Money is on all of our minds today. There never seems to be enough of it. We are always looking for more of it. No matter how much we have it's not enough. You do not hear anyone saying, "No, I've had enough of money. I'm on a sort of money diet. Its just not good for me. "
Are we happier people because we have money? The economy is booming now. More and more people are going to college and we aren't facing anything like the Great Depression. New ways of obtaining money are always being discovered. Are we friendlier because we all share a common goal, the goal of getting more money? Studies show that those of us who have money on our mind are not very friendly at all. Instead of wanting to give away our money, many of us want to keep even our smiles from one another as we become focused on money and aloof to the needs of others.
Nine experiments were published in the "The Psychological Consequences of Money," http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/314/5802/1091. The abstract reads "Even thinking about money changes behavior in reliable ways." These experiments revealed that many people who have money constantly on their minds do not care about the needs of the others. These types of people are also indifferent to interacting with others.
I heard a saying one day from the radio. Someone said that money "is not the key to life, but it is right up there with oxygen."
The person who made this statement may have been what is known as "preconditioned" to money. Another word for preconditioned is "trained." Trained to money. Studies reveal that those who are "preconditioned to money are less helpful, less considerate, and less willing to request help or involve themselves with other people.
The money conscious are not necessarily mean, but perhaps indifferent. However, on a more positive note, being preconditioned to money has been shown to makes us more focused.
Therefore money might be a useful in parenting. If a child is offered an allowance, he or she might focus on their work more and put more effort into getting household tasks done. However, because the preconditioning of money spawns indifference in regards to personal relationships, it may not be a good idea for parents to talk about money too much when attempting to develop a relationship with their children.
An observation of the study moves one to conclude that the indifference-money connection could be one of the reasons why money is one of the biggest causes of marital arguments and divorce.
Additional Resources
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveMoney/DoesMoneyMakeYouMean.aspx? http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/314/5802/1091. 
