Comparison of Happiness Vs Money

Which one is more important to you, money or happiness? We think that money can bring happiness and solve our most of the problems but does it really bring happiness and peace? This article is about discussion on happiness vs money and how we can manage with it to bring peace and harmony in life.

 We all need money to live but more money does not lead to greater happiness. It would be stupid to want to be poor and pretend that money is bad or unnecessary. At the same time, you shouldn’t make money your goal in life. Money doesn’t necessarily bring you happiness, although it can contribute a lot by sheltering you from need, and providing you with peace-of-mind.

Money is important to help us live our life to the fullest. But at the same time, an increase in its inflow does not bring proportional happiness with it. You need to be aware of this.

Aaron Karo, comedian and author of the forthcoming book, "Ruminations on Twentysomething Life" says, “If you want to draw a line in the sand, happiness is having enough money so you don’t have to move back in with your parents."

Concept and meaning of Happiness in Islam

Does Believing in God Leads to Ultimate Happiness?
Is there any link between our beliefs and being happy in this world?

Seeking happiness is human necessity.  Going deep into the meaning of word 'happiness declares that  'Happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy'.. Philosophers and religious thinkers often define happiness in terms of living a good life, or flourishing, rather than simply as an emotion. This article is an effort to explain the theory if believing in God leads to real/ultimate happiness and concept of happiness in Islam which agrees with the theory.
An undeniable reality is that permanent happiness cannot be achieved except by believing in God - The Creator - and following His guidance. Since it is He who created mankind, He is the one who knows what pleases and benefits them, just as he knows what saddens and harms them. A number of psychologists have affirmed that only a religious person lives with true content and serenity.

Can Money Buy Happiness and Why Rich People Are Not Usually Happier?

It is very common question which humans are asking from decades. Because if money can buy happiness then rich people should be the happier but usually the case is different.

How to know if money can really help us buy happiness?
Let's read some facts, figures and survey reports if money can buy happiness, and how money effects our lives and why rich people are not happier than the poor ones.

These survey reports or finding are not the end of theories but it can teach us an some important life lessons about money, and happiness.

• Americans have on average gotten much richer over the past several decades than they were in previous generations. The inconvenient truth, however, is that there has been no meaningful rise in the average level of happiness.
• In 1972, 30 percent of Americans said they were very happy, and the average American enjoyed about $25,000 (in today’s dollars) of our national income. By 2004, the percentage of very happy Americans stayed virtually unchanged at 31 percent, while the share of national income skyrocketed to $38,000 (a 50 percent real increase in average income).
• The story is the same in other developed countries. In Japan, real average income was six times higher in 1991 than it was in 1958. During the post–World War II period, Japan was transformed at unprecedented speed from a poor nation into one of the world’s richest countries. But the average happiness of a Japanese citizen, measured on a scale of 1–4, stayed exactly the same at 2.7.
• In some countries, there is even some evidence that economic growth can create unhappiness. This is generally the case for nations experiencing rapid and chaotic development and thus opportunities for great wealth for the first time.
• Studies show that lottery winners, heiresses, and the 100 richest Americans are only slightly more satisfied than the guy toiling for his pay in the generic office-park cubicle. Still, mere mortals find it difficult to allow that an extra digit or two on the paycheck won't put a permanent smile on our faces.

We assume that a sportier car, a bigger house, a better-paying job, or that dress will bring us joy because, well, they did in the past, right?

• Not really, says Daniel Gilbert, a Harvard psychology professor and the author of Stumbling on Happiness. "Research reveals that memory is less like a collection of photographs than it is like a collection of impressionist paintings rendered by an artist who takes considerable license with his subject," Gilbert writes. We forget that the new-car high deflated well before our first trip to the mechanic, and the raise came with stressful late nights at the office and a steeper tax tab.
• Money doesn't buy happiness, say a couple of Princeton University researchers who found the link between cash and a good mood to be "greatly exaggerated and mostly an illusion.''
• Rich people spend more time in high-stress activities than people with modest resources or poor people, they found.
• Those with the highest incomes spend more time working, worrying, shopping, taking care of the kids and exercising, and less time relaxing with a book or an uplifting news story (like this one).
• At Princeton, economist Alan Krueger and psychologist Daniel Kahneman measured how people of different income levels spend their time, and which of these activities are enjoyable. (Though he's a psychologist, Kahneman won the 2002 Nobel Prize in economics.)

Their results: The rich are not lazing on the beach at St. Tropez for six months of the year, no matter what you see in the glossy photos in mutual fund ads. They're stuck in traffic, worrying about their kids and spending long hours at the office.

• "The belief that high income is associated with good mood is widespread but mostly illusory,'' the researchers announce today in the journal Science.
• "People with above-average income are relatively satisfied with their lives but are barely happier than others in moment-to-moment experience, tend to be more tense, and do not spend more time in particularly enjoyable activities.''
• Pulling in the big bucks makes people more likely to say they are happy with their lives overall -- whether they are young or old, male or female, or living in cities or remote villages, the survey of more than 136,000 people in 132 countries found.
• Another survey shows that a key element of what many people consider happiness -- positive feelings -- is much more strongly affected by factors other than cold, hard cash, such as feeling respected, being in control of your life and having friends and family to rely on in a pinch.
• "Yes, money makes you happy -- we see the effect of income on life satisfaction is very strong and virtually ubiquitous and universal around the world," said Ed Diener, a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Illinois who led the study. "But it makes you more satisfied than it makes you feel good. Positive feelings are less affected by money and more affected by the things people are doing day to day."

Studies reveal another toll that money takes.
An international team of researchers led by Jordi Quoidbach report in the August 2010 issue of Psychological Science that, although wealth may grant us opportunities to purchase many things, it simultaneously impairs our ability to enjoy those things.

Their first study, conducted with adult employees of the University of Liège in Belgium showed that the wealthier the workers were, the less likely they were to display a strong capacity to savor positive experiences in their lives. Furthermore, simply being reminded of money (by being exposed to a picture of a huge stack of Euros) dampened their savoring ability.

Read more: New research reveals that reminders of wealth impair our capacity to savor life's little pleasures


Useful links:

* Can money really make you happy? Can Money Buy Happiness?
This post includes a story about a forty-two-year-old forklift operator in Corbin, Kentucky, named Mack Metcalf who won $65 million Powerball jackpot. But did it change his life in a positive way or was he happier than before? Unfortunately he died at the age of forty-five, only about three years after his lottery draw, racked with cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis.
*Can money buy happiness? Maybe, up to $75,000
* Does money buy happiness? New research says yes, to a point

First published at 'knoji'

How to Get Happiness from Within and Get Health Plus Longevity?

Real happiness comes from inside, and we know that happiness brings health plus longevity, but how to get real happiness to stay healthier and longer? The simple answer may be to ‘be satisfied with your life as it is, and be thankful to God’. As happiness and sorrow are parts of our life we cannot choose only to be happy. But we can learn to be happy from within.

Happiness helps you bringing joy within yourself and spreading around you. This post helps you find ways to happiness and enables you to download valuable free ebooks. I have downloaded these priceless and valuable ebooks and realized that you have to pay a high price for the valuable stuff, but hats off to the authors of these books who devoted this information to mankind and shared it with all.

According to the World Health Organization, "Health is more than the absence of disease. Health is a state of optimal well-being." Optimal well-being is a concept of health that goes beyond the curing of illness to one of achieving wellness.

Fyodor Dostoevsky said: "Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it."

Read more: How to Get Happiness from Within and Get Health Plus Longevity?

Tips to 'be and stay happy'

If anybody asks me what is the exact formula of happiness, I would only say that happiness comes from inside. If you are thankful to God for what ever He has given you, you are the happiest person on earth.

Fyodor Dostoevsky said: "Man is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough happiness provided for it."

More than 100 years ago, author Robert Louis Stevenson offered the following tips for maintaining a positive attitude. They still apply today.

1.  Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.
2. Make the best of your circumstances. No one has everything, and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life. The trick is to make the laughter outweigh the tears.
3. Don't take yourself too seriously. Don't think that somehow you should be protected from misfortune that befalls other people.
4. You can't please everybody. Don't let criticism worry you.
5. Don't let your neighbor set your standards. Be yourself.
6. Do the things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.
7. Never borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than real ones.
8. Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish jealousy, enmity, grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
9. Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about new places.
10. Don't hold postmortems. Don't spend your time brooding over sorrows or mistakes. Don't be one who never gets over things.
11. Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.
12. Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.

Few sayings of famous:

* The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up. ~Mark Twain

* If you want to be happy, be. ~Leo Tolstoy

* Happiness is never stopping to think if you are. ~Palmer Sondreal

* The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet. ~James Openheim

* Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open. ~John Barrymore
More 'Happiness quotes'

Useful Resource:

* Get a FREE happiness training course.
* Take a happiness test
* Get FREE e-book "The Way to Happiness"

Related posts:
- "How to be happy?"
- "Are you unhappy from your life?"

Are you unhappy from your life?

If one asks you the question "Are you happy with your life?" mostly everyone has some nagative respnonse while answering this question.
We are not satisfied with our life most usually, and as our thoughts, beliefs effect our life, the result is in a state of depression or unhappiness.

I had been through a critical depression, where I became so pessimist that there was no meaning of happiness in my life, and making prayers from the God revealed ways to overcome that dark period of my life. Now I consider myself as a nornal person, as my approach to life has become optimist.

The most imprtant thing during my down time, was that I was trying to get out of that condition, and a lot of good thoughts, helped me. As I read a lot of good stuff, about self help, self growth, self development, I learned a lot from some parables. (Parable is story with some moral lesson)

It was an old publication of Reader's Digest (June -1993), and parable was written by a priest Loren Senbold. This parable played an important role in my life, as I read this article again and again, and realized that "The place God has given to us is perfect for us, either we accept it or not, and being thankful is the root of piece for our sour and mind."

The message conveyed in this story is precious:


Terribly Tragically Sad Man

Once there was a boy who lived in a big house on a hill. He loved dogs and horses, sports cars and music. He climbed trees and went swimming, played football and admired pretty girls. Except for having to tidy up after himself, he had a nice life.

One day the boy said to God, "I've been thinking, and I know what I want to become when I become a man."

"What?" said God.

"I want to live in a big house with a veranda across the front and two St. Bernard dogs and a garden out back. I want to marry a woman who is tall and very beautiful and kind, who has long, black, hair and blue eyes, who plays the guitar and sings in a clear, high voice. I want three strong sons to play ball with. When they grow up, one will be a great scientist, one will be a politician and the youngest will be a professional athlete.

"I want to be an adventurer who sails vast oceans and climbs tall mountains and rescues people. And I want to drive a red Ferrari and never have to tidy up after myself."

"That sounds like a nice dream," said God. "I want you to be happy."

One day, playing ball, the boy hurt his knee. After that he couldn't climb tall mountains or even tall trees, much less sail vast oceans. So he studied marketing and started a medical-supplies business.

He married a girl who was very beautiful and very kind and who had long, black hair. But she was short, not tall, and had brown eyes, not blue. She couldn't play the guitar, or even sing. But she prepared wonderful meals seasoned with rare Chinese spices and painted magnificent pictures of birds.

Because of his business, he lives in a city near the top of a tall apartment building that overlooked the blue ocean and the city's twinkling lights. He didn't have room for two St. Bernards, but he had a fluffy cat.

He had three daughters, all very beautiful. The youngest, who was in a wheelchair was the loveliest. The three daughters loved their father very much. They didn't play ball with him, but sometimes they went to the park and tossed a Frisbee - except for the youngest, who sat under a tree strumming her guitar and singing lovely, haunting songs.

He made enough money to live comfortably but he didn't drive a red Ferrari. Sometimes he had to pick up things and put them away - even things that didn't belong to him. After all, he had three daughters.

Then one morning, the man awoke and remembered his dream. "I am very sad," he said to his best friend.

"Why?" asked his friend.

"Because I once dreamed of marrying a tall woman with black hair and blue eyes who would play the guitar and sing. My wife can't play the guitar or sing. She has brown eyes, and she's not tall."

"Your wife is very beautiful and very kind, "said his friend. "She creates splendid pictures and delectable food." But the man wasn't listening.

"I am very sad," the man confessed to his wife one day. "Why?" asked his wife. "Because I once dreamed of living in a big house with a veranda, and of having two saint Bernards and a garden out back. Instead I live in an apartment in a high rise building."

"Our apartment is comfortable and we can see the ocean from our couch," said his wife. "We have love, laughter and paintings of birds and a fluffy cat-not to mention three beautiful children." But the man wasn't listening.

"I am very sad," the man said to his therapist. "Why?" asked the therapist. "Because I once dreamed that I would grow up to be a great adventurer. Instead, I am a bald businessman with a bad knee."

"The medical supplies you sell save many lives," said the therapist. But the man wasn't listening. So his therapist charged him $110 and sent him home.

"I am very sad," the man said to his accountant. "Why?" asked the accountant. "Because I once dreamed of driving a red Ferrari and never having to tidy up myself. Instead, I take public transportation and sometimes I still have to clean up."

"You wear good suits. You eat at fine restaurants, and you've toured Europe," said his accountant. But the man wasn't listening. His accountant charged him $100 anyway. He was dreaming of a red Ferrari himself.

"I am very sad," the man said to his clergyman. "Why?" asked the clergyman. "Because I once dreamed of having three sons: a great scientist, a politician and a professional athlete. Instead, I have three daughters and the youngest can't even walk."

"But, your daughters are beautiful and intelligent," said the clergyman. "They love you very much and they've all done well. One is a nurse, another is an artist and the youngest teaches music to children."

 But the man wasn't listening. He was so sad that he became very sick. He lay in a white hospital room surrounded by nurses in white uniforms. Tubes and wires connected his body to blinking machines that he had once sold to the hospital.
 He was terribly, tragically sad.

His family, friends and clergyman gathered around his bed. They were all deeply sad too. Only his therapist and his accountant remained happy.

 Then one night, when everyone except the nurses had gone home, the man said to God, "Remember when I was a boy and I told you all the things I wanted?" "It was a lovely dream," said God. "Why didn't you give me those things?" asked the man.

 "I could have," said God. "But I wanted to surprise you with things you didn't dream of. I suppose you have noticed what I have given you: a kind beautiful wife; a good business; a nice place to live; three beautiful daughters-one of the best packages that I've put together…"

 "Yes," interrupted the man. "But I thought you were going to give me what I really wanted." "And I thought you were going to give me what I really wanted," said God. "What did you want?" asked the man.

It had never occurred to him that God was in want of anything. "I wanted to make you happy with what I had given you," said God. The man lay in the dark all night, thinking.

Finally he decided to dream a new dream, one he wished he had dreamed years before. He decided to dream that what he wanted most were the very things he already had. And the man got well and lived happily in the high rise, enjoying his children's beautiful voices, his wife's deep brown eyes and her glorious paintings of birds. And at night he gazed at the ocean and contentedly watched the lights of the city twinkling on, one by one.

You can read this and more parables at this link:
Rain drop.org