Buying Happiness

Money can’t buy you love, but it can help you find happiness, according to a study by the University of British Columbia and Harvard Business School.

They ran an experiment on 630 volunteers who were given between $5 and $20; half of the group were specifically instructed on how to spend the money…and the researchers discovered the one's who spent the money on others was measurably happier.

The British Columbian study also surveyed 16 employees who'd received an annual profit sharing bonus of between $3,000 and $8,000.

Those who devoted more of their bonus to "pro-social spending" experienced greater happiness after receiving their bonus. The results also revealed the manner in which they spent that bonus was a more important predictor of their happiness than the size of the bonus itself…

I want you to be happy.
I want you to be ecstatic.
That government check you’re getting in May?
Spend it on me.