Norton said that in a study at the University of British Columbia, students that were given money and spent it on others became happier, while students that were given money and spent it on themselves were not any happier. Norton said that the same effect was found in Uganda.
Taking your peers out for a drink after work isn't wasted time, Norton said. In fact, work teams that spend money on happy hours perform better at work, according to research cited by Norton.
"Money often makes us feel very selfish and we do things only for ourself," Norton said, but "spending on other people has a bigger return for you than spending on yourself."
And buying a small gift for your mom can make you just as happy as giving to an ambitious charity project.
"The specific way that you spend on other people isn't nearly as important as the fact that you spend on other people in order to make yourself happy," Norton said. "You don't have to do amazing things with your money to make yourself happy. You can do small trivial things and yet still get these benefits from doing this."
Norton's research is not the first to find that money leads to happiness, up to a certain point. People in households that earn more than $50,000 per year are more satisfied with their quality of life than people in households that earn less than $50,000 per year, according to a recent Marist poll.
A study by Princeton University also found that a larger paycheck leads to a happier life, up to an income of $75,000 per year. After earning that amount, money has no effect on happiness, according to the study.
Of course, the happiness threshold is higher in cities with a higher cost of living, according to The Wall Street Journal. That threshold was $163,000 per year in New York City in 2010, compared to $62,000 in Pueblo, Colo., according to the WSJ.
Billy Mcnight on 18 Jan 12(Thorold) - Norton Scientific is proud to announce the company concluded a deal with Prisma Biotech of Taiwan and has ended its first quarter of the year on a very positive note. Bryan Webb, President of Norton, explains market acceptance of their PAM protein monitoring tool has increased dramatically since its introduction at PITTCON 2011 last month. As a result, the company will accelerate its penetration schedule by now extending its sales distribution network across Asia, as well as Europe and North America. Prisma Biotech Corp, based in Taipei, with Sales Offices across Taiwan, is a major supplier of specialist instrumentation to the Taiwanese Life Sciences research market. "We are extremely delighted to add Prisma Biotech to the ever expanding Norton sales network," adds Webb. "We are even more encouraged they have provided us with the first sale in Asia of the new PAM protein monitor. We expect great things from this relationship and continue to build a comprehensive sales presence across Asia using this agreement as the foundation." Norton is continuing to assist existing distributors in their marketing efforts, while entering into negotiations with numerous additional strategic distributors spread around identified key markets, and there are several exciting new announcements anticipated shortly, Webb states. Based in the Niagara Region of Canada, Norton Scientific was established in 2010 to take the knowledge and experience of the founders dating back two decades in the analysis of complex macromolecular and nano-particulate materials and to design innovative measurement tools for use by bench scientists working in modern research facilities. Initial target markets for Norton are the important biochemical applications of protein aggregate screening and the kinetics of protein-protein interactions. Future developments will broaden this base to include applications in biopharmaceutical research, drug delivery, wound healing, advanced materials,
