Mind Over Money

Drake Bennett of the Boston Globe reports on recent studies suggesting that money can buy happiness if spent in the right place.

The research proves that time and money spent on things such as socializing and vacations offers more fulfillment by creating experiences, through which one gains memories instead of materials.

Elizabeth Dunn, a social psychologist of the University of British Columbia, states "...reallocating as little as $5 on a given day can make a difference in happiness." Sonja Lyubomirsky, an equal of Dunn's, agrees that "money can change the world... it can support political candidates, it can drive change."

It's possible to use money more wisely to control the selfish and addictive spending habits that have built our struggling economy.  The challenge is to seek happiness with each other rather than with our checkbook.