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Carson Hulak

ENGL 1101

September 4, 2019

Yes, Money Can Make You Happy Summary

In the short story, “Yes, Money Can Make You Happy,” Sunstein explains how money

can buy happiness, but not in the ways you would think. Everyone would assume he is going to

say to buy all the things you want in life and it will make you the most joyful person on earth,

but it is quite different from that. Sunstein’s knowledge, along with other studies mentioned,

makes this short story a worthy read.

Sunstein starts this article off with a very interesting question, if you had $25,000 lying

around would you use it to buy a new car, renovate your home or have a dream vacation with

your family? You would think that a new car or that brand newly renovated house would bring

you the most bang for your buck enjoyment but let me tell you why you would be wrong,

because I believed the same prior to this as well. It has been shown that you get way more

enjoyment out of experiences than you do out of physical things, such as that new car or

renovating your home. Sunstein points out that the anticipation of a new experience can be as

rewarding if not more than the experience itself. Think of a big trip you have gone on in the past,

were you not super excited and anxious those few weeks leading up to the trip? Experiences like

these bring us a whole new level of excitement compared to buying big ticket items. It is those

memories that bring us lifetime joy, not short-term excitement.

Sunstein points out that it is this way for a few simple reasons. Think about it in terms of

television, if there were never commercial breaks during a show, you would never have that

moment of wondering what is going to happen next, when the commercial is over. It is the same
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thing when it comes to exciting times in your life, if you always go for the instant satisfaction,

you will tend to adapt to the excitement you once used to get. Sunstein says “For experiences

that tend to be uniform, the effect of interruptions is to help “re-virginize” us, wiping our

pleasure slates clean”. An example everyone can relate to with this is credit cards, it has become

such a norm in our society to just buy something now and pay later. This is not only an easy way

to bring unwanted stress into your life but once again you are taking away that prolonged

satisfaction. There is something so rewarding about saving up for that item you want, sure you

can use a credit card and just pay it back later, but it takes away from that anticipation you get

from savings for months and months to finally be able to get it. Furthermore, Sunstein shows the

benefit of giving to others as well and not just spending on yourself. We get so much

gratification out of giving to others, whether it is for those in need or just treating your girlfriend

to a nice dinner, giving makes people feel great pleasure with in themselves.

There are a lot of ways you can spend your money, whether that is for yourself or for

others. If you want that feeling of long-term gratification, do not rush to buy that car or re-do

your home, take a trip with your family or give back to someone in need. All in all, use that

money to create those lifelong memories, not instant gratification.

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Citation page:

“Yes, Money Can Make You Happy” By: Cass R. Sunstein, Pg: 549-554