Does money destroy relationships?

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Money makes us prefer to play alone, work alone, to be less likely to request or offer help, and even to put more physical distance between us and others:

Money has been said to change people’s motivation (mainly for the better) and their behavior toward others (mainly for the worse). The results of nine experiments suggest that money brings about a self-sufficient orientation in which people prefer to be free of dependency and dependents. Reminders of money, relative to nonmoney reminders, led to reduced requests for help and reduced helpfulness toward others. Relative to participants primed with neutral concepts, participants primed with money preferred to play alone, work alone, and put more physical distance between themselves and a new acquaintance.

Source: “The Psychological Consequences of Money” from SCIENCE 17 NOVEMBER 2006 VOL 314

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