Little Kids Choose Between Wealth And Happiness

An interesting thing happened when A Plus and Strayer University asked little kids whether they want to be rich or happy. As part of a petition-lead effort to redefine success in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the institution wrangled a group of kids ranging from three to 11 years old. With their camera-ready focus group, they played a game of Would You Rather. (Though the game was not played the same way we adults play it over end-of-night drinks, where all options are the slurred names of celebrities.) In this game, the kids were asked to chose between wealth and youth, wealth and friends, and lastly, if they'd rather be successful because they're happy or successful because they're rich. By the time this final, point-driving question was asked, the kids had already shared their enthusiasm for wealth and fame. But when happiness and wealth were pitted against each other and only one could win, the kids came through.

In the last year, various companies have used kids to help further their messages in similar viral videos. What marketers have learned is that the unpredictable realness and honesty exuded by children is invaluable. Our generation has been ninja-trained to detect and defend themselves from advertising. We don't trust spokespeople, we don't believe testimonials — hell, we can't even trust Yelp reviews. But kids, as the smartypants marketing teams have learned, are our kryptonite. Kids can't sell us what they can't sell themselves. So if a bunch of cute, ponytailed kids tell us that success should be redefined as "happiness derived from good relationships and achieving personal goals", we're all "yassssssssss, preach!"

Money, Please

Kids get it: being very rich is not dissimilar to being a kid, you get to do whatever you want with out consequences. Can't blame him for choosing money over youth here!

Friends, Please

When asked if they'd rather have all the money in the world if it meant they couldn't have any friends, the kids picked with their hearts. They all chose friends over money.

Happiness, Please

The answers are unanimous. The kids choose to define success by happiness, not by wealth. And because kids are mini prophets to us guide-seeking adults, we agree! Here's the full video below:

Images: YouTube (4)