Persuasive Speech Outline

I. Introduction

A. Time and time again, we have all heard at least once that “money can’t buy happiness”,

with some going as far as to say that “money is the root of all evil”. Regardless of such

stances, we still live in a world dominated by the pursuit of wealth, and money is as

important to our livelihood as ever. So naturally, given the prominence of money in our

daily lives, who is to say that there isn’t a positive correlation between money and

happiness?

B. For my speech, I am going to discuss how money can buy happiness. I am qualified to

speak on this topic because, just like you all, I am heavily influenced by money. Also,

like you all, I am always looking for sources of happiness. Given these two personal

qualities, I find that I often try to purchase things that I feel will increase my happiness,

so I have researched this topic and can provide some of my insight to you.

C. You should know about this topic because both happiness and money are considered

necessities to living, so seeing what the correlation between the two is can give you

useful insight on ways to spend your money that can lead to more happiness and make

life more fulfilling

D. At the end of my speech, I want you to agree that money can buy happiness.

E. The main points I will use for my argument will focus on:

1. Recent research shows a correlation between higher income and higher

happiness.

2. How much happiness your money can buy is mainly dependent on how you

perceive it and choose to spend it.

3. Specific ways to spend money that can increase your happiness.

II. Body

A. Recent research has shown a strong correlation between higher income and higher

happiness

1. In a 2020 article from The Washington Post, Bahrampour describes a study from

the General Social Survey lasting between 1972 and 2016 that found that the

relationship between socioeconomic status and happiness has shown to have a

consistently strong correlation.

a. It also noted that, despite other studies claiming that satisfaction tapered

off at a certain wage, this study found no such thing, and instead income

and happiness remained linear.

2. According to another 2013 article in Reason Magazine, Bailey summarized

another piece of research that compares the happiness and economic growth in

140 countries.

a. This research found that in each country, the richer were happier than

those with less money.

b. Between any two countries, richer countries were generally happier than

poorer countries. On this note, they found that increasing economic

growth within a country led to higher happiness among the population

c. They also failed to find a point in which more money did not increase

happiness.

3. Given this research, it can be concluded that a direct increase in money can lead

you to higher levels of happiness.

B. Though higher income suggests more money makes you happier, how much happiness

your money can buy is mainly dependent on how you perceive it and choose to spend it.

1. It is easy to see where the notion that money doesn’t directly equal happiness

comes from.

a. There is a lot of influence from society that impacts the way we see and

compare ourselves to others, especially when it comes to how exactly

much money and material items we have, making us easily reconsider

their value.

b. Our emphasis on trying to have more than other people leads to a cycle

of trying to gain even more money and even more valuable items but

never being completely satisfied.

c. We humans also learn to easily adapt, so every time we purchase

something, specifically an item of some sort, the happiness that we gain

from that item will eventually falter as we get used to having and using

it.

(1) This is often referred to as the hedonic adaptation.

2. To help overcome these obstacles, let me point out the difference between

spending money to buy material items versus spending money to change the way

you live and interact with others.

a. As Onderko (2015) summarizes, we don’t feel lasting happiness when

we purchase material items because we constantly think about the newer

and better items we could have purchased instead, creating an endless

cycle, similar to the cycle of constantly comparing our assets to others.

b. So a solution to this cycle would be to focus on spending less money on

material things and instead spend money on rewarding experiences and

activities that both you and other people can benefit from in the long run.

(1) It’s important to note that buying new things often is part of what

makes it so difficult to derive longer lasting happiness from

them.

(2) Buying things too frequently makes you become to used to the

feeling you get

(3) So when trying to spend money on other things not material, it is

important to keep this in mind and try not to spend too much

money on experiences and activities too often, otherwise you

will easily get bored as well.

C. Given the importance of how and what you spend your money on, I will now share some

ways to spend money that will make you happier.

1. Money can be used to save you time

a. Many don’t think about it when it comes to spending money to buy

happiness, but being able to pay for services or technology that allow

you to have more free time for yourself and others makes you a lot

happier.

b. You can hire people to do your gardening, house chores, or cooking.

(1) Or, if you can’t afford the extra money required for some of

these services, there is usually some form of technology that can

make things easier.

2. You can also use money to spend on and give to other people.

a. You can focus on spending your extra money on friends and family that

you care about.

(1) You can buy them gifts.

(a) Onderko (2015) also summarizes a study that shows

“that we’re happiest spending money on others when we

can see the impact the gift has on someone”.

(2) You can take them out and try different things with them.

b. You can give to charity

(1) Giving to charity will create a similar effect to gifting friends

and family, where not only do you help others in need, but you

also gain personal satisfaction from doing so.

3. You can use money to create new and memorable experiences.

a. While the happiness gained from buying new things can eventually fade,

the happiness gained from experiencing and remembering unforgettable

events can last a lifetime.

(1) You can spend money to travel to new places

(2) You can go out to dinner.

(3) You can go to concerts and shows.

(4) You can go to sporting events or festivals.

(5) And all of these activities can be shared with other people,

making them even more enjoyable.

III. Conclusion

A. Now that I have shared my argument, let’s go over the main points.

1. First, I considered how recent research shows a correlation between higher

income and higher happiness.

2. Then I went over how much happiness your money can buy is mainly dependent

on how you perceive it and choose to spend it

3. And finally, I talked about specific ways to spend money that can increase your

happiness.

B. Given these points, I want you to agree that money can, in fact, buy happiness.

C. So rather than simply thinking that money can’t directly give you happiness, consider the

convenience, freedom, and opportunities that it can provide for you instead. Then you can

use that to take some action and make the most of what you have.

References

Bailey, R. (2013). Can money buy happiness after all? New research suggests an old paradox

might not be true. Reason Magazine, 9, 44.

Bahrampour, T. (2020, July 01). Money actually can buy happiness, study finds. Retrieved November 22,

2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/money-can-buy-

happiness/2020/07/01/3c2fc554-bb5a-11ea-8cf5-9c1b8d7f84c6_story.html

Onderko, P. (2015, August). Can money buy happiness? It depends on how you spend it and whom you

spend it on. Success, 28+.

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A421908582/AONE?u=lincclin_mcc&sid=AONE&xid=12b41892