> Scientists prove even the thought of money spoils enjoyment
>
www.physorg.com/news194159156.html
> May 27, 2010 by Lin Edwards money
>
> (PhysOrg.com) -- The idea that money does not buy happiness has been
> around for centuries, but now scientists have proven for the first
> time that even the thought of money reduces satisfaction in the simple
> pleasures of life.
>
> In the study led by Jordi Quoidbach of the University of Liege in
> Belgium, over 350 adult volunteers were recruited. The subjects were
> university workers with jobs ranging from cleaners to senior
> positions. They were given questionnaires asking them about how much
> they earned, how much they saved, their attitudes to money, and
> measuring their savoring ability. Savoring is feeling positive
> emotions such as contentment, gratitude, joy, awe or excitement during
> an experience.
>
> The results showed that the subjects who were wealthier had a
> self-assessed lower level of savoring ability, and this undermined the
> positive effects of money on their happiness, although they were
> overall slightly happier than the less well-off subjects.
>
> The volunteers were then randomly assigned into one of two groups. The
> subjects in one group were shown a picture of a stack of money as a
> reminder of wealth, while the second group were shown the same picture
> but blurred beyond recognition.
>
> After being shown the picture the subjects were given further
> psychological questionnaires designed to measure their ability to
> savor pleasant experiences. The results were that if the subjects were
> shown the clear picture of money first they scored lower in their
> ability to savor experiences.
>
> In a second test 40 students were given a binder that included a
> questionnaire asking them about their attitudes to chocolate. The
> binder also contained a photograph, marked as being part of an
> unrelated study, of a stack of money or a neutral object. They were
> then given a piece of chocolate to eat.
>
> Two observers, who had no knowledge of which picture the subject had
> viewed, used stopwatches to time how long the subject savored the
> chocolate, and gave them a rating on how much they appeared to be
> enjoying the chocolate. The results were that subjects who had viewed
> the picture of money spent an average of 32 seconds savoring the
> chocolate, while those who had viewed the neutral picture spent 45
> seconds on average and appeared to derive more enjoyment from it.
>
> The conclusion the authors reached was that access to money undermines
> a person’s ability to savor the simple pleasures of life, and even
> looking at a photograph reminding them of wealth could reduce their
> satisfaction levels.
>
> The study adds to other research in psychology looking at why, once
> people have enough to cover their basic needs, having more money has
> little effect on the enjoyment of life.
>
> The paper is published in the Psychological Science journal.
