Argument paper

Thesis:​ Individuals should not set materialistic goals because this can lead to lower life satisfaction and depression and increase mortality rates. The following sources can be found in MDC’s library, EBSCO, and/or Google Scholar.

Source 1:

MLA: Górnik-Durose, Małgorzata E. “Materialism and Well-Being Revisited: The Impact of Personality.” ​Journal of Happiness Studies​, vol. 21, no. 1, 2019, pp. 305–326., doi:10.1007/s10902-019-00089-8.

Perspective: For argument

Analysis:

Pleasure is often dependent on factors that are subject to change. These factors include economic inflation and deflation and may cause individuals to deviate from their original contentment. In relation to this, this source suggests that some people emphasize the importance of tangibility over morality. Moreover, this text is directly connected to the two reasons I provided in my thesis: lower life satisfaction and materialism. This excerpt is from the​ peer-reviewed Journal of Happiness Studies ​and was written by professor of psychology​ Małgorzata E. Górnik-Durose​. Springer provides the public with access to the excerpt “Materialism and Well-Being Revisited: The Impact of Personality,” but I believe that Hybrid is the publishing company of this journal. This source shall be used in conjunction to source 2, so the information presented in this source will be connected to that which pertains to materialism in source 2. One paragraph shall be dedicated to the information in this source and a portion of the information mentioned in source 2. This paragraph is reliable and is not biased, and this can be considered because of the individual who wrote the journal and its form of publication.

Source 2 (historical reference): MLA:​ Kahneman, D., and A. Deaton. “High Income Improves Evaluation of Life but Not Emotional Well-Being.” ​Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences​, vol. 107, no. 38, 2010, pp. 16489–16493., doi:10.1073/pnas.1011492107. Argument: It assesses both sides Analysis:

Oftentimes in society, people focus on whether money can buy happiness. Moreover, this source suggests that high income does not improve one’s satisfaction. The authors suggest that when

people displace their happiness, they begin to value objects. Consequently, doing so will cause people to no longer value the small pleasures of life. This source is reliable and is not biased, and this can be considered because the authors assessed both sides of my argument. Additionally, this source also provides statistics, so I plan to include the statistics found in the source in the report. I plan to connect this source to source four and present the following question: can money buy happiness? Nobel Peace prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton, a renowned economist, constructed this scholarly journal and it was released on PNAS, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. I plan to dedicate one paragraph to this source because it touches basis with one’s social standing and happiness.

Source 3: MLA: Lama, Dalai, et al. ​The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World.​ Penguin, 2016. Perspective: For argument (basis of paper) Analysis: People can receive jubilation through their senses, but it can also occur on a deeper level. This deeper level is attainable through compassion, love, and generosity. This source shall be used as the basis of my paper, suggesting that I will refer to it numerous times. Throughout this report, I plan to discuss the aspects of happiness, and this book analyzes the different aspects of it (i.e. the mental and physical aspects of happiness). It also provides a connection to one of the points I mentioned in my thesis, “lower life satisfaction.” This source suggests that people who seek to obtain the physical aspect of happiness, which is directly connected to materialism, will have lower life satisfaction. I know that the source is credible because it is a book that was written by Nobel Peace Prize winner His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Douglas Abrams. This book was published by Penguin Publishing Group. Furthermore, the claims made by the writers were supported by neurologists, psychologists, and numerous other individuals, so I believe that their convictions have validity to them.

Source 4:

MLA: ​Lawrence, Elizabeth M et al. “Happiness and longevity in the United States.” ​Social science & medicine, ​vol. 145, 2016, 115-119. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.09.020

Perspective: For argument

Analysis:

Contentment shares a correlation with mortality rates. Those who are filled with jubilation are likely to have longevity, which is influenced by numerous risk factors including social relations and socioeconomic status. This source assesses my claim and will provide my thesis with support. It mentions the influence happiness may have on one’s mortality rates and the fluctuation of one’s happiness due to their status. This source is a scholarly article and was written by​ Elizabeth M. Lawrence​, PhD,​ Richard G. Rogers​, PhD, and​ Tim Wadsworth​, PhD. This source was released by the​ US National Library of Medicine​ National Institutes of Health​. I plan to allocate two paragraphs to this source, as it includes an analysis of longevity and materialism. Conclusively, these authors provided empirical evidence to support their claims and assessed the limitations of them, so I do not believe their work is biased.

Source 5 (historical reference):

MLA: Richins, Marsha L.​ ​"Media, Materialism, and Human Happiness." ​The Advances in Consumer Research,​ vol. 14, 1987, pp. 352-356. https://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/6720/volumes/v14/NA-14

Perspective: it assesses both sides

Analysis:

Although the definition of happiness denotes a long-term state, happiness is commonly sought after for its temporary state. Extensive research suggests the magnitude of a nation’s per capita gross domestic product on the happiness of its citizens, but valued subjective experiences such as optimism and spirituality serve as key influencers in one’s happiness. I plan to link this source with ​The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World. ​This scholarly journal was written by professor of marketing Marsha L. Richins and released by The Association for Consumers Research. This source shall be used to support the belief that materialism provides temporary satisfaction, and this can be tied to source three. This source can be used in the same paragraph that the information in source 3 will be presented. I do not believe this source is biased because the author assesses the benefits and disadvantages associated with materialism.

Source 6:

MLA: ​Tamir, Maya, et al. “The secret to happiness: Feeling good or feeling right?” ​Journal of experimental psychology: General,​ vol. 146, no. 10, 2017, pp.1448-1459. doi:10.1037/xge0000303

Perspective: This source assesses my argument and counterargument

Analysis:

Emotions are variables that are subject to change. These variables are personalized and therefore, consistent with the values of the person who carries them. Happiness is subjective, suggesting that some individuals can receive happiness from activities that derive from hatred and love. This source shall be used for my counterargument and claim. I plan to allocate one paragraph to this source because it provides me with a counterargument: happiness is subjective. Although happiness is subjective, I plan to state that the mental aspect of happiness is permanent, while the physical aspect is not. My rebuttal is further discussed in source 1. Source 1 suggests that the mental aspect of happiness pertains to humanistic acts, while the physical aspect of it pertains to materialism. This source (source 5) is a scholarly journal, and it was created by professors in the department of psychology​ Maya Tamir​,​ Shalom H Schwartz​,​ Shige Oishi​, and​ Min Y Kim​. It was also published by the American Psychological Association. I do not believe this source is biased because the authors assessed numerous aspects of happiness by stating that it varies per person.