Why Money is Part of Human Nature: Money as Both Tool and Drug
   Human behaviour towards money can’t solely be explained by its utility,
   It’s no surprise that people want money – we’ve all got bills to pay.
   It’s also no surprise that money is useful – it would be irritating to
   pro quo. Originally economists argued that the fact that money is so
   it, the fact that money is so useful doesn’t fully explain people’s
   Why does a person who is already rolling in money want more?Think about
   how obsessed people can become with money, beyond its instrumental use,
   is already rolling in money want more? Indeed, why do people whose
   argue that people’s actual behaviour towards money can’t be explained
   on. Money provokes people into all sorts of bizarre behaviour that
    1. Big money
       Money literally looms large in our minds – we seem to imbue it with
       actually perceive money to be physically larger than other objects
       The real, useful value of money changes all the time, e.g. one
       does now. Despite this people respond to the face value of money
       money that has a higher face value, and underestimate the real
       value of money that has a lower face value (e.g. Gamble et al.,
       People are attached to the actual form that money takes and will
       attitudes to money, it’s more than just its utility that’s
       The special kind of relationship people have with money is
       underlined by the times when it can’t be used. Money is often not
       of money is also frowned on in high art, religion and education.
       Similarly there is a taboo about money buying political office
Money as tool and drug
   attitudes towards money reach, in many circumstances, beyond its actual
   utility. People’s thoughts and behaviour towards money can’t easily be
   Part of the attraction of money, like drugs, is that it changes how we
   significance.Professors Lea and Webley argue that money is not just a
   Part of the attraction of money, however, like drugs, is that it
   significance. Part of the benefit people derive from acquiring money –
   world, it is just chasing money for the sake of having money.
   But if money is like an addictive drug, then where did we acquire this
   addiction, when did we pick up the taste for money? Lea and Webley
       us a buzz, and money, as the most potent catalyst for exchange,
    2. Money as a way of keeping score: Humans love to play. Compared to
       the scaffolding on which we have built our addiction to money.
       Money turns out to be one of the most addictive games we ever
Can’t get enough of that money
   Money is more than just a useful tool, as some economists have argued;
   while money is certainly useful, human behaviour towards it can’t be
   the motivation for money often extends past its actual utility. This
   motivation for money.Thinking of money as a drug highlights the
   biological basis of money. An evolutionary account underlines this
   biological perspective by suggesting that money addiction might be
   understanding of humans’ relationship with money. Their view is that
   motivation for money. Money, they argue, whether for good or evil, is
   Lea, S. E. G., & Webley, P. (2006). Money as tool, money as drug: The
The Psychology of Money
   → This post is part of a series on the the psychology of money:
       Money
     * Social Versus Financial Thinking – When Money Makes People Lazy and
     * The 3 Reasons Money Brings Satisfaction But Not Happiness
     * Do Big Money Bonuses Really Increase Job Performance?
     * Money and Self-Control: The Battle Between Thoughts and Emotions
     * Why Money is Part of Human Nature: Money as Both Tool and Drug
     * How Does The Cleanliness of Money Affect Our Spending?
    4. This is How Much Happier Therapy Makes You Than More Money
    5. How Does The Cleanliness of Money Affect Our Spending?