More Money Hurts Happiness
In the article Why Seeking More Money Hurts Happiness by Philip Moeller, the importance of intrinsic motivations rather than extrinsic motivations is discussed. Intrinsic motivations include personal growth and self-knowledge, connections and social intimacy with other people, and wanting to help the human community for altruistic reasons, and extrinsic motivations include money, luxury, appearance, attractiveness, status, popularity, looks, and power. Those who have the ability to create happiness tend to have intrinsic motivations, whereas those who pursue happiness tend to have extrinsic motivations.
By seeking more money, people become distracted by all of the materialistic items they are going to purchase with that money. They believe that by buying lots of materialistic items they will somehow find happiness, when in reality those who seek money are merely pursuing happiness. On the other hand, those with intrinsic motivations have the ability to create happiness out of experiences and growth— occurrences that do not require money but simply the ability to be happy without spending money. By creating happiness rather than pursuing happiness, people will automatically seem happier, less narcissistic, less selfish, and more sociable. Also, by knowing how to effectively create happiness, people are able to pass on that skill and help others learn to create happiness, and who doesn’t want to be happier?
By seeking more money, people become distracted by all of the materialistic items they are going to purchase with that money. They believe that by buying lots of materialistic items they will somehow find happiness, when in reality those who seek money are merely pursuing happiness. On the other hand, those with intrinsic motivations have the ability to create happiness out of experiences and growth— occurrences that do not require money but simply the ability to be happy without spending money. By creating happiness rather than pursuing happiness, people will automatically seem happier, less narcissistic, less selfish, and more sociable. Also, by knowing how to effectively create happiness, people are able to pass on that skill and help others learn to create happiness, and who doesn’t want to be happier?