write a short speech about "money can't buy love or happiness"
There are three main difficulties a student might encounter in writing on this theme. The first is that the topic itself is a cliche and that it is somewhat difficult to produce interesting and original writing on such a topic. The second issue is that the topic is very general, but a good speech needs specific details. The third problem is that the phrasing of the topic might tempt people to follow the statement as a thesis rather than a starting point for inquiry.
A student might want to start a speech on the topic by acknowledging that the phrase is, in fact, a cliche, the theme of innumerable popular songs and films. Next, one might look at recent studies concerning the relationship between money and happiness. On a global level, happiness seems to correlate with an income slightly above one's national average. In general, the middle classes tend to be slightly happier than people struggling with economic insecurity, but there is a slight decline in reported happiness in the very top economic brackets.
Recent research shows that happiness tends to increase as incomes rise to approximately $75,000 in the United States and then levels off. This follows the basic intuitive notion that one is happier living in a comfortable home with adequate food and access to healthcare and transportation, not having to worry about being able to cope financially with an emergency or living from paycheck to paycheck. Additional research shows that once one has achieved this basic level of economic security, some expenditures, especially those on charity and experiences, do generate additional happiness, but spending on acquisitions such as expensive cars and clothing does not lead to additional happiness.
https://money.com/ideal-income-study/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/map-happiness-benchmark_n_5592194
I think a good speech on this topic would be fairly nuanced. You could cite many examples of how having money does not necessarily lead to happiness. There are plenty of very wealthy public figures that have been quite open about their anxieties, and even clinical depression, that were exacerbated by the responsibilities that having wealth entails. And of course, people who are attracted to a person because of their wealth will probably be unlikely to truly care for that person, especially if the money goes away. But at the same time, poverty and the inability to meet financial obligations places a tremendous strain on a person's psyche. A study cited in the news article linked below shows that people in poverty suffer from depression at disproportionate rates. It creates stresses that people of means simply do not have to deal with. Additionally, a very brief survey of literature on marriage, divorce, and relationships suggests that financial issues very often lead to personal conflict within these relationships. If money doesn't necessarily buy love or happiness, it certainly can bring peace of mind, and to downplay its importance is to minimize the struggles that even middle-class people face as they try to navigate life with little money.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/158417/poverty-comes-depression-illness.aspx
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-love-doctor/201008/don-t-let-money-ruin-your-relationship
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