The money effect
I needed it. I just had to get it. Like a junkie needing a fix. I didn’t have time to wait for the bank. Too many things to get. So I grab the cheque from Mattson, the numbers on it symbolize what is rightfully mine. Over $3,000. I rush to Money Mart and throw it at them. “Cash Please.” With a fistful of hundreds, I leave feeling good. Satisfied.
A Google search of the word “money” brings back 900,000,000 results. To give a comparison, Google the word “sex” and only 502,000,000 come pages back. Money is one of the most talked about and prevalent forces in society. A symbol itself, money can represent more than just a medium for exchange, it can symbolize power, status, and happiness (though it’s debatable if this is authentic happiness). And these connotations can have a profound effect on people.
With a wad of crisp brown $100s resting in my wallet, I run through the list of stops I need to make. Gas. Sushi. Chapters. Best Buy. Wal Mart. The mall for sure. Willowbrook isn’t good enough though, I’ll have to drive to Coquitlam. That place is worth my money. Groceries? Maybe; that’s a low priority. This windfall will provide me with any food I please. Lost in the daze of having money, I ignore the fact that this money is supposed to pay my expenses for the semester. I’m all about here and now. And right now, I want sushi.
Himanshu Mishra, at the University of Utah, has done studies into the effect money has on people. Overwhelmingly, it was found that larger bills that are crisp and new have a larger, more powerful effect on people. Meaning, that the larger the bills in one’s pocket, the more likely they will be to ignore considerations of thrift and go on a spree.
Car filled with gas, I’m ready to go. I have to stop by Best Buy. I need some new DVD’s. I’m bored with my current collection. I’ll have to get the new season of Criminal Minds. $50 bucks, that’s not bad. It’s a reward. I’ve been really stressed lately. A little treat will cheer me up.
A post on the blog Get Rich Slowly, called “The Psychology of Spending,” states that “many people spend money when they’re experiencing low self-esteem.” And further spending analysts claim that the power of money is such that we feel in control when we have it. There is something in the human mind that takes pleasure in getting what it wants. There is a rush attached to feeling provided for. That rush can seem to cheer someone up who is feeling down. The problem is, in that temporary rush, it can be hard to recognize the guilt that one will feel after the fact, and the insurmountable debt that is accumulated from sprees.
It’s time for the mall. I already notice that my wallet is less full. What happened to that first $300? Oh well, I don’t have time to think about it now. I need more. This ecstasy of claiming whatever I want feels so good. I know that I need some shoes; my old ones are wearing out. Well that expense is justified, so I can still get something else. I consider calling my roommate for his company. I could even buy him a gift; something small and nice. No. I can’t afford to spend any on him.
Several studies done at the University of Minnesota clearly demonstrate that when money is on the mind, people are more selfish. A total of nine different studies were done. One included priming people with pictures. One group was shown pictures of money, the second, pictures of fish. Then a person in the room dropped a box of pencils. Those who had been shown images about money were significantly less helpful. Time and time again, when people were primed to have money on the mind, they proved less likely to offer assistance, ask for assistance, or associate with others. Money is a personal thing.
All alone I enter Coquitlam Centre. I know exactly where I want to go: Aldo first. Wait though, I need some jeans. I had to throw out that one pair a couple months ago. I’ll have to replace them. Gap? Guess? Or maybe even H&M. I have to have the name brands though. It’s part of the power I get with having money.
Another University of Minnesota study revealed that people begin to associate themselves with the brands they use. The study asked participants to use a pen reading “MIT” and most people reported feeling smarter with the use of that pen. Similarly, fashion brands promote the image a person wants to have, representing status.
Driving home from the mall, I start thinking about how much I spent. I can’t even calculate all my expenses, all I know is I only have $2300 which is about $1100 less than what I started the day with. I start assessing how much money I’ll need for the rest of the semester. I don’t have enough. I start feeling guilty for my expenses. The high is wearing off. Reality is cold.
Many psychologists have studied the effect of money and found that people’s spending habits catch up with them. There is a temporary high attached to extravagant spending. But there is also a point where reality will sink in.
My spending has left me thousands in debt, forced me to ask for my parents’ assistance, made companies deny my student loan applications, and all I’m left with is a now worn out pair of jeans and a season of Criminal Minds on DVD.
Wild spending is catching up with consumers faster and harder than ever. And a great cause of it is the power of money; money can influence a person’s thoughts and actions. Money can influence life in ways people may not even immediately recognize. According to the website
Thisisawar.com, nearly 50 percent of those in debt experience depression. Author Joe Larson claims that financial disagreements are the number one cause of divorce. It’s one of the largest motivators for crimes. Money can motivate people to do some absurd things.
The Bible says, “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” I Timothy 6:10 (NLT). Is it though? Is excessive spending the result of an idolization of cash, or even materialism? The blog fearlessdreams.com probably explains it best. “Money is an amplifier.” It doesn’t cause evil, it just takes the desires that are deepest within us and brings them to fruition. It draws out the worst. It brings out all kinds of evil.
Jason brandl
This was an eye-opener…well done!
Wow Jason. Extraordinarily well-written. As I read it, I felt like a movie was playing in my mind that cut to an entirely new scene every few minutes…..then of course wrapped up with a meaning at the end. Nice job :)