Materialism is the best way to pursue happiness

Here are my opening statements. Opening StatementsA. Relationships and Children Divorce rates show that a staggering 22% of couples split due to money issues. [1] This is the third leading cause of divorce behind incompatibility and infidelity. To put that to perspective, here's a chart to display this. The yellow part is the money issues, among other common reasons for divorce. But let's explore this further. Studies show that materialism and greed is harmful in marriages. "For one out of every five couples in the study, both partners admitted a strong love of money. These couples were worse off in terms of marriage stability, marriage satisfaction, communications skills and other metrics of healthy matrimony that researchers studied. "The one out of seven couples that reported low-levels of materialism in both partners scored 10 to 15 percent higher in all metrics of marital quality and satisfaction. Interestingly, the correlation between materialism and marital difficulties remained stable regardless of the actual wealth of the couple. " [2] In other words, the couples that reported a sense of materialism were less happy and less stable than those who scored low in materialism, regardless of the actual wealth of the couple in question. Unfortunately, it not only affects marriage, but also children. "In a national survey of 540 parents and 996 tweens, Goldberg studied connections between marketing, youth materialism, happiness and school performance. Those kids who scored the highest on the materialism scale were also the most susceptible to advertising and most interested in new products. Compared to less materialistic kids of the same age, they tended to shop more, save less, and have more purchase influence with their parents, who consider them the experts on products like soft drinks, popcorn, milk and shampoo. Among the tweens who had jobs, the more materialistic ones earned more money. " [3] Materialism also affects the moods and possibly the grades of children. "Overall, the kids' grades were fairly high, but the most materialistic didn't perform as well in school as the least materialistic kids. And while the study found no connection between materialism and happiness, the most materialistic tweens were much more positive about their future financial well-being than the less materialistic ones. " [3] The study states that this could be because of influence from materialistic parents, peer pressure, or marketing. In other words, materialism can affect your relationships and it harms children. B. Stress and It's Effects on Materialistic IndividualsYour reliance on objects such as money, clothing, etc. can negatively affect how you react to traumatic events. "When faced with a mortal threat from a terrorist attack, the researchers found that highly materialistic individuals in Israel reported higher levels of post-traumatic stress, compulsive consumption and impulsive buying than their less-materialistic peers. "'Materialistic people cope with bad events through materialistic mechanisms,'" said Rindfleisch, who also is the head of the business administration department at Illinois. 'When there's a terrorist attack in Israel, people who are materialistic suffer higher levels of distress and are more likely to compensate for that through higher levels of compulsive and impulsive purchasing. '" [4]This means that after distressing occurrence, materialistic are more stressed and they cope through obtaining more. There are many negative side effects of stress, including, but not limited to the following. Eating more or less Sleeping too much or too little Isolating yourself from others Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax Nervous habits (e. g. nail biting, pacing) Aches and pains Diarrhea or constipation Nausea, dizziness Chest pain, rapid heartbeat Loss of sex drive Frequent colds Moodiness Irritability or short temper Agitation, inability to relax Feeling overwhelmed Sense of loneliness and isolation Depression or general unhappiness Memory problems Inability to concentrate Poor judgment Seeing only the negative Anxious or racing thoughts Constant worrying [5] Based on these, materialistic people are at a risk of sorts if a traumatic event were to occur to them. C. Narcissism and It's Relations to Materialism Narcissism - extreme selfishness, with a grandiose view of one's own talents and a craving for admiration, as characterizing a personality type. [6]So is there a relation? In fact, there is! According to some studies, those who are narcissistic tend to show tendencies of over-indulgence, which is quite similar to the effects of materialism. "Some psychologists have suggested that consumer cultures may contribute to the development of narcissistic personalities and behaviors, 'by focusing individuals on the glorification of consumption,' psychologist Tim Kasser wrote in The High Price of Materialism. Narcissists generally act with arrogance and are deeply concerned with issues of personal adequacy, seeking power and prestige to cover for feelings of inner emptiness and low-self worth, Kasser explains. "'Narcissists’ desire for external validation fits well with our conception of materialistic values as extrinsic and focused on others’ praise,' he writes. 'Thus it was not surprising to find that students with strong materialistic tendencies scored high on a standard measure of narcissism, agreeing with statements such as "I am more capable than other people" . .. "I wish somebody would write my biography someday. ’"'" [7]Narcissism is a serious mental illness that can be treated like depression or bipolar disorder. [8] It isn't far-fetched to say that narcissists and materialistic individuals may have some sort of connection. D. Depression and It's Link to MaterialismFinally, I'll analyze the connection between materialism and depression. According to Baylor University, the more materialistic you are, the more likely it is that you're unsatisfied with your life. This is because they find difficult to be grateful for the have, so then they become miserable. [9]"The research found that those who rated low on gratitude were more likely to be materialistic and less satisfied with life. Materialism tends to be 'me-centered. ' A material outlook focuses on what one does not have, impairing the ability to be grateful for what one already has, researchers said. " [9]If you take this research in account, then materialism can cause they exact opposite of happiness. Like I said before, depression is a serious mental health issue that is treatable. Unfortunately, over indulgence can very well cause depression. The End of Opening StatementsIn conclusion, materialism can affect your relationships, children, and your mental health, making you unhappy, which is against what this whole debate is about. Thank you for reading my opening statements. Citations[1]. https://www.institutedfa.com...[2]http://abcnews.go.com...[3]http://news.psu.edu...][4]http://www.huffingtonpost.com...[5]http://www.helpguide.org...[6]https://www.google.com...[7]http://www.huffingtonpost.com...[8]https://www.psychologytoday.com...[9]http://www.progressiveimpact.org...