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The Stress of Sudden Wealth

The document discusses some of the potential negative effects of sudden wealth, whether earned or inherited. It notes that while money seems it would solve problems, sudden wealth can actually cause stress in several ways. It can affect brain chemistry and cause pleasure from purchases to fade quickly. It can damage relationships as friends and family expect things from the wealthy person. It can also produce strong negative emotions like fear, guilt, and anxiety depending on the source of the wealth. Overall, the document argues that for most people who are not desperately poor or sick, sudden wealth may bring more stress than happiness.

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Thúy Vi
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529 views2 pages

The Stress of Sudden Wealth

The document discusses some of the potential negative effects of sudden wealth, whether earned or inherited. It notes that while money seems it would solve problems, sudden wealth can actually cause stress in several ways. It can affect brain chemistry and cause pleasure from purchases to fade quickly. It can damage relationships as friends and family expect things from the wealthy person. It can also produce strong negative emotions like fear, guilt, and anxiety depending on the source of the wealth. Overall, the document argues that for most people who are not desperately poor or sick, sudden wealth may bring more stress than happiness.

Uploaded by

Thúy Vi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Unit 7, Listening 1, Activity A, C

Page 153, 154

Speaker: Have you ever dreamed of earning a large amount of money, or being given millions?

Me, I don’t really care where the money comes from, as long as it comes, because the money

will solve all my problems, right? The reality is that people who acquire a sudden (1)

______________, whether they earn it or are given it, experience a lot of stress. I know. It

doesn’t make sense. Who would believe that an enormous amount of cash would be hard to

handle? But sudden money is not always a good thing. It’s easy to forget that a large quantity of

money can have several (2) ______________ effects on our lives. First, it affects how our brains

work, at least for a while. Sure, if you give someone money, there will be an immediate effect on

his brain, similar to the way his brain would (3) _____________ to food or medication. But that

pleasure goes away quickly. Similarly, people think they will enjoy something they buy much

longer than they actually do.

The problem is that our brains get used to (4) _____________experiences. In the beginning,

when we get the money, our brain identifies it as pleasure. Then that feeling wears off. The same

thing happens when we spend the money on something we think we really want. And to get the

same amount of pleasure the next time, we need to buy something even bigger and better. It’s not

a surprise that many people who (5) ______________ a lot of money they didn’t expect, lose it

all within a few years. Second, sudden wealth can also affect our social relationships.

Interestingly, sudden wealth and the sudden loss of money can have quite similar effects. It’s the

(6) ______________ change in circumstances that causes the problems. In the case of sudden

wealth, too many other people want something from their (7) ______________ rich friend or

relative. And they may not understand the stress the rich person is (8) ______________,

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thinking, “Oh, too bad. I wish I had your problems.” Most people get a lot of pleasure from being

with other people, but a sudden change in your (9) ______________ picture can make you feel

alone. If you move because of changing circumstances, you won’t have your usual (10) (10)

______________ of support. That expensive house on a private island somewhere may not be

quite as wonderful as it sounds if no one is with you. A third effect of sudden wealth is

emotional. People who acquire huge amounts of cash very quickly can experience many (11)

______________ emotions, such as fear, shame, guilt, and anxiety.

These feelings can lead to making bad (12) ______________. How you get the money can also

contribute to negative feelings. If someone dies and leaves you a fortune, the relationship you

had with that person can make things more (13) ______________. If you loved him, you may

feel sadness. If you never visited her, you may feel guilt. If you didn’t get along, you may feel

uncomfortable. And none of these feelings will make you happy. So if sudden wealth buys just

as much stress as it does happiness, what good is it? Probably not much, unless you are very sick

and it buys you (14) ______________health care. Or you are very poor and it provides you with

food and shelter. For most of the rest of us, people who are getting along okay without it, sudden

wealth is often more trouble than it’s (15) ______________

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