Spending money has an effect like drugs

German psychologists affirmed that spending human money creates a sense of satisfaction in the brain like addictive substances.

Professor Armin Falk of the University of Bonn and colleagues asked 18 volunteers to fill out some survey forms to learn about their decision to spend money. The research team gives two assumed salaries, one of which is 50% higher than the other.

However, if volunteers receive higher wages, the price of the products they buy also increases by 50%. This means that if you choose to buy a product, the shopping ability of all volunteers is equal.

While volunteers fill out information and survey forms, experts perform ventromedial prefrontal cortex - the area of ​​the brain responsible for creating a sense of euphoria and satisfaction when people use drugs. The team thinks that, in both cases (accepting high or low wages), the act of spending money will produce the same reaction in the middle forehead shell.

But the results are not quite the same as the scientists' judgment. The reactions in the middle lobe of the group of volunteers receiving higher salaries were stronger and longer than those of low-wage recipients, although in fact the purchasing power of both groups was equal.

'This shows that the level of human satisfaction often increases with income. We always feel better when we get higher salaries even though the actual prices of goods also increase accordingly. Our findings reinforce a hypothesis whereby the frontal lobe shell is easily deceived by illusions about money , 'Falk said.

Professor Falk also added that many economists do not believe in the existence of the concept of 'money illusion', but many recent studies claim that this type of illusion really exists.