Bigger Picture Sources

Scholarly Sources:

1. Montague, Roger. “Happiness.” Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, vol. 67, 1966, pp. 87–102. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4544738. Accessed 9 Mar. 2020.

This book dissects the ideas of happiness from a philosophical viewpoint, and what it takes in life to be truly happy.

I think that the available chapters from this book are a good bigger picture idea of my topic because they discuss from a philosophical standpoint the idea of happiness and what it takes for someone to be truly happy in life. It relates to my topic because many believe that money can buy happiness, and the more money one has, the more happy they will be. These chapters can help make a case both for and against the idea that money can buy happiness by interpreting different factors of life and the effects they have on a persons overall happiness. I tend believe more than money cannot buy happiness, but an argument certainly can be made for the other side, and I think it is important to question both sides and take a close look at the arguments put forth by the book.

2. Detomasi, David A. “International Regimes: The Case of Western Corporate Governance.” International Studies Review, vol. 8, no. 2, 2006, pp. 225–251. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3880224. Accessed 9 Mar. 2020.

This article focuses on corporate governance, and the effects it can have on the world around us.

I think that this article presents a good bigger picture idea about corporate governance, and how the actions of these massive corporations can have serious effects in the world of politics, research and society. I am certainly not an expert in this field, but the article was very interesting and I learned a lot from it. It spoke of how the massive corporations around the world have direct effects on the economy and can change the societal and political landscape of many countries. The power held by these corporations has also allowed them to get away with actions that would be deemed immoral by most, and Hollywood is not exception. I think it would be interesting to mention the power that Hollywood holds and how it can affect us if we are not careful.

Non-Scholarly Sources:

1. Futrelle, David. “Here’s How Money Really Can Buy You Happiness.” Time, accessed 9 March 2020.

This article puts forwards both for and against the conventional wisdom that “money can buy happiness”.

This article was interesting because it lists both the pros and cons of having more money, the psychological effects it can have, as well as tips on how to handle your money in a way that can make you more happy. One of the points that I found particularly interesting in this article was that the more money you get, the more you want. It was then explained that this was down to the fact that humans will eventually adapt to their current situation, stripping them of any excitement/stress that they had originally felt. When a person begins earning more, or buys something they had been saving up for, they will feel an initial surge of happiness, which will eventually wear off leaving them back at square one. I think that this is an interesting angle to explore and the article definitely challenged some of the beliefs I have about whether or not money can buy happiness.

2. Reinartz, Werner and Saffert, Peter. “Creativity in Advertising: When It Works and When it Doesn’t.” Harvard Business Review, published June 2013.

This article talks about the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of creative advertising vs. more traditional approaches.

I think that this article ties in nicely to my topic and the anecdotes that I may write about in my feature. On the whole, I am not a fan of advertising at all. I understand why companies use it, but I find it more annoying than effective. Rarely do I ever see a commercial for a product and think “wow, I need that in my life”. If anything, due to how horribly annoying ads tend to be, I try to avoid buying said advertised products out of spite to the companies who are desperately trying to get my business by the most obnoxious means possible. That being said, there is the occasional advertisement that is clever/funny enough to get me interested. This article talks about how creative and funny ads tend to get more sales, but it is not always easy to calculate due to how many factors are at play. Reading this article really got me thinking about my preconceived notions of advertising and how they affect our attitudes towards certain companies/products.

Cultural and Artistic Artifacts:

1. One bigger picture artifact that I thought of in relation to my topic is the song “Inoculated City” by The Clash. The Clash are one of my favourite bands and they have many songs dealing with the issues of corruption, greed and war. “Inoculated City” in particular deals with how people will sell their morals for a profit, using the examples of soldiers obeying their superiors for pay. The song also features an advertisement towards the end, commenting on how invasive advertising is and how it can be used to distract from the serious issues in our society. I think this relates well to my topic about greed in Hollywood and the abuse of money and power. Link to song. Link to Lyrics.

Experiential Research:

1. While researching the articles about money being able to buy happiness, it made me think of my own life and happiness since I started my first job back in August of 2019. Before then I had no money whatsoever, other than what I would be gifted at Christmas and my birthday. That money never lasted long, and I would go for pretty much the rest of the year with little to no money. I have always been happy and grateful with what I had, but there were often times where I would want to do stuff with friends that involved money, such as going to the cinema or going out to eat. I was always either unable to, or had to ask my parents for money, which I always felt bad about. I was still happy with life, but felt as though I was being a buzzkill by not being able to do certain things that my friends wanted to do due to my lack of funds. After my first few paycheques at work, I had earned enough to keep some money aside for these activities and it was definitely satisfying knowing that my hard work was paying off. Now, whenever my friends and I want to do something that involves spending money, I’m actually able to and I don’t have to worry about ruining plans or not having enough for next time. This is an example of how money, in a way, did buy me some happiness. It certainly hasn’t solved all the issues in my life, far from it, but it has definitely afforded me certain opportunities that have given me joy. Upon reflection, this example has made me question some of my opinions on the topic of money buying happiness and it’s definitely an argument that I will continue to think about, as I can see a case being made for both sides.