Mone and Happiness: Friends or Foes?

Rafael Martinez Martinez 1
Ms. Frederick
ENC 1102
26 Apr. 2013
Word Count: 2444
Money and Happiness: Friends or Foes

One of the most complicated questions humanity has made itself is: What is happiness? Some will answer that money is happiness, some will answer that it is the recollection of special moments that you share with your loved ones. Truth be told, there is not a correct or incorrect answer for this question. This is because the answer is completely subjective, it is a personal opinion. The answer to this question varies a lot. One of the factors that contribute to this fact is age. I was fascinated to hear the different answers but the age group that really caught my attention was adults. I do not consider myself an adult because I do not work and I do not have children. Therefore, based on personal experiences, I cannot tell you what happiness to an adult is. But, I do think that for most, happiness comes in the form of economic stability. This reasoning led me to do some research on how money is related to the happiness of adults.
The word happiness can be defined, what is hard to define is the whole concept of happiness. According to research done by Patricia A. Dunavold happiness, for experts, can be defined according to the ideas of two schools of thought: hedonism and cognitivism (1). Hedonism can be defined as the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life (“Hedonism”). It involves the feelings that result from input into the five different sensory systems. So, according to hedonists, happiness simply involves maximizing the positive effects of the different sensory systems (Dunavold 1). Cognitivism is the meta-ethical thesis that moral judgments state facts and so are either true or false (“Cognitivism”). In other words, cognitive theorists state that happiness Martinez 2 results from making reasonable progress towards the realization of a goal. We can cognitive theorists find happiness in the path leading towards a goal while hedonists find happiness in the goal itself.
For me happiness is simply the joy of living and the whole human experience concept. We can feel and we can go through a lot of situations that can change how we perceive the world that surrounds us. We are cursed with a conscious awareness of our own mortality. According to research done by Todd B. Kashdan, happiness can be defined by the “self-esteem, sense of purpose, social interest and kindness, sense of humor, and aesthetic appreciation” that people possess (1225). I think that some of these aspects can define happiness and some cannot, at least for me because, you know, happiness is subjective. For example, self-esteem can be applied to everyone, if you do not love yourself then how can you be happy? On the other hand, I don’t really care much about my looks or the looks of a potential love interest. I think that this is a little bit superficial. But this is just my opinion.
Happiness definitely comes differently for everyone. Some people might find happiness in practicing extreme sports; some might find happiness by quietly reading a book in the tranquility of their living rooms. I asked one of my closest friends what was happiness to him. He responded with this: “Happiness is a smile from a cute girl, a touchdown from your favorite team, a small personal victory, a good deed done for someone else; happiness is, simply put, learning how to find joy in the little things.” Subjectivity can be defined as the “judgment based on individual personal impressions Martinez 3 and feelings and opinions rather than external facts” (“Subjectivity”). This tells me that the definition of happiness varies from person to person because we do not think the same way and we do not like the same things. Of course, we can all influence other people to change the way they think. In this way we might indirectly change their definition of happiness. In the end it is the individual’s decision to choose what really makes him happy.
For some people, mainly scientists, happiness can be objective because it can be measured. For example, the Happy Planet Index (HPI) uses “global data on life expectancy, experienced well-being and Ecological Footprint to calculate the extent to which countries deliver long, happy, sustainable lives for the people that live in them” (Marks). According to the data they collect we can say that the countries that lack basic necessities are not as happy as those that do possess them. In a research done by Earl Williamson, he says that, objectively, human happiness depends on organic personal and cultural life (1). He refers to how organized and developed are our relationships with ourselves and our peers. Williamson writes about how we cannot measure human happiness based on our own opinions because our ideas of happiness are too influenced by the media; therefore he states that we should be studied like zoo animals because we cannot express our opinions (1). This is done by observing us and empathizing with us. I think that this is an interesting method and I completely agree with what he says about how we are prone to be influenced by media. I had not thought about that at all. This led me to think about how our brain reacts to the input it receives and decides whether that will make us happy or sad. Martinez 4
The brain is a really complex organ; it has a lot of parts, each of which exercises a specific function. One of these parts is the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is filled with neurotransmitters; these are the chemicals that ferry signals from one neuron to the next (Lemonick 3). Some of these neurotransmitters include: dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, GABA and more. According to research, dopamine is the most important because people with a sensitive version of the receptor that accepts dopamine tend to have better moods, and researchers are actively studying the relationship of dopamine levels to feelings of euphoria and depression (3). In his research, Lemonick writes that dopamine is the most important because it is connected to our sense of reward (3). For example, if we succeed in a certain activity dopamine is released and as a result we feel that we are achieving something, therefore we become happy. Even though dopamine is important for this kind of happiness (goal achieving happiness) there are other neurotransmitters that “specialize” in other kinds of happiness for example, endorphins which are involved in pain reduction and pleasure (Boeree 2). Based on these facts we know that happiness, whether it is subjective or objective, exists. But how much of it exists in each of us? Is it possible to measure happiness?
To measure happiness we could look at the different aspects that compose it and see if the individual is satisfied with each one. According to research done by Martin Seligman, happiness has three major components: pleasure, engagement, and meaning (Wallis 3). These three are what define happiness to each individual. Pleasure refers the emotional aspect of our lives; it includes our mental stability and health. For Martinez 5 example, a happy person is less likely to suffer from emotional breakdowns than a person that is depressed. Engagement refers to the social aspect of happiness; how committed are we to our work and to our relationships. Some might say that the more friends you have, the better but I have to disagree. I don’t think that the more friends you have, the happier you will be. The truth is that it all depends on how people that surround influence you. If they influence you positively, then you are more likely to be happy. So, it is not about the quantity but the quality. The last component of happiness, meaning, refers to how we feel about our place on this intricate thing called life. It refers to our sense of purpose. In the same research done by Seligman, he writes that pleasure is the least important and least influential and that “…many Americans build their lives around pursuing pleasure. It turns out that engagement and meaning are much more important" (Wallis 3). These are just Seligman’s conclusions based on his research on happiness. There are many general factors that can make us happy. Those that are the most relevant to us are: good health, food and water, social interaction, and absence of violence.
I believe that, out of these factors, good health is the most important one. We all know that happiness can lead to good physical and mental health. When you are happy you just feel more energetic and, emotionally, you believe that you can deal with anything. I began to wonder why does this happen. What does our body do to make us healthier through happiness? As we can see, there are many perks that come with happiness. One of these is good health. The relationship between happiness and health Martinez 6 has long been a topic of debate amongst scientists in the medical community. An article published by the Harvard School of Public Health mentions a study done by Laura Kubzansky that states that positive thoughts and emotional stability can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (Rimer and Drexler 1). Like happiness can bring good health, negative emotions and feelings can have their toll on our bodies. For example, sustained stress and fear, on the long run, can add up to “wear and tear” that can result in illnesses such as heart diseases, stroke, and diabetes (1). Some scientists disagree with Kubzansky, they say that “positive emotions mark the absence of negative moods and self-destructive habits” (1). It is not possible to enjoy good health without acquiring it in the first place. We do this by exercising (releasing endorphins) and consuming at least the required amount of food and water.
Food and water are indispensable for us to survive. If we do not ingest the necessary amount of these well be less likely to enjoy from good health and good health leads to happiness, therefore if we don’t consume enough food and water we will not be happy. I consider myself to be lucky enough to have a family that can provide me with extra food and water. I bet that you have seen at least five pictures of people starving in Africa. They do not look happy, or do they? What would they do for a glass of water, or a bath, or a warm dinner? Honestly, I cannot empathize with them; I find it too hard to do since I have had enough food and water since I was born. As we can clearly see, these two are factors that contribute to everyone’s happiness. They are indispensable for our health and for our happiness. Martinez 7
A lonely person may say that they are happy. That’s not true; they just seem to be happy. I mean, would you be completely happy if you died without ever having a girlfriend or boyfriend? Probably not. Human beings were designed to be social creatures. We need some kind of social interaction to survive, be it with family, friends, or strangers. Like Seligman wrote, engagement (social interaction) is one of the most important components of happiness (Wallis 3). Social interaction can help us cope with our emotions. It can take out the negative aspects of our lives. Therefore, as long as we interact with other people we, to some extent, will be happy.
Violence can come in many forms. For example, physical violence like domestic abuse, war, street fights, etc and verbal violence like verbal abuse. Violence of any kind demoralizes us and can lower our self-esteem. This is why happiness is present when violence is absent. It is logical to think that people who live in places where violence is not present are happier than those who live in places where violence is part of everyday life. Truth be told, violence will always be present in our lives because it is part of human nature and it is presented to us in every type of social media. It is up to us to decide whether we will let it affect us in any way.
If you ask a random adult what is happiness to him, he will probably answer with “economic stability.” If you ask another adult, she will probably answer with “a unified family.” It is completely understandable that adults might find happiness in a good income. They live in a stressful world where they feel that money is an excellent reward for their hard work. This might sound a little bit cynical but, I would work for the money Martinez 8 and not for the enjoyment of working or because I want to “improve the world”. To me, those are bypass products. A Forbes article that I recently read mentions a study conducted by economists from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan that states that richer countries are happier than poorer countries, richer people are happier than poorer people who live in the same country, and countries grow happier as they become richer over time (LearnVest 1). Fig. 1 shows that income is directly proportional to happiness (satisfaction ladder).

Figure 1
Some people might believe that people who live in poorer countries will be automatically unhappier than those who earn more money. This is not the case. Adam Davidson mentions a study done by Justin Wolfers that states that “poor people in poor Martinez 9 countries are not unhappy simply because they don’t have wads of cash.” They are just unhappier because they have more difficulties like having too many mouths to feed (Davidson 2). I believe that money can buy happiness. For example, if you can afford a nice vacation you will probably have a good time and good times equal to happy times. But, according to research this type of happiness is relative. That means that, if you can afford a nice vacation even though you do not earn as much as other people, you can be happy too (LearnVest 1). All in all we can say that money equals to happiness.
In the end what is really important to us? What makes us happy? We have seen what the researchers have to say about this. According to them the factors that influence our happiness are: good health, food and water, social interaction, and absence of violence. And we have seen what other people think. It can depend on what you think makes you happy. I believe that there is not a correct answer to these questions and we shouldn’t really worry about them. We should just live life and decide ourselves whether we are happy or not.