金錢與幸福是 Part 3 的哲學陷阱題。考生最容易掉進「錢買不到幸福」的陳腔濫調——這句話 Band 5 就會用。Band 7 的答案要能做層次區分：多少錢之前重要、之後不重要，以及研究說了什麼。
金錢-幸福題的 4 個切入角度
| 角度 | 題目 | |------|------| | 關係本質 | Does money buy happiness? | | 消費行為 | Do people today spend more on experiences or possessions? | | 世代對比 | Are young people more materialistic than their parents? | | 社會面 | Does income inequality make societies unhappier? |
5 題代表題 + Band 7+ 範例
Q1. Does money buy happiness?
It really depends on where on the income scale you are. Below a certain threshold — enough for stable housing, food, basic healthcare — money has a dramatic effect on wellbeing. Above that, the curve flattens sharply. Research from Princeton famously put the plateau around US$75,000 a year, though that figure is debated. So the honest answer is: money buys a lot of happiness, until it doesn't.
Q2. Do people today spend money differently from their parents?
Broadly speaking, yes. Younger generations, particularly in developed economies, tend to prioritise experiences — travel, concerts, eating out — over possessions like large homes or luxury cars. Partly that's values, partly it's affordability: owning has become harder, so experience-spending is a kind of substitute. On the other hand, this flip is less pronounced in East Asia, where property ownership still dominates.
Q3. Are young people today more materialistic than before?
I'd actually push back on that framing a bit. Surveys often show younger people are less interested in conspicuous consumption than Boomers were — they're less likely to want a big house or expensive car. What has changed is the visibility of wealth: social media makes every purchase more performative, so it looks more materialistic even when it isn't necessarily.
Q4. Does income inequality make societies less happy?
Generally speaking, the evidence suggests yes. Studies consistently find that more equal societies — like the Nordic countries — report higher average life satisfaction, even when absolute wealth is lower than in the US. The mechanism is partly comparison: people judge their own situation relative to those around them, so extreme gaps corrode trust and wellbeing across the whole distribution.
Q5. Should schools teach children about money management?
Absolutely — I can't really see the argument against it. Most adults make repeated financial mistakes that basic early training would have prevented: understanding compound interest, budgeting, the real cost of credit. That said, personal finance alone won't fix structural problems like stagnant wages — it's necessary but clearly not sufficient.
三層結構提醒
Claim — It really depends on / Broadly speaking / Arguably...
Reason — because / the evidence suggests / research from...
Example — Princeton study (US$75,000) / Nordic countries / compound interest...主題詞彙（Band 7 級）
| 詞彙 | 中文 | 範例 chunk | |------|------|------------| | diminishing returns | 邊際效用遞減 | money shows diminishing returns | | income threshold | 收入門檻 | below a certain income threshold | | life satisfaction | 生活滿意度 | life satisfaction plateaus | | wellbeing | 福祉 | long-term wellbeing | | materialism | 物質主義 | excessive materialism | | conspicuous consumption | 炫耀性消費 | conspicuous consumption is fading | | experiential spending | 體驗式消費 | the shift to experiential spending | | financial literacy | 財務素養 | teach financial literacy early | | disposable income | 可支配所得 | rising disposable income | | purchasing power | 購買力 | eroded purchasing power | | inequality | 不平等 | widening income inequality | | social mobility | 社會流動 | declining social mobility | | safety net | 社會安全網 | a robust social safety net | | hedonic treadmill | 享樂跑步機 | trapped on the hedonic treadmill | | relative poverty | 相對貧窮 | relative poverty still bites | | frugal | 節儉 | a frugal lifestyle by choice | | status anxiety | 地位焦慮 | widespread status anxiety |
台灣考生常見陷阱：陳腔濫調
"Money can't buy happiness. Family is the most important." ——這兩句 Band 5 就會說。Band 7 的回答必須能說明什麼時候金錢重要，什麼時候不重要，而不是二元否定。
修正：用 threshold 概念：
It's not that money doesn't matter — it clearly does, up to a point. Below the level where basic needs are met, every extra dollar makes a real difference. On the other hand, once you're comfortable, further income buys surprisingly little additional happiness — the curve flattens. So "money buys happiness" is partly true, partly false, depending on where you start.