To the Point
Money: The Key to Happiness or the Root of All Evil?
In a put-down of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemmingway once wrote, "The very rich are different from you and me… they have more money." But ever since Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations in 1776, western economies have been based on growth and prosperity as the keys to happiness.
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readIn a put-down of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemmingway once wrote, "The very rich are different from you and me… they have more money." But ever since Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations in 1776, western economies have been based on growth and prosperity as the keys to happiness. On the day after Christmas, with the US heading into a major recession, it's worth asking if that’s really true. One study says Puerto Ricans are happier than Germans or Japanese? How come? Is a simpler, more frugal life more satisfying after all?
Warren Olney
former KCRW broadcaster
Christian Bordal
Managing Producer, Greater LA
Karen Radziner
Managing Producer, To the Point & Which Way LA?
Frances Anderton
architecture critic and author
Ed Diener
Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Daniel Kahneman
Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Princeton University
Vicky Robin
Co-author, 'Your Money of Your Life'