Buying Happiness: The Depressing Reality of Materialism, written by Peter Dobson

In the article “ Buying Happiness: The Depressing Reality of Materialism, written by Peter Dobson, he analyses the causes of depression as well as the potential cure. Dodson makes clear what he believes to be the root of depression for people in society. Dodson’s arguments are clear throughout his article and with the statistical data used, it seems to be the best possible to strengthen. His article is not specific to any one group of people but actually to everyone who is a consumer.

Dodson is very persuasive in his argument and he is successful at dong so because of his supporting evidence. It is made easy for the readers to understand and relate to his arguments. Dodson’s argues that one of the major reasons many are depressed is due to the many activities people participate in that actually does not result in much emotional, physical or mental benefit. Dobson was persuasive in this argument because many can relate to the experience of feeling empty even after participating in a number if activities.

This is because there are always new things to buy, new sites to surf which can only hold out attention for so long and keep us excited or happy for even less. Those who consume themselves in these activities frequently tend to be more materialistic, who replace the void of happiness with many useless things. Dodson is quite persuasive when he analyses this because he references the feelings that a person may encounter as well as the effect it has on the relationships with others around them and the world they now feel secluded in.

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Dodson makes his readers think about their own experiences, which many will be able to relate to his arguments. Dodson gets in to the minds of his reader’s by analyzing what people do compared to what they should be doing. He is successfully persuasive in how he presents his arguments because the reader’s may already know that with lack of interaction and socialization comes the feeling of depression. Dodson observes trends in Canadians and uses statistical data published by the Washington post in 2006 to help argue that Americans spend less time with their families and more time at work.

Dodson’s argument is persuasive once again. He makes a strong correlation between working and the time spent with family. Less time with family equals more time eating along and less human contact, which is needed for the growth of humans and maintaining mental health. Less time with family can leas to depression because more time is taken consumed in work you would rather not do. Dodson is persuasive because he takes a sensitive topic such as family and he breaks it down to show how family is one of the strongest and significant structure needed in anyone’s life.

He proves that without much of a family structure or the necessary time spent with family, people tend to feel more isolated and less supported. Dobson makes clear that without one another, especially those who mean a lot to you then we don’t have much to build happiness from. With all the trends and repetitive behavior Dodson put into perspective, the readers are easily persuaded to believe that we as people and as a society are moving down a path with a dead end. We tend to assume that those with high standards of living should automatically be happy.

Dodson makes clear with facts that material goods can only allow people to live comfortably but in no way does this guarantee happiness. Dodson is persuasive because he states facts that are easily agreed with. People in society can understand what it takes to be happy and understand that having wealth and material things can possibly harm us rather than do us any good because it simply doesn’t fulfill our deepest desires. It actually suppresses it causing more of a void and desire to be happy. Having to buy the latest fashion and keep up with trends while losing more sleep can all lead to stress.

The thought alone is tiresome. This is what Dodson tries to get his readers to understand and relate to. He paints a picture to his readers about how easy it is for these activities to lead to lowered self esteem and reduced sense of well being, which is nothing close to rewarding. This alone is a huge trigger for depression. Dodson uses his own analysis and it is successfully used to persuade his readers that there is a certain lifestyle to be lived by for regular people. He makes clear on what leads to depression and what we should be doing to cure this illness.

The supporting evidence used helps the readers to understand the point of view and put themselves in relatable situations. Dodson persuades his readers that we are not on the correct path and are actually steered away from what the true meaning of happiness is. Dodson Summary In the article “Buying Happiness: The Depressing Reality Of Materialism”, by Peter Dodson, he analyses the causes of depression in society as well as potential cures. He argues that society is on a dead path to happiness and that levels of depression are actually at all time high. Money buys happiness” is one of the notions our society abides by which is actually hindering and the leading cause of depression. We are nowhere near happiness because we are misguided by what we believe true happiness to be. The author addresses the issues and correlation between money and material goods. He addresses the assumption that people who have high standards of living are believed to be happy, which is false. Money and material goods only provide a comfortable lifestyle but in no way does it guarantee happiness.

Studies have actually shown that in addiction to this, intense pursuit of wealth and material goods can actually lead a person to become ill. Dodson argues that people are more prone to depression when they embrace materialism. Materialistic people tend to participate in activities, which actually provide them with no physical, mental or emotional benefits. They are only provided with short-term satisfaction but nothing to truly fulfill their deepest desires. Engaging in these activities also leads to lack of social interaction and doing things that are better for their well being.

Dodson also addresses the fact that more people are working more thus leading to less time spent with family, which is an important part of growth. We require interaction with others and the less this is being done the more depressed people become. More time is spent doing activities alone such as: eating, watching tv and none to discuss personal problems with. With the many different trends Dodson proves how we are moving in the wrong direction and need to change a lot of our activities and mindset in order to move away from depression and towards happiness.

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