Laura Rowley Money & Happiness

Trying to maintain the true spirit of the holidays -- peace on Earth, goodwill toward all? Then banish images of money from your surroundings.

In a series of nine experiments, a team of researchers found that simply reminding people of money can turn them into a virtual Scrooge -- more antisocial, less helpful, and stingier with both their cash and their time, according to a paper published in Science last month.

Monopoly Money Guinea Pigs

"Money pushes people into a state where they become focused on achieving their own goals without help of others," says researcher Kathleen Vohs, assistant marketing professor at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota.

"I think it has a positive side -- being self-sufficient and goal-driven, and achieving something without relying on other people is a good thing," Vohs says. On the other hand, people primed with money images expect others to be self-sufficient, too -- making them less likely to help.

The studies used a "mental priming" technique, in which researchers heightened reminders of the idea of money, but at a level below participants' conscious awareness.

For example, in one experiment, participants were given phrases to decode. Some were neutral (i.e., "cold it desk outside is" became "it is cold outside"). Others were money-related (i.e., "high a salary desk paying" became "a high-paying salary"). A third group descrambled neutral phrases, but researchers placed a pile of Monopoly money in their peripheral vision.

Participants were then asked to solve a difficult problem arranging disks into a square, and told they could ask for help if needed. Those who were primed with money images worked significantly longer before asking for help -- more than five minutes on average, and 70 percent longer than the control group.

No Helping Hand (or Handout)

Several other experiments found people exposed to money images were less likely to help, whether it was assisting someone who had dropped a large box of pencils, giving an explanation to a confused peer, or donating some of the $2 in change they had received for participating in the research.

(At the end of one experiment, participants were shown a drop box by the door and told it was a fund for needy students. Those who experienced subtle money images donated an average of 77 cents, compared to $1.34 for the control group.)

"They were not willing to be of service to people in need -- that was one of the more striking findings," Vohs says. "In one experiment, a person blatantly asks for help. A confused peer says, ‘I don't understand what to do, can you help me?'

"People who were reminded of money didn't even make an attempt to help; they didn't even give a perception of trying to help. They just sat at their desks and said, ‘I have no idea, you should call an experimenter.'"

Money and Isolation

People with money on the brain also appeared to be less open, putting more physical space between themselves and others. In one experiment, participants completed questionnaires in front of a computer. After six minutes, one of three screensavers appeared; two showed neutral pictures, a third displayed images of currency.

Participants were then told another student would join them to have a get-acquainted chat. The experimenter asked the participant to move two chairs together while he went to fetch the other person. People primed with money images placed the two chairs farther apart than those who saw neutral screensavers.

Similarly, people reminded of money preferred to work on an assigned task alone, even when working with a peer may have accomplished the job faster. When asked to choose from a list of leisure activities, people who had been exposed to money images picked solo events (personal cooking lessons) over more social options (an in-home catered dinner for four).

A Diminished Community

Vohs got the idea for the study after she finished postdoctoral work at the National Institutes of Health and moved to her current job, boosting her salary significantly. "I started noticing I was paying for the things that I otherwise would have called on friends for," she recalls.

The classic example: Hiring a professional mover rather than sharing the job with pals and ending the day with pizza and beer.

In the paper, Vohs and her co-authors reflect on how money might have affected communities historically. "As countries and cultures developed, money may have allowed people to acquire goods and services that enabled the pursuit of cherished goals, which in turn diminished reliance on friends and family," they note.

"In this way, money enhanced individualism but diminished communal motivations, an effect that is still apparent in people's responses to money today."

Clearing Your Mind of Money

Recognizing that reminders of money can change behavior, we can correct for its influence, Vohs says. Here a few practical implications of the research for everyday life:

• Consider what might be lost before hiring help.

  Sometimes money is the quickest route to achieving a goal -- but in exchange for efficiency, you lose an opportunity to enjoy social intimacy, or create a memory. "You really don't need to hire a personal shopper to get Christmas shopping done -- go out with your sister," says Vohs.
  

  Another example: A Wall Street Journal story last year profiled busy parents who outsource everything -- including paying someone to teach their kid how to ride a bike. I would venture to guess that my kids are more likely to retain a fond memory of their dad running behind the bike the first time they peddled solo, versus the hired help.

• Remember that the idea of money tends to pull people apart -- especially when discussing finances with a loved one.

  "When your ultimate goal is interpersonal harmony, but you're talking about money, it will inherently pull you away from intimacy," says Vohs. When you discuss money with a partner, also look at your work; talking about money may motivate you to increase your individual efforts -- which can help achieve some mutual financial goal.

• Businesses seeking to foster teamwork would be well-served to deemphasize the dollar.

  "If their project is best served by everyone cooperating in some synergistic way, you want to downplay the focus on money," says Vohs. "Emphasize pleasing the client, getting more market share, or something less directly related to money. If you bring money into the picture, they will gravitate toward a more self-oriented mindset."

• Remove reminders of money when organizing year-end charitable donations.
  

  This one is obviously tricky. As Vohs puts it, "How do you use money to be generous without succumbing to the influence of it?" It may help to make a more abstract commitment -- such as percentage of income -- rather than a dollar amount. Then put the organization's catalog or web site in front of you -- prominently displaying their good works -- when you write the check.