thing me and my boyfriend love to do is talk about memories that we have from all the trips we have taken, especially the funny ones. Then we also get to share them with our 4 year old daughter who likes to think that she was there with us when she was not even born yet, which is hilarious. So I would say buying experiences would top buying material things any day.
ReplyDeleteI think it is very true that people get more happiness out of spending money on others than themselves. At least in my case it is. I get a lot of joy out of buying stuff for my brother, my mom, and my dad and, my sisters. I tend to buy stuff for my brother the most. He is the only boy, and is the baby. He is very attached to me because; I’ve spent the most time with and, have also spoiled him the most. My parents get really mad at me for spending so much money on him, but I find that I can’t help myself most times. I really just love taking him to target and letting him pick a toy out or something he likes. I how happy he gets when he takes it out of the bag and realizes that it is his to keep. He is always very grateful and lets me know that he is giving me hugs, telling me thank you a million times and, saying he loves me. I really don’t mind it at all because; he doesn’t get crazy and pick out big expensive toys. He usually picks something small and kind of cheap. Aside from him the people I enjoy spending money on most are my parents. I love getting them things because; I feel that they deserve it. I also their reactions when I give them little gifts because they appreciate even the smallest things. I also agree that people get more joy out spending money on experiences they share with others. Just last week, my sisters and I took my brother to Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure for his birthday. Although it was very expensive, and we probably won’t do that again in a while, it was worth every penny. It was a lot of fun, and my brothers was the happiest boy on Earth when he got to walk around at Cars land, and take pictures with Lightning McQueen and Mater. He made us get on Racers ride twice, but his happiness made it all worth it.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article on How to Buy Happiness a few times there were some things I agree with and some I don’t really agree with in the article. One of the things mentioned was about how something like buying a house can not bring you happiness. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m currently in the process of house hunting for my first house but I find it’s bringing me a great deal of happiness. I’m sure that once I actually find a house ill be much happier not having to be on the hunt constantly. However, I would agree that this is something that is enjoyed alone as the article stated but it will be enjoyed by my family and I for a long time. Some of the other things the article mentioned were how experiential purchases bring people closer together. Going on vacation and taking trips definitely bring loved ones and friends together. Even something as simple as sitting down for a meal together can invoke feelings of happiness. I would agree that using money now to enjoy things in the moment can make us happy but I feel saving it can also bring the same enjoyment. Money can not buy happiness, we all know that, but I think it helps to bring us a certain type of enjoyment that we can either enjoy alone or with others.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article, the most interesting thing I found was when the author,Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton stated, "And dozens of studies show that people get more happiness from buying experiences than from buying material things." I believe this is very true. I believe that buying experiences brings a lot of happiness, which develops a memory book of fun adventures. I personally would like to experience amusement parks, shows, concerts and travel with family and friends, sharing laughters, building unforgettable memories with a group instead of buy material things and experiencing it alone.
ReplyDeleteI as well tend to find myself happy when I give to people, especially those who are in need of it. If Im carrying a smile, I might as well share that smile with someone who is in need of one. =)
I do believe that experiences is more enjoyable intrusically than material items. My husband and I are always talking about how happy we were in our little one bedroom apartment with the most minimal amount of furniture. We had our 20 inch TV on a clothes bin. We didn't realize how much we enjoyed ourselves. We were both sophmores in college, didn't have any kids, and worked part-time jobs. We stayed up late playing scrabble, watching movies, playing twister, eating out, and doing homework. On school breaks or weekends we would pack up travel to different places. We enjoyed our time together but we loved to have friends over to join in on the reindeer games. Our spontaneous trips were even better when friends traveled with us. Since we were the only ones who worked, we would pay our friends fare just so that we could have the company. It was rewarding to share our trips with someone else even if we had to foot the bill. We would always have fun together but the best of times was with friends and family.
ReplyDeleteI honestly agree completely with the fact that you feel happier when you buy things for others. I actually have done that for a long time; I just recently started spending money on myself. I love to take my parents out to the movies, dinner, or just hangout with them watching movies on Netflix. We have more fun when there's more friends and family; it feels like we could be there for hours. I also have weekly movie days with my brother, niece, and nephews. We have a lot of fun and enjoy everyone's company.
ReplyDeleteOne part of this article that really caught my attention is how we as human beings are immediately drawn to selfish needs and wants when we are presented with a sudden amount of money. Although this doesn't quite surprise me, it makes me ask the question, what if this weren't true? What if our natural first reaction was to meet others' needs instead of our own? To legitimately concern ourselves with other people above ourselves and maintain a mentality to constantly look out for those around us. I believe that this world wouldn't be so "dog-eat-dog" or even individualistic.
ReplyDeleteMoney does not buy happiness. I have a personal experience that is proof of this. My entire life my parents were great providers. They did everything any girl would dream of. However I found myself struggling to find happiness. It wasn't until after I lost it all, because my parents and I had a falling out that I was able to find some type of happiness. Despite the nice things I had, I was not happy. I found that working hard and the little things in life will always make a person happier than a fancy car or nice things.
ReplyDeleteThe conclusion that money spent on experiences and one time events has a better effect on happiness than saving or spending cautiously is kind of what I do as well. My wife is always concerned with money. She questions if we should go on at trip because we don't have a money tree. I always tell her, but when just think back to all the memories and great times we have going on trips. We never really splurge on a trip, but just going on the trip alone is what get's us. So as long as I can have fun with my daughter and wife, and soon to be second daughter, I am perfectly content. Money comes and goes, and I don't believe I will be a millionaire, but I will always take the opportunity to do something memorable with my family, and if that costs money, than so be it.
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