Kaileigh OConnell

English T-101

Prof. Boylan

If We Are So Rich, Why Aren’t We Happy Reflection

October 25, 2021

If We Are So Rich, Why Aren’t We Happy Reflection

Article Title: If We Are So Rich, Why Aren’t We Happy

Author: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

MLA Works Cited: Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. “If We Are So Rich, Why Aren’t We
Happy?” Pursuing Happiness, Matthew Parfitt and Dawn Skorczewski.
Bedford/St. Martin’s. Boston 2020 p.84-98.

The article “If We Are So Rich Why Aren’t We Happy” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

talks about different examples, techniques which are used to provide information to people and

other psychologists. It talks about materialism, and wealth and a few other topics. Mihaly is the

founder of “Positive Theory” and the originator of the “flow concept”. I personally didn’t fully

understand the article. I found it to be very wordy, unorganized, and confusing. The topics in the

article don’t really have anything to do with the overall concept of what the article was supposed

to be about. The text is trying to provide information about how having a lot of money and being

rich doesn’t make you happy. I feel that the only section that is relevant the section, “Why

Material Rewards Do Not Necessarily Make People Happy”. I don’t think that the text was

successful as I said before I feel there was only section of the article that was fully relevant to the

overall meaning and concept of what the article was trying to achieve. His organizational skills

aren’t very good

 In the article “If We Are So Rich, Why Aren’t We Happy” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi,

it states, “If people strive for a certain level of affluence thinking that it will make them happy,

they find that on reaching it, they become very quickly habituated, and at that point they start

hankering for the next level of income, property, or good health” (89). This quote stood out to

me because of its meaning. It me this quote means that people who have a basic amount of

money that gives you the essentials makes you happy, but when you have excess money like

someone who is wealthy and rich it makes you want more which causes you not to be happy and

satisfied. For example, say you got a new car, you buy the car but as soon as you see another car

that’s better or a newer version of that comes out you want that causing you to be unsatisfied.