The old saying goes: Money can’t buy happiness. But it sure can make or break a relationship.
That’s according to new research spearheaded by University of Cincinnati doctoral candidate Sharmeen Merchant that took an in-depth look at the psychological role money plays in households with two sources of income. Her team’s study was recently published in the Journal of Business and Psychology .
The results? Men’s sense of fulfillment at work is embedded with their partners’ views on money. By focusing on achievement-related money attitudes, the study highlights how men in particular integrate their partners’ perspectives into how they evaluate their own professional success. For wives and girlfriends, this trend was significantly less pronounced.
“This is about the values of money and how we approach money in our partnerships. It’s not just about the objective dollar amount you earn,” Merchant said. “Do we think it’s a source of achievement? Do we see it as materialistic?”
So if a married couple is aligned on what money means to them, the husband tends to feel more fulfilled with his job. If a couple has totally different perceptions of money, that workplace fulfillment dissipates.
Scott Dust, PhD, Carl H. Lindner College of Business professor and Merchant’s adviser, also worked on the study, alongside fellow Lindner doctoral candidate Sodiq Babatunde, Lindner assistant professor Laurens Steed and Joseph Rode from Miami University.
“That’s the practical takeaway: Choose your spouses wisely,” Dust said. “Your choice of work will certainly impact how satisfied you are at your job. But your choice of partner and what your partner’s values are can also influence how you feel about your income.”]
Journal of Business and Psychology
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