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It looks like money can buy you happiness after all -- at least that's what researchers based at Cambridge University say in a recent study.
The study, published Thursday in the journal Psychological Science, found people who spent money on things which "matched their personality" were happier than their peers.
"Our findings suggest that spending money on products that help us express who we are as individuals could turn out to be as important to our well-being as finding the right job, the right neighborhood or even the right friends and partners," said Sandra Matz, a PhD candidate in Cambridge's department of psychology and one of the study's authors.
"By developing a more nuanced understanding of the links between spending and happiness, we hope to be able to provide more personalized advice on how to find happiness through the little consumption choices we make every day," she said.
"Historically, studies had found a weak relationship between money and overall well-being," said Joe Gladstone, a research associate at Cambridge Judge Business School and one of the study's authors. "Spending can increase our happiness when it is spent on goods and services that fit our personalities, and so meet our psychological needs."
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