Questions about issues in the news for students 13 and older.
A Bucks blog post ponders a recent study from Princeton University that found that people reported an increase in happiness as their incomes rose to $75,000 a year. “Then, the impact of rising income on happiness levels off,” the post says. What do you think of this finding? How much money do you think you would need a year to be happy? Do you think more money would make you more happy? If so, then how, as the blog post asks, do you explain the fact that “there are plenty of people who seem to have very little money and lots of happiness”?
Can it really be that simple? Is there a relationship between money and happiness?
I understand that not having money to cover basic needs causes stress. Real stress. But we have seen plenty of crazy (but real) examples of how varied the definition of basic needs can be. Maybe it is more about expectations, desire and constant “wanting” than it is about actual income. We all know people who make more than we do and are still not happy with their income level.
If you believe that happiness can be reduced to a functional equation up to $75,000, then how do you explain all those stories of people around the world with very little money and a whole lot of happiness?
I have a friend — recently returned from an extended trip to Nepal — who was struck by how little people had and how happy they seemed. Of course she was only there a few weeks and that might not be long enough to draw any conclusions, but you get the point.
The moment we accept the idea that there is a magic income that maximizes happiness, we have to deal with the reality that there are plenty of people who seem to have very little money and lots of happiness.
Students: Tell us how much you think money influences how happy you are — or how much you imagine it will determine your happiness as an adult. Is there a certain amount of money you think you’d need to earn a year to be happy? Are there things you think you would need to own to be happy? How content are you with your life right now? To what extent do you think that comes — or doesn’t come — from having the material things you need and want? Do you know people who seem to be happy yet have very little money?
Teachers: Here are 10 ways to teach with this feature.