This is one of four articles that was chosen by Scroll Editors from a seventh grade writing competition in Mrs. Dyer’s English classes. All students were required to write an article about a topic they had an opinion on. The competition was modelled after a student editorial competition in The New York Times. From all four sections of that class, 17 articles were picked by the seventh-grade students as the best and sent to The Scroll without names. The 17 articles were then narrowed down to four by opinions editors Dom Alberts and Charlie Gorrivan. The articles were then ranked from first to fourth by the entire editorial staff.
Everyone has bought happiness, including the person who wrote this paper and the person who is reading it. Whether this happiness comes through experiences or donations, it is still happiness that comes from the help of money. Some people might disagree. Money can’t buy the happiness that comes from being with family and friends, they might say. Even with this disagreement, after much study, I have come to a conclusion that defies what many people have claimed: while money can’t “buy” happiness, happiness can certainly be augmented with money. Happiness from money does not come from the physical, paper dollar; it comes from the way one spends that dollar.
Experiences can be a true cause of happiness. Memories from experiences can last a lifetime, and can bring a person happiness every time they think of it. The anticipation of these experiences, before you experience them, can also bring one happiness.
To lead off, Professor Ryan Howell, an associate professor of psychology at San Francisco State University, found through a study that experiences are one of the true causes of happiness. Some people think that material goods are a cause of happiness and last longer than a movie ticket or vacation, so some tend to stick to buying material goods instead of experiences. But, Professor Howell’s study shows that when people reflected on their experiences, they came to the conclusion that the experiences were more memorable, and provided more happiness. This study was reported in The Wall Street Journal, “Can Money Buy You Happiness?”. Professor Howell said, “…People think that experiences are only going to provide temporary happiness, but they actually provide both more happiness and more lasting value.”
As the study here shows, it is not the money, the physical dollar, which causes the happiness, it is how one spends the money. In this case it is the experience, not the physical dollar, which causes happiness. This demonstrates that money can buy happiness through, even if it is via experiences. Money can’t buy experiences that provide memories that one will never forget, valuable memories from the valuable experiences. While this might not be the same happiness that comes from friends and family, it is still a type of happiness. This study also proves that, even though material goods don’t produce much happiness, it is experience, though fleeting, which provides the most happiness.
Donations to charity and buying gifts for friends, family, or others are selfless acts, and these acts can contribute to happiness. The money which is put towards donations and gifts for other people can make one feel happier than if that money was spent on themselves.
A second piece of evidence is in The New York Times, a research study sampled more than 600 Americans. The study showed that people found that spending money on other people via gifts or donations, rather than themselves, correlated with the greatest happiness. Another study in The New York Times was done on 46 students given $5 or $20. They were instructed to spend the money on either themselves or on other people. Those who were instructed to spend the money on themselves were considerably less happy than those who spent the money on other people.
This proves for my claim that money can buy happiness as, without money, one can’t donate or buy gifts for loved ones. The happiness brought by donations is something that, without money, can not be bought. This is also true happiness; joy is something, as proven by this study, which can be bought through gifts, mostly if they are not for yourself.
Many might say that true happiness comes from the joy loved ones bring to one another. Family and friends can not be bought with money. This is also true happiness. Although this is a fair argument, what about the plane ticket which you buy to fly over to see your family? What about the present you buy them on your birthday? Little hidden moments where money contributed to happiness can be found everywhere, even with family and friends. But, money can contribute to happiness if spent wisely on rich experiences and selflessly, on meaningful gifts for others.
Middle schoolers, if you doubt the fact that money can buy happiness, think back to memorable experiences and vacations that you have taken. Did these bring you happiness? If so, instead of spending money on material gifts, spend money on experiences. Instead of buying presents for yourself, buy presents for family and friends. Until I took this advice and remembered my happy experiences, I believed that money could not buy you happiness. Then, I remembered this: the happiest times for me are experiences spent with my family and friends. Joy for me comes from watching my friends and family open the gifts and presents from me, and seeing their faces light up as they behold the wonders inside. Just think; what makes you happy?
