Happiness is a paradox in today’s society. The concept of happiness has been altered throughout time. In our current society, individuals have the belief that accumulating wealth will help them achieve happiness. However, the article “The scientific pursuit of happiness: How To Buy Happiness” by Sonja Lyubomirsky and the Op-Ed “How to buy happiness” by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton, infer that there has been a misconception of how happiness is achieved. Individuals have adopted this concept through changes in society, the main one is due to the use of money. Therefore, money has altered the view of individuals on how they should achieve happiness.

“True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new” (Antoine de Saint-Exupery). Several people might agree with this quote because happiness can be found by helping others and by making new experiences. However, happiness is a controversial issue in which people have different opinions on how it is built. The article “How to Buy Happiness” by Sonja Lyubomirsky and the the article “What Suffering Does” by David Brooks show two different perspectives about how happiness is reached. To me, the key to happiness is about making our lives better through accepting the past and through experiences, because experiences aren’t quantitative, they’re not defined by numbers or worth, but qualitative, that is what quality experience you have.

Happiness can be determined throughout many variable ways. Many things or certain ways can make people happy. Throughout all the stories we read about happiness determined it in many ways in the article “How to Buy Happiness” by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton argues how we spend our money does it bring us or happiness or for the moment, and in “How Happy Are you?” by John Tierney discusses the happiness levels of people in the population on what in particular makes them happy. Therefore their isn’t a measure of quality on happiness just as love, you can be in a relationship with someone for years and feel nothing, but can be in a relationship for two months and feel everything. Time is not a measure of quality; of infatuation, or love. I think it’s based on how a person feels and what makes them happy and more positive about themselves.