The psychological weight of money

UC study measures fulfillment of dual-income households

When it comes to dual-income households, money really matters. 

Psychology and neuroscience website PsyPost highlighted research led by Sharmeen Merchant, doctoral candidate in UC’s Carl H. Lindner College of Business, that suggests a man’s sense of fulfillment at work is intertwined with his partner’s views on money. 

“This paper was the first to acknowledge that money is not made in isolation, but within a household,” Merchant told PsyPost.

The study, published in the Journal of Business and Psychology, analyzed hundreds of working couples to show how men tend to integrate their partners’ perspectives into their own sense of professional achievement. For women, this trend was less pronounced. 

Merchant also spoke on the podcast The Last Show with David Cooper to explain how viewing money as a form of achievement can influence both job satisfaction and relationships.  

“Making meaning of money is a very individual experience. We all have our different relationships with money,” Merchant told host Cooper. “These values are very salient to us as individuals and very often we tend to partner up with people who share similar values.” 

She added that when those values on money diverge, there can be complications and more conflict in relationships. 

Learn more about the study.

Featured image at top of money. Photo/Unsplash

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