Does Money Buy Happiness?

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Does Money Buy Happiness?
Donald Tolbert
John Brown University

Executive Summary
The subject of this paper is the age-old question, “Does Money Buy Happiness”. On the surface, this question appears to be an easy one. Happiness however, is a subjective item. To better answer this, several points must be analyzed such as, “What is happiness?”, “How is it measured?” etc. To better streamline this process, a research question was developed: * “Does an increase in personal income cause individuals to have a change in their level of well-being?”
In an effort to answer this question, several conflicting views were examined and several individuals were interviewed who had financial windfalls to determine the effect that an …show more content…

He met his current wife, Lisa, when she was working in a café. Over the course of their relationship, he intentionally withheld the fact that he had money. He went to elaborate ends to mislead her such as wearing old clothes on dates, driving an old car, and going dutch on dates (Cable, 2009). These efforts had the desired effect, as Lisa grew to love him even though she believed he had no money. Lisa said “I remember telling him that we wouldn’t have much money, but I was happy to carry on working. I just wanted us to be together” (Cable, 2009).
Adeline Angelo and her husband Eugene won a $2.5million jackpot 11 years ago and just recently hit another win, netting $5 million. Lottery director Gardner Gurney said “The Angelos are living proof that lighting, or in this case, random luck, can strike twice” (Schapiro, 2007). The Angelos are sharing their winnings with their three children and extended families, using their good fortune to help others. Their main goal is to allow the new fortune to “but us good health and longevity” (Schapiro, 2007).
Joan Ginter of Bishop, TX has won not one, not two, but four prizes. One could rate her as one of the “luckiest lottery player” (Collins, 2010). While being lucky doesn’t actually instill happiness in a person, the increased confidence it brings might lead to an increased level of well-being. It has seemed to cause her to lead a double life. Moving to Las Vegas, NV, from Bishop, TX, Ms. Gitner, a

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