Of course we’ve all heard the saying ‘money can’t buy you happiness’ before, but what if research showed you that if could? In this great TED talk by Michael Norton, he discusses the results of studies which show that yes, money can buy happiness – in certain circumstances.
Of course, there’s a catch! The researchers found that spending money on themselves generally didn’t shift subjects level of happiness at all, but spending it on other people resulted in more feelings of happiness and satisfaction.
Interestingly, the amount of money spent on others or the cause that it went to did not significantly change the reported feelings of happiness. The key thing is to actually spend money on someone other than yourself.
What does this mean for you? Even if you have only small means in terms of ability to give for others, it is worth making that effort. Not only do you get the opportunity to do a kindness for someone else, but this is reciprocated in the form of your own happiness…
