Studies have consistently shown that after a certain point, money doesn't buy you happiness (Kahneman & Deaton, 2010).
However, people often fall in love with money. Sometimes, they develop such a strong desire for money that they even sacrifice their time for more money, beyond what is healthy. These people may forego activities that have been shown to actually increase happiness, such as going on vacations (Gilovich & Kumar, 2015), volunteering to help others (Liu & Aaker, 2008), and spending time with friends and family ( Hur, Lee-Yoon, & Hillans, 2021).
So, apart from supplying the necessities and certain goods we need for a good life, why do we love money to such a degree that it can start to make us sad? A former hedge fund trader, Sam Polk, calls himself "a former money addict." And for him, the answer is quite simple: his bonus.
"I would think about my bonus every day," he wrote in an article for the NY Times, explaining his time working on Wall Street. "Every day for a year, I thought: 'What will it be?'; 'Who will be paid more than me?'. I wanted more money for the same reason an alcoholic might want another drink.”
Performance incentives can be found not only on Wall Street, but in many professions. Salespeople earn commissions, athletes receive bonuses based on their stats, and CEOs receive stock options. However, research shows that this common type of incentive may be the main source of this unhealthy obsession with money.
Performance incentives contain inherent uncertainty: You don't know with certainty how much you'll earn each month. This uncertainty makes people fixate on their rewards.
This obsession with money leads to a stronger desire for money: If you can't stop thinking about money, you want it more. So people who repeatedly receive performance incentives tend to develop a stronger desire for money over time.
What happens when you develop a strong desire for money?
Njerëzit e sjellinë këtë dëshirë për para në shtëpi, së bashku me pagën e tyre. Dëshira e shtuar dhe fiksimi për paratë jo vetëm që ndikon në sjelljen e tyre në punë, por ndikon edhe në sjelljen jashtë punës. Studimet zbuluan se njerëzit që marrin stimuj të performancës bëjnë më pak donacione, shpenzojnë më shumë nga koha e tyre duke fituar para dhe i kushtojnë një vlerë më të lartë parasë në përgjithësi.
Kërkime të tjera kanë treguar gjithashtu se kur njerëzit kanë një dëshirë të fortë për para, ata priren të sakrifikojnë kohën për vetë-rritje, kohën e lirë dhe marrëdhëniet intime në mënyrë që të shkojnë pas parave (Diener & Oishi, 2000).
Thënë këto, ia vlen të reflektoni për punën dhe prioritetet tuaja të jetës. Jeni të fiksuar pas parave që kur ndërruat punë? Mendoni pak si shumë për paratë?
We spend most of our waking hours working, and most of our income comes from work. Therefore, it is important to understand that our work environment, such as stimulation systems, can have significant impacts on our lives.
Source: Psychology Today
