Michael Norton: How to Buy Happiness (TED)

It is said that money can’t buy happiness. Michael Norton, a social science researcher, says it can – if you don’t spend the money on yourself. Norton found people who spent money on others were happier than people who spent money on themselves overall. What the money was spent on did not affect the giver’s level of happiness. “The specific way that you spend on other people isn’t nearly as important as the fact that you spend on other people,” Norton said. The same applies to sales teams. Teammates who spent money on the team sold more than teams whose members only spent money on themselves.