TED Community » Michael McWatters

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I'm passionate about

...the power of design to clarify, inspire, and improve.

An idea worth spreading

We each play the role of diplomat for our family, our gender, our race, our nationality, our philosophy, our humanity and, of course, ourselves. We should remember this in all our words and actions.

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• TEDCred score: +6.70 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• +1

  A reply on Conversation: Can money really buy happiness?

  Apr 29 2013: Fair enough. I read this more as an opinion poll, which can be much more lax in its structure. But as a study, you're correct, it may lack some rigor of an official scientific study.
  
  Whatever the case, if the results are true, it points to an interesting conclusion: money up to a point is a good thing and, beyond that, may have negative returns.

• A reply on Conversation: Can money really buy happiness?

  Apr 29 2013: I'm sorry if I've upset you in some way. I merely found the study anecdotally interesting and said I wouldn't vouch for its veracity or validity. You mentioned this was a waste of taxpayer money, and I merely pointed out the study was conducted at a private university.
  
  I'm far more interested in the topic of happiness and money than a semantic argument. Have a nice day, Krisztian.

• A reply on Conversation: Can money really buy happiness?

  Apr 29 2013: Princeton University is a private university.

• A reply on Conversation: Can money really buy happiness?

  Apr 29 2013: Details of the study can be found here: http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/09/study-says-$75,000-can-buy-happiness.html
  
  As you can see, it's based on 450,000 Americans, so it's biased in that regard. I'm not here to argue for the validity or veracity of the study's findings; but I do think it suggests an interesting conclusion: more money, after a point, doesn't necessarily mean more happiness.

• A comment on Conversation: Can money really buy happiness?

  Apr 29 2013: Sorry, meant to type this in response to Kristzian.
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: What does Obamacare really do and require?

  Apr 29 2013: It might be because you're searching for the term Obamacare, which is not the official name of the legislation. Search for The Affordable Care Act, and you'll get much more helpful information, including this government site that has a lot of detailed information: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/
  
  One thing to note: states are already starting to implement (or not!) the provisions of the ACA differently, so it could mean slightly different things depending on where you live. Ultimately, however, it means people will become responsible for their own health coverage. Some companies may continue to offer health insurance, or they may simply offer their employees a contribution that the employee may use to purchase insurance directly from the insurers through health exchanges.

• A comment on Conversation: Can money really buy happiness?

  Apr 29 2013: I read a story recently where researchers (!) found that people were happiest in any society when they earned the amount of money that allowed them to have financial security, but as they earned more, their level of happiness first leveled off, then plummeted as the earnings went much higher. In other words, it appears for many people financial security brings more happiness than overt wealth.

• A comment on Conversation: Should immigration laws be stricter to prevent terrorism?

  Apr 24 2013: Many countries suffer terribly from domestic terrorism, and there is a high likelihood the same will happen here in the U.S.
• +2

  A comment on Conversation: Should athletes be role models?

  Apr 24 2013: We should all be role models, regardless of our profession.

• A comment on Conversation: If you could choose any comic hero to give a TED Talk, who would it be and why?

  Apr 17 2013: Mark Twain.