05 May Money doesn’t buy total happiness
Sharon Labi
May 04, 2008
Herald Sun
HAPPINESS is what everyone wants, but do you get it by meditating or by buying a yacht?
Maybe it’s as simple as meditating about buying a yacht.
Thousands in pursuit of happiness will be told this week by international experts how little money matters in finding their goal.
Instead, stable relationships, optimistic thinking and practising gratitude are among the most powerful sources of happiness.
Happiness Institute founder Dr Tim Sharp urged practising appreciation, interpreting things in a constructive way to get through difficult times, learning to communicate more effectively and being more loving and empathic.
‘some lucky people are born happy, but most of us need to work at it,” he said.
Dr Sharp said external circumstances, such as your wealth, accounted for a tiny bit of happiness.
“It’s not bad to have lots of money, live in a big house and drive a fast car,” he said. “But their contribution to happiness is smaller than most people think . . . there are many unhappy rich people.”