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Money Can Make People Happy

Psychologists have discovered that people who spend their money on the right things such as going to the theatre, dining out or going on vacation, are more likely to be happier with their life than those who spend their money on material things.

The study, conducted by the researchers at San Francisco State University, has found that experiential purchases result in increased happiness and well-being because they satisfy a person's need for social connectedness and vitality - a sense of feeling more alive.

A lead researcher of the study, Professor Ryan Howell, a psychologist at San Francisco State University, involved 154 people with the ages between 19 and 50, many of whom were in full-time work, and asked them to write about either a materialistic object or life experience they had bought within the last three months. The participants were also asked to describe their feelings and environmental cues connected with the purchase.

When the experts assessed the participants' levels of happiness and satisfaction, they found that those who had spent their money on food, theater tickets or various trips, were feeling much happier than those who had purchased items like clothes or electronics.

In addition, most of the participants said that experiential purchases were more likely to be considered as money well-spent, to make them happy, and to make happy people around them. Surprisingly, as it turned out, experiences led to more happiness in others than materialistic purchases did. A sense of connectivity to others -- getting closer to friends and family - could be one of the reasons why experiences generate more happiness.

"When people spend money on life experiences, whether they also take someone with them or buy an extra ticket or whatever, most of our life experiences involve other individuals," Howell said. People were fulfilling their need for social bonding while having these experiences, he added.

The findings also revealed that purchasing experiences produced happier people despite of the amount spent or the income of the individual, and led to a longer-term satisfaction. "Purchased experiences provide memory capital," Howell noted. "We don't tend to get bored with happy memories like we do with a material object."

The scientist said that despite of the findings of the current research, many people are still sure that money can make them happy. He speculates that maybe the belief is still there because money brings happiness some of the time, "at least" when being spent on life experiences.

Most psychologists who study the phenomenon say that the initial joy of obtaining a new object, such as a new car, or a new computer, fades over the time as people become used to seeing it on a regular basis. According to Howell, people adapt to a new purchase in six to eight weeks, up to a maximum of three months. And as to life experiences, on the contrary, they still continue to provide happiness through memories long after the event has occurred.

The study was presented this week at an annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology and will be published later this year in the Journal of Positive Psychology.

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5 Things You Didn't Know: Iron Man 2

The sequel to Iron Man was announced before the studio could even finish counting the over $300 million in domestic box office earnings. Now the challenge is making the new franchise a sustainable one that doesn’t burn out by the third film (think Spider-man or X-Men). Iron Man 2’s producers had to act fast since their leading man is over 40, so the release date was set for May 7, 2010. So, while director Jon Favreau and star Robert Downey Jr. are hard at work on one of the most anticipated sequels in years, we’re hard at work bringing you five things you didn’t know about Iron Man 2.

1- Don Cheadle is the new Terrence Howard
Due to salary disputes, the character of Jim Rhodes (Tony Stark’s best friend and ally) will no longer be played by Terrence Howard. He’s been replaced by fellow Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle. Apparently when the first film was being made, Howard was the first actor to sign on to the project, and he was rewarded with the cast’s highest up-front salary. He balked when the producers asked him to take a pay cut for the sequel, so Cheadle replaced him. The character of Jim Rhodes will prove to be a crucial one in the coming films, as he eventually dons his own "supersuit" to become War Machine.

2- Over 600 issues of the Iron Man comic went into Iron Man 2
Justin Theroux is one of the screenwriters of Tropic Thunder -- a film that garnered Downey Jr. an Academy Award nomination this year -- and he will be scripting Iron Man 2 along with a team of co-writers. To prepare for the task of writing the sequel, Theroux apparently immersed himself in all of the Iron Man comic books -- four decades’ worth of them

3- Tony Stark will be hitting the bottle
Fans of the comic know that Tony Stark was the first alcoholic superhero, long before Hancock graced our screens. The filmmakers touched on Tony’s fondness for drink in the first film, but it will definitely be explored more fully in the second one. Favreau has said that he doesn’t want the film to be like Leaving Las Vegas, but with recovering addict Robert Downey Jr. playing the part, we’re sure he’ll give this topic its appropriate due in Iron Man 2.

4- Robert Downey Jr. is the oldest superhero
In April, Downey will be turning 44, which is a year older than Nicolas Cage was when he played Ghost Rider. At a time when baby-faced actors like Tobey Maguire (Spider-man), Brandon Routh (Superman) and Eric Bana (Hulk) are playing the titular superheroes, having an actor as old as Downey represents a few risks. With those young actors, the studios can afford to wait a few years between each installment without fear that the actor playing the lead may not be able to do the stunt work involved.

5- Nick Fury’s existence is in limbo
Given the rough economic climate, Marvel Studios is trying to cut costs wherever it can (see: Terrence Howard). However, since Iron Man 2 is a film that will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, you can understand why actors might not be willing to see it as a labor of love. Samuel L. Jackson is rumored to be in negotiations with the studio about reprising his cameo role from the first film as Nick Fury, the head of S.H.I.E.L.D., an organization that plays a large part in the mega-film The Avengers. A final fact you probably didn't know about Iron Man 2 is that it’s unclear whether Jackson will come back, and if he doesn’t, whether they’ll find a new Nick Fury or just scrap the character altogether.

AG Holder Announces Major Shift in Drug Enforcement Policy

It’s official. The Obama administration has announced it has no plans to prosecute marijuana dispensaries in California and other states. The move represents a significant shift away from the Bush administration’s stance on the issue. Here are stories from the LA Times and New York Times; click here for a previous LB post on the issue.

The news came straight from the mouth of Attorney General Eric Holder, who said Wednesday in a sit-down with reporters that the new administration would target outlets operating in violation of both federal and state law, such as those being used as fronts for drug dealers. “Those are the organizations, the people, that we will target,” the attorney general said.

In the Bush administration, federal agents raided medical marijuana distributors that violated federal statutes even if the dispensaries appeared to be complying with state laws.

President Obama indicated during the campaign that, under his leadership, the nation’s drug-enforcement policies would change. But soon after his inauguration, the DEA raided several dispensaries in California, in what appeared to be a continuation of earlier policies.

Those raids, however, may well become a thing of the past. “If you are operating a medical marijuana clinic that is actually a front, we’ll come after you,” one DOJ official told the LAT. “But if you are operating within the law, we are not going to prioritize our resources to go after them.”

Law Blog Reading Recommendation: For a wonderful introduction to the world of California’s marijuana dispensaries, we suggest checking out David Samuels’s really nice piece in the New Yorker, from last July. Here’s the story’s wonderful second paragraph:

It was now three o’clock in the afternoon, and Captain Blue was dozing after a copious inhalation of purified marijuana vapor. (His nickname is an homage to his favorite variety of bud.) His hair was black and greasy, and was spread across his pillow. On the front of his purple T-shirt, which had slid up to expose his round belly, were the words “Big Daddy.” With his arm wrapped around a three-foot-long green bong, he resembled a large, contented baby who has fallen asleep with his milk bottle.

Captain Blue is a pot broker. . . .

Obama Backs Global Gay Rights

President Obama Administration will sign the US up to a United Nations declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalisation of homosexuality, AP reports.

This is a straight reversal of then-President George W. Bush’s refusal to endorse the idea when it was proposed by the French Government last December.

Until now the US was the only hold-out among Western Democratic nations – all EU nations back the declaration along with more than 30 other countries.

But 70 U.N. members currently outlaw homosexuality — and in several of them, including Iran, homosexual acts can be punished by execution. More than 50 nations, opposed the declaration including the Vatican. Members of the Islamic conference argued that legalization of “deplorable acts” could lead to paedophilia and incest.

This decision by the Obama Administration isn’t only significant for gay rights, it also marks a change of approach to participating in multilateral initiatives.
The Bush Administration was often preferred to go it alone and stay out of international conventions. A recent poll showed that a substantial minority of Americans still favour pulling out of the UN.