Money. The root of all evil? Arguably. Essential to our lives? Certainly. A main driver of human thought, emotion, and action? Absolutely--and psychology and its related fields are getting closer to understanding its complex role in human behavior and in society. The Psychological Science of Money brings together classic and current findings on the myriad ways money affects brain, mind, and behavior to satisfy not only our needs for material gain, but also for autonomy and self-worth. Leading experts trace the links between early concepts of value and modern symbolic meanings of wealth, in addition to identifying the areas of the human brain that together act as its financial center. This cross-disciplinary analysis helps clarify the neuroscience behind pathological gambling, the critical role of time in financial decisions, and the impact of money on diverse personal activities and interpersonal relationships. Included in the coverage: Materiality, symbol, and complexity in the anthropology of money. The (relative and absolute) subjective value of money. Conscious and unconscious influences of money: two sides of the same coin? A life-course approach to dealing with monetary gains and losses Motivation and cognitive control: beyond monetary incentives. An integrative perspective on the science of getting paid. The psychological science of spending. The unique role of money in society makes The Psychological Science of Money a singularly fascinating resource with a wide audience among social psychologists, industrial and organizational psychologists, economists, sociologists, anthropologists, and public policymakers.

Doing well with money isn’t necessarily about what you know. It’s about how you behave. And behavior is hard to teach, even to really smart people. Money—investing, personal finance, and business decisions—is typically taught as a math-based field, where data and formulas tell us exactly what to do. But in the real world people don’t make financial decisions on a spreadsheet. They make them at the dinner table, or in a meeting room, where personal history, your own unique view of the world, ego, pride, marketing, and odd incentives are scrambled together. In The Psychology of Money, award-winning author Morgan Housel shares 19 short stories exploring the strange ways people think about money and teaches you how to make better sense of one of life’s most important topics.

This fascinating book examines such diverse and compelling subjects as: money and power, gender differences, morality and tax, the very rich, the poor, lottery and pools winners, how possessions and wealth affect self-image and esteem, why some people become misers and others gamblers, spendthrifts and tycoons, and why some people gain more pleasure from giving away money than from retaining it. Comprehensive and cross-cultural, The Psychology of Money integrates fascinating and scattered literature from many disciplines, and includes the most recent material to date. It will be of interest to psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists and to people interested in business and economics.

If you think money can’t buy happiness, you’re not spending it right. Two rising stars in behavioral science explain how money can buy happiness—if you follow five core principles of smarter spending. If you think money can’t buy happiness, you’re not spending it right. Two rising stars in behavioral science explain how money can buy happiness—if you follow five core principles of smarter spending. Happy Money offers a tour of new research on the science of spending. Most people recognize that they need professional advice on how to earn, save, and invest their money. When it comes to spending that money, most people just follow their intuitions. But scientific research shows that those intuitions are often wrong. Happy Money explains why you can get more happiness for your money by following five principles, from choosing experiences over stuff to spending money on others. And the five principles can be used not only by individuals but by companies seeking to create happier employees and provide “happier products” to their customers. Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton show how companies from Google to Pepsi to Crate & Barrel have put these ideas into action. Along the way, the authors describe new research that reveals that luxury cars often provide no more pleasure than economy models, that commercials can actually enhance the enjoyment of watching television, and that residents of many cities frequently miss out on inexpensive pleasures in their hometowns. By the end of this book, readers will ask themselves one simple question whenever they reach for their wallets: Am I getting the biggest happiness bang for my buck?

Protect and grow your finances with help from this definitive and practical guide to behavioral economics—revised and updated to reflect new economic realities. In their fascinating investigation of the ways we handle money, Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich reveal the psychological forces—the patterns of thinking and decision making—behind seemingly irrational behavior. They explain why so many otherwise savvy people make foolish financial choices: why investors are too quick to sell winning stocks and too slow to sell losing shares, why home sellers leave money on the table and home buyers don’t get the biggest bang for their buck, why borrowers pay too much credit card interest and savers can’t sock away as much as they’d like, and why so many of us can’t control our spending. Focusing on the decisions we make every day, Belsky and Gilovich provide invaluable guidance for avoiding the financial faux pas that can cost thousands of dollars each year. Filled with fresh insight; practical advice; and lively, illustrative anecdotes, this book gives you the tools you need to harness the powerful science of behavioral economics in any financial environment.

The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller! “The Psychology of Wealth is a pertinent and comprehensive overview of the skills and mindset necessary for success. Prosperity can be achieved by anyone, and Dr. Richards shows the way.” —Donald J. Trump “What’s in your head determines what’s in your wallet. Dr. Richards gives you the mental hard-drive upgrade you need to finally achieve the greater prosperity and success you desire.” —Darren Hardy, Publisher, SUCCESS magazine “Dr. Richards shakes up our preconceptions about wealth by examining the psychological aspects of how we relate to money. When you understand the real sources of wealth in your life, you’ll find it much easier to achieve a more prosperous and happy life.” —Jordan E. Goodman, America’s Money Answers Man at MoneyAnswers.com and Author of Master Your Money Type “This might be one of the most important books you’ll ever read. If you feel like your life has been stuck in neutral—or even worse, put in reverse—Dr. Richards will set you on a clear path to success.” —Barnet Bain, Producer, What Dreams May Come About the Book: Why do some people feel a perpetual state of lack and fear about money, while others feel genuinely prosperous, regardless of the size of their bank accounts? Why do some people shudder with dread when it comes to setting financial goals, while others embrace it with enthusiasm and confidence? What makes the difference? Could it be in their relationship with money itself? People who enjoy a healthy relationship with money share common habits and traits. So, how do they think, and what do they do differently? Are these behaviors hardwired in an individual’s psyche, or can they be learned? In this provocative book, psychotherapist Dr. Charles Richards provides unexpected and encouraging answers to these questions. Based on his research and expert interviews, Dr. Richards shows how each of us can develop a thriving relationship with money and create a rich and rewarding life. A t the book’s heart are the stories of people who have faced adversity with courage and created extraordinary lives. Their accounts—along with Dr. Richards’ interviews with finance professors, legislators, entrepreneurs, and mavens of success—pave a path to a brighter future for us all. Today we live in a trying economic environment. Every day, popular financial advisors exhort us to hunker down, play it safe, and protect ourselves from an uncertain future. To the voices who promote fear and doubt, Dr. Richards answers with balance, wisdom, and optimism. The Psychology of Wealth is for anyone interested in succeeding personally or professionally, and in achieving true prosperity. It offers golden steps on the path to a better life.

Reflecting the latest APA Guidelines and accompanied by an exciting, new, formative, adaptive online learning tool, Psychological Science, Fifth Edition, will train your students to be savvy, scientific thinkers.