Why people want riches

Even though material conditions have improved during the last few decades, happiness has decreased.

This can be because of two factors:

• People want money to buy more stuff. But if we've already exceeded the amount of money we need to buy happiness, why do we desire more?
• A more plausible theory is that people want money because it buys them status. However, as society's wealth increases, the money to uphold a status increases, causing status to stay out of reach.