“Our capacity to draw happiness from aesthetic objects or material goods in fact seems critically dependent on our first satisfying a more important range of emotional or psychological needs, among them the need for understanding, for love, expression and respect.”

Simplified Meaning:

To truly enjoy things like beautiful art or nice products, we first need to feel good about ourselves and our lives in deeper ways. Just having a fancy car or a pretty painting won't make us happy if we are lonely or feel misunderstood. For example, imagine someone who buys an expensive TV hoping it will make them happy, but they don't have friends to invite over to watch it with. Without that social connection, the TV doesn't bring much joy. Similarly, a person's fancy clothes might make them feel good for a while, but if they are constantly disrespected at work, they won’t find lasting happiness in fashion alone. To really feel content, we need things like love, friendship, and respect from others. Once these deeper needs are met, we can fully appreciate and enjoy the material things we have. In our everyday life, it's important to focus on building strong relationships and finding personal fulfillment before expecting material possessions to make us happy.