|
|
Article: Who says money cannot buy happiness?
- Article from:
- Independent Review
- Article date:
- January 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Independent Institute. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Economists have discovered, or so they think, that money doesn't buy happiness. This idea, however, is hardly a new discovery, even for economists. Adam Smith discussed people's limited ability to achieve happiness by acquiring material wealth in his 1759 book The Theory of Moral Sentiments. The real discovery by some economists and other social scientists in recent years is that the money-doesn't-buy-happiness claim can be used to justify higher taxes and more government spending.
Although most people have long expressed agreement with the proposition that obtaining more money doesn't lead to more happiness, that admission has had no noticeable effect on their ...